Its the Integration, Stupid
0 Comments
For awhile now I've talked about WAX - web application exchange. A number of people took this to mean thick-client, or desktop, apps that integrate with an Internet-based service.
That's not exactly it - I recently signed up for a service called Sandy. This fairly amazing online service allows you to send yourself reminders to do things - to keep yourself organized. It's pretty slick.
But the thing that really makes it go is the integration. Sandy speaks SMS, email, Twitter, Jott. There's so many different ways to get those reminders in and out. Reminders to do things at specific times come with .ics (iCalendar) files so I can add them to my calendar.
Set up is a breeze - each means of communication is verified by Sandy sending a message containing a special code that you enter back at the Sandy application. Successful entry of the code activates that means of communication.
(Honestly I probably have too many channels turned on at once. A single reminder is now going to come at me as an email, an SMS message, and a Tweet. Its going to drive me crazy.)
All of this integration allows me to leverage all of the other tools that I already use. This is extremely powerful. Now instead of relying on one application to do it all (badly), application developers can concentrate on the things they do best, and work with each other to deliver a value to the user that is greater than the some of its parts. Because of the Web Application Exchange. WAX.
This is something to pay very close attention to, and to understand how it follows a well-established pattern in technology. As a technology matures, it moves from tightly integrated proprietary generalists (building, for example, yet another social network from scratch) to focussed application developers that add their own core value to an already existing infrastructure.
That's not exactly it - I recently signed up for a service called Sandy. This fairly amazing online service allows you to send yourself reminders to do things - to keep yourself organized. It's pretty slick.
But the thing that really makes it go is the integration. Sandy speaks SMS, email, Twitter, Jott. There's so many different ways to get those reminders in and out. Reminders to do things at specific times come with .ics (iCalendar) files so I can add them to my calendar.
Set up is a breeze - each means of communication is verified by Sandy sending a message containing a special code that you enter back at the Sandy application. Successful entry of the code activates that means of communication.
(Honestly I probably have too many channels turned on at once. A single reminder is now going to come at me as an email, an SMS message, and a Tweet. Its going to drive me crazy.)
All of this integration allows me to leverage all of the other tools that I already use. This is extremely powerful. Now instead of relying on one application to do it all (badly), application developers can concentrate on the things they do best, and work with each other to deliver a value to the user that is greater than the some of its parts. Because of the Web Application Exchange. WAX.
This is something to pay very close attention to, and to understand how it follows a well-established pattern in technology. As a technology matures, it moves from tightly integrated proprietary generalists (building, for example, yet another social network from scratch) to focussed application developers that add their own core value to an already existing infrastructure.
Labels: WAX
