Google now supports the open OAuth standard for sharing data through its Google Data interface, a move that could make it easier to tap into information stored at Google property.
Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.
(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET News.com)The Google Data API (application programming interface)--GData for short--provides a conduit whereby other Web sites can slurp out data stored at Google. For personal information, such as photos at Picasa or contacts at Gmail, access to that information requires authentication. OAuth provides a standard way to perform that authentication, which means programmers at least theoretically should have an easier time writing code.
Google announced the OAuth support Thursday on its Data API blog.
Also Thursday, Google announced that Google Finance is now supported in the Google Data API. That means data could be retrieved to build, for example, a gadget with a live chart showing changing portfolio value.
And since the API permits two-way communications, it also means an outside service could update a user's information at Google Finance, for example with recent stock trades.
AOL plans to launch a new program called AIM Money on Tuesday that lets programmers write applications that run in the AOL Instant Messenger buddy list--and lets programmers get a cut of any resulting revenue.
The move is made possible through use of an open interface in AIM 6.8, another new development. Version 6.8 also includes "mini-applications" that run at the bottom of the AIM buddy list window; 150 new CBS radio stations in AOL Radio; and restoration of the ability to save and import buddy lists, a feature that helps move a to a new IM identity.
As the computing industry has discovered the possibilities of applications running on the Internet, companies are rushing to curry favor with programmers hoping those companies' online offerings. Other examples of the idea are Facebook, Google and other members of the OpenSocial consortium, and the Yahoo Open Strategy.
Ultimately, richer applications can mean more users, more activity, more advertising--though the more lucrative elements of the strategy is largely rhetorical than real at this stage for many. AIM, however, has a well-populated list of active users, unlike many start-ups.
AOL announced the interface in March with its Open AIM 2.0 developer program, which lets programmers write software such as the mini-applications that plug into AIM's own chat software, bots that can communicate with humans on the network, Web-based AIM interfaces, and software that show when AIM members are available online through the service.
The revenue for programmers comes through sharing money generated by an advertisement that can appear along with programs that use the new AIM features. AOL serves advertisements using its Platform-A ad network and pays developers through PayPal.
To use the AIM API (application programming interface), developers have to use two of five AIM elements. The ad is one. The other four are bundling the AIM browser toolbar; providing access to AIM Expressions that customize the AIM interface; displaying the AIM Dashboard start page; and displaying buddy info.
John Hanke, head of Google Maps and Google Earth, speaks at the Where 2.0 conference in Burlingame, Calif.
(Credit: Stephen Shankland/CNET Networks)BURLINGAME, Calif.--Google added a new element to its search interface that will let others' Web sites use geographically linked information.
The company has opened up outside access to its Geo Search API (application programming interface), said John Hanke, head of Google Earth and Google Maps, at the Where 2.0 conference here Tuesday. That means other Web sites incorporating Google Maps will be able to find geographic features that are in Google's database but that previously were visible only through Google's own map site.
Google previously shared only some geographic data through its search API: businesses within a search of a local area. With the search API now producing broader results, a Web site could show not just the Marriott hotel near San Francisco International Airport but also nearby jogging trails, Hanke said.
"The API guys are on a more even footing with Google" when it comes to building a mashup that combines Google Maps with a third-party site via the interface, Hanke said in an interview after a speech.
Separately, Google added a new feature to Google Maps that can show the presence of geotagged information stored in the Wikipedia collaborative online encyclopedia. The map shows a "W" link for entries associated with a specific location, as the Google Maps Mania observed Tuesday.
Google Maps now shows Wikipedia entries.
(Credit: Google)
Google Maps directions now are augmented with Street View imagery, where it's available.
(Credit: Google)Google has built its Street View into Google Maps' ability to provide driving directions, the company said Tuesday.
With the feature, a small camera icon appears next to the intersections in the turn-by-turn directions. Clicking on the icon brings up a view of the intersection so people can see the area in question.
Google Street View is available in 44 areas of the United States, and there are strong signs Google is bringing Street View to Europe. Street View is available through the Google Maps programming interface so that those using Google Maps can add Street View abilities to their Web sites.
I think we all saw this one coming. The hottest social aggregator out there today, FriendFeed, has launched an application programming interface, paving the way for third-party applications using its service. Full documentation for the API is available on Google Code.
This is certainly an important step for FriendFeed. The closely related service, Twitter, has benefited greatly from providing support for third-party developers, so FriendFeed should see a similar bump from the introduction of its API.
FriendFeed's API currently offers PHP and Python libraries, with support for OAuth apparently on the way. In making the API, FriendFeed also took feedback from some developer influentials, such as Dave Winer.
To give some examples of what its API can do, the FriendFeeders told us, "You can develop a FriendFeed interface for a mobile phone, build a FriendFeed widget for your blog, or develop an application that makes it easy to post photos to your feed from your iPhone."
It's going to be very interesting to see what developers can do with this API, given the wealth of quality data that FriendFeed brings together.
UPDATE 3-15-08 12:20 p.m.: Some of the information in the story is found in YouTube's Frequently Asked Questions section
Before you start building new applications around YouTube's video player, it might be wise to check out the Terms of Service agreement and the Frequently Asked Questions section.
It has a lot to say about what you can or can't do--particularly when it comes to any thoughts of making money. First up, the No.1 video-sharing site says plainly "the intent of the API is for noncommercial use. "More specifically, the TOS prohibits using the application programming interface for the "primary purpose of deriving revenues...such as advertising or subscription" services.
YouTube, which expanded its API on Wednesday, goes on to say that it's permissible to use the API to show YouTube content on an ad-enabled blog or Web site, just as long as they aren't "comprised solely or substantially of YouTube video content."
