What are these much fabled Mash-ups anyway? Everyone is talking about them but how much do we really know about these Mashups?

Wikipedia defines a ‘mashup as a web page or application that combines data or functionality from two or more external sources to create a new service.’ In much more simpler terms, A mashup could be website or web based application that uses different content from various sources to create a completely new product. This product will be a new service, an hybrid, having the features of its parent resources.

Mashing up is incredible. The excitement about these mash-ups are about the end result. Its all about the innumerable mix and match end products. You could mashup Madonna and Yoda and you get Yodanna, Mayoda, MaYo, Yoma. Its a virtual goldmine. Mashups, after the API (a public interface) floodgates opened up for every one to use, the possibilities have become limitless. There is and there will be a creativity explosion.

What I think is that mashups are probably one of the greatest adages to web 2.0. You have several different types of mashups. The popular ones would include consumer mashups( the most common variety that targets the general masses), data mashups, and business process mashups.

So what else is hot? Mashup analysts – so 3008! everything else – so 2000 and late!

We have business analysts, content analysts, system analysts. What do they do? For the most part, they analyze and streamline all the information that is available to them. They see and analyze what fits where and what does not. With mash-up technology growing exponentially since 2008, I think that it is only logical to have mash-up analysts. Many companies are thriving on ‘2.0′ technologies (like RIA widgets,mashups, blogs) and they allow their clients/users to create and share their creations themselves. So I’m guessing that there will be more technically qualified people who would take up roles of ‘Mashup Analysts’ in the future.
PS. Check this site out. www.stormberry.tv. I found this website in on of the mash-up networks. This allows users search youtube using the youtube API. The user can view the video, or they can add subtitles to the video using a web interface provided. These subtitles can then be translated to another language using Babelfish engine. This gets my thumbs up signal.

We are excited about the possibilities of OpenSocial, especially the ability to reach audiences in LinkedIn, Orkut and Hi5 networks. Facebook was able to expand target segments by going open and putting LinkedIn under severe pressure. We’ve always been enthusiastic on trying different distribution channels, we were the early ones to adopt Facebook, widgets and instant messenger plug-ins. Our development team was excited about unleashing their skills & creativity but its business possibilities fascinated me. We feel that Internet is fragmented; unlike Television, it is not confined to channels and it is important to reach-out to users using multiple access points and destinations sites. I am also waiting for the day when data could be portable between social networks and not just aggregation of data in one destination.

I am sure, OpenSocial will make the web more interesting for users and the movement towards opening up of socialization will continue!