I can't agree with more with that. I posted about the fact that Twitter's best move was probably it's API that allowed the booming number of clients as well.
Eventually, I think we will see more and more APIs and more and API-only websites (like http://superfeedr.com) that will become the infrastructure for many many other services.
albert
· 2 months ago
Twitter is definitely a powerful example. While I believe in API-only services, I have found that some type of "sample application" or direct web-based use case goes a long way toward establishing such a service.
fabiansiegel
· 2 months ago
I agree on the value of an open API. I am wondering about the right timing.
I believe the service has to demonstrate its user value in the first place to make it worthwhile for both API developers and end-users expanding that user value.
Also, as you do not want to burden the user experience by inferior add-ons the question is on how tightly (if at all) to control the extension of your platform through an open API. You see companies like Twitter providing easy access to their API, whereas companies like eBay review each third party application using its API.
albert
· 2 months ago
I think we would always err on the side on introducing it early and exercising very little control. Some services that we have invested in (including Twitter and Foursquare) had an API practically from day 1.
Steve Conover
· 2 months ago
One surprise we've had on Remix (http://remix.bestbuy.com) is internal usage. It turns out that many of the people in the world who have good ideas for what to do with Best Buy's data work for Best Buy. Instead of dismissing ideas out-of-hand, or pursuing them and being told it would take months to get the data they want available in a web-ready way, employees can immediately put their ideas out there using a little bit of scripting plus something like Google App Engine.
The api a web-hardened cache of products, stores, and what products are in what stores - there are a lot of cool things you can do with that. We even package all the data up in an a series of archives built nightly, so you can just import it and rely on your local database instead of constantly calling out to us over the internet.
-Steve
albert
· 2 months ago
That's a great point. At Yahoo Open Hack several folks mentioned that they build internally on the same APIs and sometimes not only for side projects but for the core site.
kidmercury
· 2 months ago
great post albert. although it was a lot of work to read it, i had to read it a couple times to fully digest it. you exhausted me! :)
i think virtual currency is the ultimate API. i also think it sets the stage for a lot of trust issues to be resolved, which i think is at the core of many API concerns -- do i trust the folks at the other end. i think at some point networks will emerge that will agree to share each others APIs and sort of agree to being long-term business partners dependent upon each others APIs. in fact i think part of the future of venture capital could be to help establish those types of trust networks. i imagine you guys are already doing that type of stuff, intentionally or unintentionally, via things like your USV portfolio summit.
albert
· 2 months ago
Somebody made a similar observation at Yahoo Open Hack yesterday, that there seem to be some networks of mutually relying companies emerging. Will be interesting to see how that plays itself out, because in the world of say Win32 APIs that did not always end well ...
kidmercury
· 2 months ago
could you elaborate more on the win32 APIs you speak of, or some keywords i could search to learn more?
albert
· 2 months ago
What I meant was that a lot of software developers felt safe building on Windows only to have Microsoft start to incorporate some of those things into their own offerings.
kidmercury
· 2 months ago
oh yeah, with that i think if the platform funds the app built on top of it, it can work out a deal to acquire the app and integrate it natively into the platform. in many instances this is what platforms try to do anyway, the big players in particular (i.e. goog, msft) buy stuff up and try to integrate them into their platform.
right now the entire relationship between platform and app developer on top of platform is very murky, but i think eventually the app developers will basically own the platform, and the platform will be a fund that invests in apps it can integrate.
All Comments
Eventually, I think we will see more and more APIs and more and API-only websites (like http://superfeedr.com) that will become the infrastructure for many many other services.
I believe the service has to demonstrate its user value in the first place to make it worthwhile for both API developers and end-users expanding that user value.
Also, as you do not want to burden the user experience by inferior add-ons the question is on how tightly (if at all) to control the extension of your platform through an open API. You see companies like Twitter providing easy access to their API, whereas companies like eBay review each third party application using its API.
The api a web-hardened cache of products, stores, and what products are in what stores - there are a lot of cool things you can do with that. We even package all the data up in an a series of archives built nightly, so you can just import it and rely on your local database instead of constantly calling out to us over the internet.
-Steve
i think virtual currency is the ultimate API. i also think it sets the stage for a lot of trust issues to be resolved, which i think is at the core of many API concerns -- do i trust the folks at the other end. i think at some point networks will emerge that will agree to share each others APIs and sort of agree to being long-term business partners dependent upon each others APIs. in fact i think part of the future of venture capital could be to help establish those types of trust networks. i imagine you guys are already doing that type of stuff, intentionally or unintentionally, via things like your USV portfolio summit.
right now the entire relationship between platform and app developer on top of platform is very murky, but i think eventually the app developers will basically own the platform, and the platform will be a fund that invests in apps it can integrate.