Not surprisingly, the Google-owned site doesn't want anyone else making money off its content--especially competitors. But how much video can a commercial site post before it's too much? What exactly does "substantially" mean?
There's more.
Under the "Commercial Use" section of the TOS is this item: "The sale of advertising, sponsorships, or promotions targeted to, within, or on the API Client or YouTube video content" is prohibited without YouTube's permission.
A YouTube representative declined to comment.
What this means is that users can't insert advertising into the video or the player. And the YouTube player comes with the YouTube logo overlay. This, too, should also come as no surprise, said Roman Arzhintar, CEO of SideReel, a video search and community site.
"My guess is that YouTube is going to try and offer ads through that player itself," Arzhintar said, "by including code inside of it that will pull ads from Google."
YouTube allows people to use its player. Why shouldn't the company make a buck by delivering ads?
But besides being vague and perhaps over-broad, the language in the TOS is perhaps too restrictive for some commercial sites, especially when there are plenty of places to acquire white-label, third-party players that allow them to include their own advertising and branding.
What this means is that YouTube's player will still be the choice for individual bloggers and smaller businesses that supplement their content with videos and don't mind YouTube's branding and ads. For you in-betweens, better read the fine print.
Updated at 7:33 AM PDT to include YouTube-TiVo news.
Google's YouTube just announced that it is expanding its APIs to allow more direct access to the service.
The updates to the APIs, or application programming interfaces, give developers deeper access into YouTube for video uploading and allow for "chromeless" players, or players without the traditional YouTube interface and branding.
This move means YouTube will become not just a destination for videos, but a system that serves videos into other apps. Clearly, it's an effort to turn YouTube into an infrastructure play that, once adopted by a developer on a site, would be difficult to remove. It will also give YouTube an even more impressive library of videos, which can be used to serve up advertising.
We've already seen a few apps that use YouTube without advertising it. The music streaming service Songza (read review), for example, is essentially an interface into the audio portion of YouTube's database.
Here is the text of most of the announcement, which we got moments ago:
As part of YouTube's goal to extend its reach beyond the Internet browser by enabling users to discover and share compelling video content wherever they are, YouTube is excited to introduce the latest enhancements to the YouTube APIs and Tools. With this release, YouTube is now providing wholesale access to our extensive video library, worldwide audience, and the underlying video hosting and streaming infrastructure that powers YouTube.YouTube's latest API offerings allow anyone building a website or software application that is connected to the Internet to upload videos straight to YouTube; let users comment, rate and favorite the videos; and customize and control the Flash player in which the videos are played. This can be used in conjunction with the existing APIs which launched last year and which provide the ability to view videos on other sites and to search for videos on YouTube.
The enhancements to the YouTube APIs and Tools offering are free and easy to use, giving YouTube users yet another way to engage the world of video and actively participate in the YouTube community wherever they are, whenever they want.
Developers can also improve the user experience on their site, gain visibility and traffic, and easily add UGC (User Generated Content) capabilities. With more YouTube functionality and features, developers can enable users to develop more innovative original content directly from their mobile devices and encourage new users to share and engage the community.
Update: Later Wednesday morning, TiVo announced a deal that will make YouTube videos directly accessible from a TV through its digital video recorders, in a service set to go into effect later this year for broadband-connected subscribers with TiVo Series3 DVRs, including the TiVo HD.
Not everyone's "got the 'open' memo" just yet, but Reuters apparently has.
The global news and information company this week has opened up the API to its OpenCalais project, which enables content creators/aggregators to enrich their content services. What does this mean in English?
That's hard to say, because after reading through the FAQ and the project site, I'm still awash in a muddle of buzzwords and Silicon Valley speak. But what it appears to mean is that it's a Web service that allows someone (even me) to send content (this specific blog, your recipe, a weather report, whatever) to the service to have it (in under a second) attach metadata.
Huh? And? Well...
... Read moreBorrowing a page from Sun's Java playbook, Google is announcing a way for programmers to build social applications for multiple Web sites at once.
Google's version of this "write once run anywhere" concept is called OpenSocial, a set of common application programming interfaces (APIs) that will enable developers to create applications for social networks, blogs and any Web sites that accept the OpenSocial code. Currently, developers have to write new programs for each site, even if the functionality will be the same on each site.
This initiative "marks the first time that multiple social networks have been made accessible under a common API," according to a Google statement.
This announcement illustrates how Google is courting developers and possibly attempting to outdo Facebook in openness. Facebook opened up its platform to developers in June and the site was immediately flooded with all sorts of useful and not-so-useful apps. Google, Yahoo and others have been heavily espousing the beauty of open platforms and making moves to that end.
Not surprisingly, Facebook, which recently reportedly chose Microsoft over Google for an exclusive ad and investment deal, is not one of the OpenSocial-enabled sites.
Google's social network, Orkut, is among the sites that will accept apps written using OpenSocial APIs, as is LinkedIn, hi5, Ning, Friendster and Plaxo. Other partners include iLike, Slide, Oracle and Salesforce.com.
A Google representative would not say whether Google had talked to Facebook and MySpace about joining the initiative or comment on why they were not involved.
The OpenSocial resources for developers and Web sites will be available at code.google.com/apis/opensocial.
Though almost everything Google touches seems to turn to gold, there is one project that never quite became ubiquitous (at least here in the U.S.). Orkut may have found a following in Brazil and Asia, but I don't know anyone who uses the service. As Erick Schonfeld reports in TechCrunch, that may be about to change.
Known internally as Maka-Maka, the project will provide a means for all of Google's existing applications to work together within a social-networking landscape. Google is also building a series of APIs that will allow developers to integrate their own applications into the Google universe.
... Read more
