Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Meebo publishes application API

So, one of my favourite websites, Meebo, has launched an application api. What this means is that you can now piggyback on Meebo's massive userbase, to launch your application for multiple people to interact.

When facebook released their api, I wasn't much interested. There have been some interesting apps, but I don't see the use, the... benefit of all that work. We can't harvest data, we can't use ads, we don't make money from them.

However, Meebo is quite different. The app is opened up in a new IFrame, and you can use either flash or javascript. Just host it on your website, and your good to go. The best part: if meebo makes more than $200/month in ad revenue from ads placed around your app, you get 50% of it. That, to me, is a huge incentive.

Due to their tight control of the platform- they test your app before releasing it- this does ensure that any maliciously coded apps do not get as far as one would think. They also insist that the app not iterfere with proper meebo operation. This is a good thing. They are setting limits for the apps, and providing an excellent incentive. Together, those will fuel a lot of innovation and great ideas.

Now if only I had a great idea of my own...

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