Mashup Camp: A Sign that Good Things Are To Come

MashupCamp has commenced. We wish we could be there.

Mashups interest us a lot these days. They are a powerful part of Web 2.0. Using APIs available from different applications, you can combine data and code in creative ways the original designers never expected.

One of my most recent favorites was described in today’s NY Times: Can’t Remember Who Whacked Whom? Just Check the Map on the Web Site. HBO is using the Google Maps API to display key information about important points in The Soprano’s storyline. Imagine using the same technology to describe some important aspect of your business.

What makes MashupCamp so important is who is there. Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, Intel, Six Apart, Amazon, eBay and other large and small companies are all there to talk about how these APIs are going to change the way we think about designing.

All that being said, just because we can doesn’t always mean we should. Understanding how to design the mashups so users get what they need without frustration is going to take time, patience, and energy. If history is any guide, we’re in for a flood of awful designs before we start to see the truly delightful ones emerge.

We’re very excited about where all this is going and can’t wait see what emerges.