The Cat Api – where everyday is Caturday!
So about a week ago i was up far too early trying to shake off a particularly nasty red wine hangover, and feeling pretty sorry for myself. Nothing seemed to be helping so i plugged to term 'Cats' into some snazzy data feed creation code i'd been working on as a proof of concept for Coull. Thousands of funny gifs of Cats came back, putting a pretty big dent in the hangover.
A few Getter & Setter methods later, with a sprinkling of Scaling and Stat code thrown in, i had an API.
No need for API keys and exposing as much of the data as possible, it should be easy for anyone to plug Cat pictures into their website or Apps, and hopefully kick a few more hangovers into touch too. Give it a try here-> http://thecatapi.com
Here it is in action throwing out a random gif:
Go wild and enjoy yourself-> http://thecatapi.com
Domain up for grabs – GetAnHonestOpinion.com
The idea behind this site was to solve a problem that people have in their everyday lives. Whether it's getting a new haircut, do those sunglasses really work for you, or even can you really pull off a leather jacket?
Friends and family are likely to say something (nice), randoms on the internet forums are likely to say another (mean), neither of which are honest.
What if you could simply upload a photo, safe in the knowledge no-one else would ever see it, apart from people you have never met who are incentivised to give an honest opinion via gamification
An idea for a simple Facebook/Mobile app ensued, hence i bought the domain.
At the moment 'm too busy on other projects and have no chance of devoting enough time to this project to do it justice.
So if you would like to take it on or have a better idea for the domain then just get in contact and it could be yours. Sitting on a domain is just bad karma.
Add a QR Code to an Image
I love QR Codes, every time i see them it sparks ideas of innovative ways of utilizing them. The main draw back is of course - market take up. I would love to see an app come with every phone, or ideally built into the camera app not just on a phone handset, but in consumer point and shoots too.
Barriers in the way of this are the tools to create them, and add them to things like video and images. I was disheartended to learn that most people and agencies pay to have this done. So i've knocked up a quick and dirty way to create a QR code, and add it to an image.
Try the Quick and Dirty App (needs a modern browser)
I'll iterate it at some point and plugin some tracking so you can see how many times people have viewed it.
The code is free so do with it what you will, it uses some js from the fantastic jquery drag/drop over at ThreeDubMedia
Using QR codes in AS3
Very simple really, google does most of the heavy lifting. Simply load this url as you would to load an external image:
http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?cht=qr&chl=[YOUR-URL]&chs=120x120
Replacing the [YOUR-URL] with a url, i.e. http://bbc.co.uk - and the 120x120 with your own width and height
Example:
var myLoader:Loader = new Loader();
myLoader.load(new URLRequest("http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?cht=qr&chl=http://bbc.co.uk&chs=150x150"));
Would dynamically load a QR code for bbc.co.uk, with dimensions 150 by 150, and load it into the Loader instance myLoader, and would look like this
iTunes Affiliate Search Demo & Free Code
Here's a quick demo i knocked up to prototype using the iTunes search API.
N.B. As apple deny the use of flash making a straight call to their API due to their crossdomain.xml restrictions, i have used a php proxy. Once again, i'm making this code freely available to do with as you choose, just put the proxy file referenced on you own server and point your API file to it.
iTunes Affiliate program – monetising the rising demand
With the two of the big must have gifts this year being the new iPad and updated iPod/iPhone, one thing that's sure to follow is a massive demand by these new owners for recommendations on what Apps to purchase.
There are so many Apps on the iTunes store that merely looking at the Top 25 or even the Featured sections really doesn't cut it for new owners, looking to get in on the 'App' revolution bandwagon.
To fill this void recommendation sites are becoming more and more popular, just doing a search for 'Top 10 apps for ...' will return a ridiculous number of results. Thus anyone savvy enough to create and SEO well enough sites that promise 'Top 10 apps for office productivity' or 'Top 10 apps for travelling' can easily gain a lot of traffic.
Converting all this traffic into real money is the next step, made easier by iTunes programme on the Linkshare platform. With it you can:
1.) Create tracked links to individual products (Apps, songs, books etc)
2.) Create a feed of updated links with preset rules - i.e. Top 25 paid apps in the Photography genre
3.) Use the iTunes search API, and then push the returned link back through the Linkshare or Tradedoubler to create a monetising tracking link.
Pros & Cons
The search functionality is the only awkward bit, having to utilise the functionality of two API's. Whilst you can use the Linkshare Merchandiser Query API to search for products and be returned tracking links immediately, you run the risk of the data being out of date. The iTunes search API is far superior, offering a plethora of search options . The only downside is then having to push the product links returned back through Linkshare to create a tracking link, adding more overhead.
Commission
The rates are quite low at between 4 and 5%, so it's all about numbers. Your site should be uncluttered, with a clear call to action to follow the iTunes link and buy the product.
What is certain is that with the arrival of the new iPad, and demand expected to rise further, sites linked to searches like 'Top 10 iPad apps for [insert niche here]' will only gain more popularity, so if you already write about products available on iTunes store or are planning getting into it, now would be the perfect time.