Mash up model - Buzz around Xobni

A mash up is extending the capabilities of an application, usually you mash up application together to create your own application. It's a powerful technique for web site publisher s to improve the capabilities of their own service, the flip side though is that revenue of the used application is not not always shared with the integrator... That might be why is not so popular in the professional publishing industry but well used by entrepreneurs that want to increase their traffic.

Having said that, I need you to test and add-on, which is close to a mash up in the sense that it's adding capabilities to an application. Interesting about the one I need you for, Xobni, is that it's an add-on for outlook that automate the classification of your inbox in a GMAIL style. It's using a viral technique to promote the launch of their beta (again the beta syndrome I mentioned previously!) and I can be invited quicker if you click on the button and sign in for the free account... So please, act now ! You are one click away of participating in a viral action :-)


Thanks

Mashup in a B2B world ?

Mashup application are often reduced to an enhancement of Google Map with some nice (useless?) features. Recent announcements make me think that we'll see mashup in a business context sooner than expect. SalesForce.com strategy behind their AppExchange is a good example of Mashing up application together in their environment. Read the press release that announced the SalesForce for Google Adwords to understand the business impact of Mashups. Traditional Publishers are moving to the software world to enter the Client's Value chain. More and more propose work flow applications in their portfolio (Check Wolters Kluwer's Corporate and Financial Services) that need to take Mashup into account. In the same vein, Factiva announced a mashup outside the Google sphere (that's the news!). Factiva SalesWorks locates prospect on a map (oohhh again a map :-) but this time the Microsoft Virtual Earth. Thing are definitively evolving there !