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Nothing screams web 2.0 success like a good application programming interface (API) and Digg has just [announced a new API][1] that will allow enterprising developers to pull in Digg data and remix, mash and repurpose it on their own sites.
Along with [the API][3], Digg has also announced a new [Flash application toolkit][4] and a contest to reward the best applications built with the new API and Flash toolkit. The top ten finalists in the contest will all receive prizes, but the grand prize winner will walk away with a Falcon Northwest gaming PC, the full catalog of EA PC games, and the Adobe CS3 Master Collection.
Every time I get excited about an API some of my less nerdy Wired colleagues starting rolling their eyes. And while agree that relatively few users will ever use an API, those that do will build tools for those that don't.
More than any other aspect of a site, the success of an API almost guarantees the success the site in the long run. And the opposite is equally true, which is one of the main reasons I see Facebook outlasting MySpace.
From a company's perspective an API is way to gain free publicity, which is exactly why web 2.0 sites like Flickr and now Digg have embraced the API. Flickr may not be the biggest photo sharing site on the net, but it is one of the most visible because Flickr offers a great API which allows users to pull photos into their own webpages.
And now users can develop similar tools to pull in data from Digg.
Nearly all the data on Digg has been exposed in the API, including story categories, comments, user detail and more. The new Digg API accepts REST requests and returns responses in either XML, JSON, Javascript, or serialized PHP.
There is even a [PEAR module][2] available for PHP developers.
The main downside to Digg's API is that now landing a site on the front door of Digg will be even more valuable and could result in more attempts to game the system.
Full Disclosure: Wired Digital owns both Wired News and Reddit, a Digg competitor.
[1]: http://blog.digg.com/?p=72 "Digg API, Flash Application Toolkit, and Contest Announced!"
[2]: http://apidoc.digg.com/ToolkitsServicesDigg "PEAR: Digg"
[3]: http://apidoc.digg.com/ "Digg API"
[4]: http://apidoc.digg.com/Toolkits "Flash Development Kit"
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