Drew seems to like the MyBlogLog API…
…but I feel dirty just thinking how people could use this data that crosses multiple properties from Yahoo and beyond. In the hands of a desperate Yahoo, it might be time to completely cut ties with this social networking porn.
About the Author: Dustin Luther
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I think MBL is more than social networking porn — the piece I find most useful is the real time stats tracking that keeps track of how many times outbound links are clicked and where my incoming traffic is coming from.
Drew: I definitely agree that the stat information is the most useful part of MyBlogLog, but that’s not the feature that makes MBL stand out (I had real time stats for RCG long before MBL). The part that gets them attention is the widgets that let you see the visitors with MBL accounts that are visiting your site.
I don’t think it is a stretch that Yahoo could provide stats for any Yahoo user, even if they never signed up with the MBL service (the API might already do that).
I fully realize that other internet companies who could create a similar set of data on their users (Google definitely comes to mind), but get the feeling that Google wouldn’t be as willing to open up their users information to an API.
But then again… with OpenSocial hitting the scnee, I imagine that we’re in for some strange times while we (as a society) hash out what’s appropriate.
@Dustin: the API does not provide any information that a user has not already agreed to share in public.