Connect Your Website
Application Programming Interfaces
Learning Objectives
• Define Application Programming
Interfaces (API)
• Visually diagram an API
• List the tradeoffs of using APIs
• Outline a use case for your website and
a sample API e.g. Google Checkout
Navigation
Next slide
Previous slide
Next module
Previous module
Restart slide
Main menu
Quiz
1.
What is an Application Programming Interface?
new programming language
interface design of a website
connects websites to other services or data
2.
Which of these websites can be connected with an
Application Programming Interface?
blog
social networking site
email site
photo site
map site
credit card site
Good job!
1.
What is an Application Programming Interface?
new programming language
interface design of a website
connects websites to other services or data
2.
Which of these websites can be connected with an
Application Programming Interface?
blog
social networking site
email site
photo site
map site
credit card site
Main Menu
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Introductory Case Study
Application Programming Interfaces
Example: Mylinia.com
Example: Google Checkout
Mylinia.com + Checkout
Summary
Introductory Case Study
Website
EchoSign
Application Programming Interface (API)
Salesforce.com AppExchange
Main Menu
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Introductory Case Study
Application Programming Interfaces
Example: Mylinia.com
Example: Google Checkout
Mylinia.com + Checkout
Summary
Application Programming
Interfaces
History and types
Examples
Tradeoffs
History
•
•
•
•
Code libraries
Embedded e.g. video games
Software Development Kit (SDK)
AJAX
Types
• Open
• Closed
Examples
Tradeoffs
Pros
• Share services
• Often free
• Standardized
Cons
• Outsourcing
Quiz
1.
Which of the following technologies is popular for APIs on the
internet today
SOAP
Ruby
AJAX
2.
Which of the following is a reason to use an API
outsourcing
share services
often free
standardized
always SCORM compliant
Good Job!
1.
Which of the following technologies is popular for APIs on the
internet today
SOAP
Ruby
AJAX
2.
Which of the following is a reason to use an API
outsourcing
share services
often free
standardized
always SCORM compliant
Main Menu
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Introductory Case Study
Application Programming Interfaces
Example: Mylinia.com
Example: Google Checkout
Mylinia.com + Checkout
Summary
Example: Mylinia.com
Mylinia.com is a new online contentcommerce community for young
adults that provides inspirational
content, products, and services. Their
goal is to help as many people as
possible reach their full potential.
Users can:
1. Find the top people, info, orgs,
books, and movies on any
passion and/or any problem
they care about with
Purposefindit
2. Team up with their friends to
pursue their life dreams with
Peer Goal-setting
3. Develop and share their purpose
statement with their friends
and ask them for advice with
Purposefinder
Example: Mylinia.com
Current
Currently 67% of Mylinia.com’s revenues
come from advertising and 33% come
from referral revenues. Their unique
profiles gives them superior knowledge
about their users, which allows them to
attract the most relevant advertisers and
get higher click through rates than the
average online community. Mylinia’s
three primary revenue streams include:
1) Sponsored Goals: Mylinia sell
advertising space on our
community’s most viewed goals
2) Keywords: Mylinia sell keywords like
Google, except we only specialize
in passions and problems.
3) Referral Revenue: Mylinia earn 5-8%
every time someone buys a book,
movie, or song from Amazon after
finding it on their site.
Sponsored
Goals
Keywords
Referrals
Example: Mylinia.com
Challenge
As a start-up, Mylinia.com is
uncertain whether its current
business model is going to work,
therefore, they are seeking creative
way to monetize the expected
traffic to their site. Online
communities like Myspace and
Facebook have only been able to
capture $2-$6 per year from users,
but Mylinia believes that there is
value in its intimate profiles and
site culture that will allow for other
revenue opportunities.
How we grow the pie?
Sponsored
Goals
Keywords
Referrals
New
Opportunities
Mylinia.com + Google Checkout
+
Opportunity
Mylinia’s theme is to live purposefully,
but many people fear the financial risk of
pursuing their life’s greatest dreams. As
opposed to only selling products and
services to users through advertising,
Mylinia can allow users to sell their own
creations related to their purpose, which
would truly make it content-commerce
community.
=
+
The End Game
Essentially, Mylinia could become a
marketplace for purpose-driven people
similar to Ebay. By allowing user to sell
music, art, jewelry, t-shirts, services, etc
through their site, Mylinia can help
people live purposefully. Though Mylinia
wouldn’t benefit much from the financial
transactions that occur (unless they
charge for the store add-on), it may
attract more users who want to sell and
more users who want to support others
in pursuit of their dreams through
purchasing. Ultimately, Mylinia can
differentiate itself from other online
communities in that users are logging in
with an intent to purchase as oppose to
just peruse profiles and pictures.
Main Menu
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Introductory Case Study
Application Programming Interfaces
Example: Mylinia.com
Example: Google Checkout
Mylinia.com + Checkout
Summary
Google Checkout
Why Use It?
Getting Started
Types of Integration
Comparing Integration
Review
What is Google Checkout
Why Use Google Checkout?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Safe
Secure
Fast
Easy
Well-known
https://checkout.google.com/seller/dem
o.html
Getting Started
 A Google Checkout Merchant Account
(https://checkout.google.com/sell/signup)
 Your websites public URL
 A Federal Tax-Id or Credit Card/SSN for
your business
 A text-only version of your return,
cancellation, and shipping policies
Types of Integration
• Buy Now Buttons
• eCommerce Partners
• API Level One
• API Level Two
Comparing the types of
integration
• Buy Now Buttons
– Very small inventory, only one item per transaction
• eCommerce Partners
– Your site is hosted by an eCommerce partner
• API Level I
– Small business that can manually review each
sale, quick implementation
• API Level II
– Large business that needs to handle transactions
automatically, longer implementation time
Quick Review
1.
2.
You site only sells a special promotion t-shirt.
Which integration would work best?
Buy Now Buttons
eCommerce Partners
API: Level 1
Your site currently conducts 500,000 transactions
per day. Which integration would work best?
Buy Now Buttons
API: Level I
API: Level 2
Main Menu
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Introductory Case Study
Application Programming Interfaces
Example: Mylinia.com
Example: Google Checkout
Mylinia.com + Checkout
Summary
Google Checkout +
Mylinia
Picking Integration Level
Setting Up Account
Using Checkout
Picking Integration Level
Using Checkout
Evaluating the Benefits
Main Menu
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Introductory Case Study
Application Programming Interfaces
Example: Mylinia.com
Example: Google Checkout
Mylinia.com + Checkout
Summary
Summary