Katerina Down

As more and more people have access to the internet and their skill sets grow there are an ever increasing volume of mashups available. While the number of mashups online are growing at an amazing rate, only a few really make the grade and generate interest on a larger scale.

Below I will quickly review two such mashups but first, not sure what a mashup is? Here is a quick definition:

In web development, a mashup is generally a web application that combines data and/or functionality from two or more sources to create a new service. The term mashup implies easy, fast integration, frequently using open APIs and data sources to produce results that were not the original reason for producing the raw source data. An example of a mashup is the use of cartographic data to add location information to real estate data, thereby creating a new and distinct web API that was not originally provided by either source.
- Modified by Zefcan from Wikipedia.com entry on mashups

Mashup 1 – Twistori

This mashup combines Twitter as a social tool with ajax to create a interesting accumulation of posts which containing the keywords: I love, I hate, I think, I believe, I feel and I wish. It has received a number of awards since its creation with it’s simple and elegant design, including the Mashup of the Month -  May 2008 at mashupawards.com.

The design is simple with a clear colour scheme making the infomation clear to understand while still aesthetically pleasing.  The design itself assists in making it easy to see how different people feel at any time and also how each keyword can be used in many ways.

To exploit the mashups popularity the developers have now created both a desktop and screensaver version for macs, allowing users easier access.

The impression this design creates is powerful, and it is easy to spend prolonged periods of time just watching the tweets go by. The variety in language use never ceases to intrigue me and I am sure to continue to return to the site many times in the future.

Mashup 2 – Visual Headlines

Another award winner from mashupawards.com this time the Mashup of the Month - July 2008. This mashup is created with extensive use of flickr and CNN’s news feed. It is designed to open the “reader” eyes to the different possibilities of any given news headline, by giving each word in the headline an image with a corresponding tag in Flickr the images shown are not always the same as a normal headline may suggest.

The idea behind this mashup is not as straight forward as many and the change of perspective is a very interesting concept.

What is it that makes a good professional profile? Why are some successful and others not? Keep reading for our classes top review criteria.

1. Clarity – is it clear what the person does?
2. Customisation – personal style and design that reflects your professional self
3. Networking – the ability to portray yourself over different channels – is this evident on the site?
4. Professional Content – is the content written in a professional way, does it reflect your professional side?
5. Usability – is the site easy to use? Navigation, easy to control, download times etc
6. Good Interaction – how you interact with the website, unique interaction
7. Memorable – is the website unique? does it provide something interesting that will bring you back to it.
8. Accessibility – can the site be viewed by all? Browser compatibility, valid html and css etc
9. Up to date content – keep it fresh, interesting with new content added regularly
10. Contact – is the person easy to contact?