New York Times API In the Works
The New York Times is working on an API that will allow developers to mash up its content. As Times CTO Mark Frons told mediabistro, “The plan is definitely to open [the code] up,” Frons said. “How far we don’t know.”
The Times has had some success with its attempts to become more user-friendly for developers and users on the web. Their news quiz Facebook app has 1,500 users (I’m sure they’d like more), and their in-site blog aggregator Blogrunner is a really nice addition to the tech content of their in-house staff and stories through the AP and Reuters. Times ownership has also invested in Wordpress, which powers their blogs.
“The web of the near-term future isn’t about pages any more,” said ReadWriteWeb’s Marshall Kirkpatrick in March. “It’s about data, flying around, hopefully under the control of users, and offering a world of possibilities that few of us could have imagined just a few years ago.”
Apparently, the API will be completed and put out for developers in the next few months. Soon, said Frons, “we’ll have some of the major pieces — a restaurant guide, weekend events listings and books.” This will all be from inside the organization, and then everybody else will be able to fool around with the API soon after.
Thanks to Mediabistro and ReadWriteWeb for the quotes and information.
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