"Build it and they will come." It's a well-known saying from Field of Dreams (and technically a misquote) but it's no longer enough to build an API and expect developers to flock towards it.
At BlueVia we recognise that competition in the various app stores for top 10 placements is almost matched by the volume of service providers and operators who hope developers will integrate their APIs to enable the next wave of 'smart apps'.
In BlueVia, we have launched a series of APIs that developers can use to monetise their apps via zero-risk, revenue-share business models. It wasn't a walk in the park, and we have much to do, but launching an API is the easy part. Our challenge now is to build bridges for developers, and break down the barriers of effort needed to integrate BlueVia APIs into their products across multiple platforms.
Today we've launched a major initiative to address just this: our partnership with Microsoft to provide the BlueVia SDK for .Net which puts revenue-generating APIs within close reach of the 6 million Microsoft developers using technologies like Silverlight, Windows Phone 7, Xbox and the Azure cloud services platform.
One of the first apps to use the BlueVia SDK for .Net is Taxistop from Medianet, which means non-smartphone devices can benefit from its taxi-finder application. "Developers have been waiting for an opportunity to integrate network operator services within our apps in a robust and seamless way for over a decade," says Gideon Clifton, CEO of Medianet.
"Third party solutions have never delivered due to the historic lack of understanding by operators of the developer opportunity," Clifton adds. "Telefonica and Microsoft have corrected this and we are excited to integrate their tools to deliver our Taxistop application to millions of feature phone passengers."
In the Mobile Developer Economics report (pdf) published last year by Vision Mobile (sponsored by Telefonica Developer Communities), respondents reported a lack of support from operators - almost 70% said they felt there was little or no developer support from network operators.
There's also a fragmentation of platforms, so developers need access to APIs and revenue models that work across many different environments and don't need to be totally re-engineered to open up additional customers.
What we think is necessary, and what we're doing at BlueVia, is not just to build the APIs that developers need, but to also work hard removing barriers to reduce the effort needed to generate revenue from your ideas.
