Web 2.0: Doing the Monster Mashup

I learned a new word recently. According to Wikipedia, mashups are web hybrids that combine content from multiple sources into a single integrated user experience, using APIs, Javascript, and Web 2.0 technologies such as RSS feeds.

I had recognized for a while that this kind of integration is going on, but I didn't know it had a name. Another entry for the jargon dictionaries!

Companies that make their APIs publicly available include eBay, Amazon, Google, Yahoo, Flickr, and Skype, which is why we frequently see mashups pulling content from these sites, along with feeds from Digg, Slashdot, del.icio.us and others.

Typical of this new functionality are sites like Internet Bargain Center, which extracts eBay listings by zip code, and MashMap, a geographic movie listing service. The Flickr amusements I have written about previously here are also examples of mashups.

Already, numerous sites have sprung up to keep track of these hybrids and to announce new mashups as they come onstream. Two notables are Mashup Feed and Programmable Web.

Comments? What do you think of mashups? The greatest thing since sliced bread or a dog's breakfast?