The Guardian is making a strong move towards convergence by launching an application programing interface
The Open Platform will allow developers to integrate Guardian content into their own applications. The pricing model will be twofold:
- 1) free content provided by the Guardian - in exchange, the developer needs to let the Guardian push its ads into the application; or
- 2) the Guardian licenses the content for a fee, if the developer wants an add-free application
I don't see how this will fly. Free content is king, and why would a website developer want to integrate Guardian content AND its ads when he/she can simply link to the content and surround it with his/her own ads?
ReplyDeleteGranted, I have an IQ of about 35 when it comes to such matters, and no doubt some really smart people are rolling this out, but I don't see the advantage of using the open platform.
I'd love to be schooled in why I'm being obtuse.
I think this has to do with deep linking. If you do deep linking, i.e. you embed a third party content into your own frame (with your own adds) as opposed to linking to a new window where your content provider's adds would appear, you risk being sued for copyright infringement. So, with this system, you can do deep linking, and it sounds like the Guardian's adds would be embedded within the content you embed -- or, if you want an add free embedded content (so only you adds appear) then you pay.
ReplyDeleteDoes this make sense?