Blogs, wikis, podcasts, social bookmarks, and the like are all great ways of collaborating, allowing all Internet users to create new Internet content. Mashups go further, they liberate web users from the role of consumers of Internet services and allow them to create new services and share them.

So what is a mashup? The Wikipedia entry describes a mashup as a web application that combines data from more than one source into an integrated experience.

So what can be created in this way? The directory of mashups at ProgrammableWeb has over 2000 entries. Take a look, you’re bound to find something that interests you.

Or how about creating your own? I’ve put together a simple example at http://wemapr.blogspot.com The starting point is a standard Blogger blog, but to this I’ve added, Yahoo Pipes and Google Maps to give the option of a map based view of the blog entries, click on ‘See this blog as a map’ on the right hand column. On the blog I describe how to add this mapping feature to your own blog. (It’s not perfect, you’ll have to zoom out to see the markers).

Perhaps you’ve created your own mashup, or know of an interesting development related mashup. Please post a comment and share.

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