Intro * My name is Taylor McKnight, I created Podbop, a mashup using Eventful's concert listings and our own database of mp3 links to let you listen to concerts in your city this week. 2) Mashups... * A quick review of what Mashups are * They combine multiple information sources to create something new * They are created by interacting with data through APIs or screen scraping * Can range from incredibly useful (housingmaps.com, chicagocrime.org) to the silly (Celebfavorites.com (get a map of anna kournikova's favorite restaurants). * They are gaining popularity lately through a recent flood of information providers releasing APIs and through media and conferences like Mashup Camp. 3) Creating Value Through... * The two main benefits mashups provide are Social and Technological. I will discuss both of these, show you an existing example illustrating this as well as a new mashup idea. 4) The Social Benefits * Mashups provide social benefits by connecting existing social networks (like eventful's users, last.fm's users, or del.icio.us users). By building upon these exisiting social networks, you don't have to start from scratch. Already have an audience. * Mashups provide social benefits by connecting existing data sources (like google maps, yahoo traffic data, or amazons product listings). You know how long it would take you to put together product info like Amazon? Or how much it would cost to liscense map data from Navtech yourself (like Google does). Mashups make this all possible for free. 5) Existing Example * Network For Good is a great example. If you haven't heard of them before it is an NGO that lets you search for ways to donate and volunteer in your area based on category. Here is an example search for ways to donate toys in Florida. 5 pages of toy related organizations is pretty damn good. The better part? It's a mashup of GuideStar and VolunteerMatch's databases. They didn't have to compile all this data themselves, or research each NGO's financials. They harnessed existing data sources. * Now lets look at a new example mashups can help NGOs. 6) Your Organizations Needs * Lets say there's an NGO in my area, they need type O blood because there is a shortage, or they need volunteers for a highway cleanup next weekend, or volunteers for the public librarys booksale tomorrow. * I care about my community. I want to help good causes and give what I can. I also am busy. I don't have time to hunt around for these organizations, constantly check in to see if they need help and don't like being bothered with ones that don't interest me. * The demand and supply for these needs are time and location sensitive. 7) Fulfilling Those Needs * Now lets say there were a website, we'll call it helpmyneighbor.com (it doesn't actually exist, so if any of you are online nothings stopping you from registering that domain right now) * Volunteers sign up, with their zip code, a radius they are willing to travel, categories they are willing to help out in and some form of contact info. * NGOs sign up, with their zip code and cause. * When theres a blood shortage, highway cleanup or booksale, they go to helpmyneighbor.com and submit a form with their needs. * Volunteers get alerted with timely, specific organizations that they consented interest in. Addresses don't get shared. You don't get random church newsletters sent to your house. * With me so far? So how can mashups make this easier? 7) Mashups Make It Easier * You could use AIM, Google Talk, or even Skype to automatically send out IMs or phonecalls alerting volunteers. * Push event data into volunteers calendars or public calendars on Google Calendar, Eventful or Upcoming * Use Vazu or 411Sync to push text messages to volunteers cell phones. 8) Helpmyneighbor.com * Sure its possible without mashups. * Mashups are a tool, they make it easier and more efficient by utilizing these existing communication networks rather than building your own. 9) Technological Benefits * There is a low barrier to entry. You learn how to interact with one API you can figure out any API. That's one knowledge set to interact with mapping, events, communication networks, photo sharing, and tagging data. * There is an unprecedented ROI. Access to all this information, these databases, these communities for free. * Mashups help create a level playing field. Because all this information is free, the small organizations have the same access as larger organizations. 10) Existing Example * Popurls.com is a website that pulls in data feeds from digg, delicious, furl, flickr, youtube and others to create an aggregated news resource. It seems simple because it is. But it's a mashup! Remember mashups don't have to be complicated. It's a tool to make your life easier. * Now lets talk about another new mashup idea, illustrating the technological benefits. 11) Your Organization's Needs * Lets say you run a puppy shelter. Your organization saved 100 puppies from Cruella deVille. Your organization is only a handful of people though. All of which are out in the field, saving puppies. * As an organization, doing good things, making a difference, you want to let people know. The more people know about your cause the more support you will have, whether that be in the form of resources or volunteers. * You want to maximize (or create) your PR resources to let your community know that you are making a difference. 12) Fulfilling Those Needs * What if there were a website called NGO-PR.com? Remember these are just ideas, so if this sounds good, go for it. NGO-PR is an international PR resource for press. * So your puppy shelter. You go sign up at NGO-PR and fill out a profile stating the basics about your organization, a CC liscense etc. * Now this is the easy part. I'm assuming you all have blog for your organization. There's no reason not to. It gives you a voice and it lets people connect to your cause in a much more personal way than static content. So you go to your blog and you post your story about saving the 100 puppies from Cruella DeVille. And you ping NGO-PR.com * You've registered with NGO-PR so they know where you are located, and they aggregate NGO stories based on any type of constraint, location, time, or type. * Local newspapers, television stations, radio can come to NGO-PR.com and see the altruism that goes on in their community, and report on it. * Your stories get told. Without a PR firm, without hounding media outlets and while spreading your story to wider audiences. * So how do mashups fit in? 13) Mashups Make It Easier * With MovableType, Typepad, Wordpress, Bloglines or even YouTube you can host your own content and have it syndicated easily to NGO-PR.com through pinging (or sending an alert that notifies NGO-PR of updates). * Use technorati, delicious or even rrove to tag your press releases, providing even more context and allowing aggregation in even more useful ways. * ZipCodes is a really great API dealing with all kinds of zipcode related data. You can compare the distance between zipcodes or get all zipcodes in a city to improve searching by the Media outlets. 14) NGO-PR.com * NGO-PR is possible without mashups. Mashups just make it easier. With mashups you can have the same exposure as The Red Cross or other big NGOs * The cool thing about NGO-PR is the usefulness of an API on itself. Let other people play with your data. Let newspapers include a javascript include on their websites that automatically pull in the latest stories in their area. * Mashups are all about building on the shoulders of others and helping others grow even further. 15) What now? * Mashups are a great tool and can be used to advance your causes, rapidly. And with such reusability it wouldn't be impossible to move to another data source if need be, or create your own. * If this stuff interested you, go check out Programmable Web's extensive listings of APIs and Mashups. * Create a Mashup. If you have data you think might be useful (or even if you can't imagine a use for it yet) and have the resources, try releasing it as an API, you might be surprised what comes out of it. * Or feel fre to build the ideas I mentioned. I got enough on my plate :)