Make the web your own

Imagine being able to keep all your favourite bits of the web in a single location. Instead of going from site to site to find what you need, everything is right at your fingertips. It’s possible to do this using a special type of web page often referred to as a ‘mash-up’.

In essence, a mash-up is a web-based application that combines several online services. For example, take a sprinkling of news headlines, add a sports update and a drop of social networking for good measure, and you have a mash-up. There are no hard-and-fast rules about what a mash-up should contain. It’s up to you. This issue, we’ll explain how to create your own personalised web service.

Mash-ups have been around in one form or another for some time ­ you don’t have to delve too deep into the internet to find some examples. Google Maps is a good place to start. Who would have thought that maps could be so much fun?

Google Maps is so much more than an online atlas and route planner. You can personalise content, add your own photos and create links to information on other sites. For example, the website www.platial.com makes use of Google Maps to enable users to pinpoint locations and then add stories or information to them. This is a mash-up in its most basic form ­ content from multiple sites all rolled into one.

Oosah easy
To take the idea a step further, a dedicated application is needed. Go to www.oosah.com and sign up for an account ­ it’s free and easy to do. Oosah provides a single place to upload and display things such as photos and videos. Of course, this could be just for yourself or for the wider world. Oosah also lets you include items from the accounts you may have with the likes of Youtube, Flickr, Picasa and Facebook.

Once you’ve signed in to Oosah, click on the Account tab and select Upload Media. Now you can begin to create a mash-up and include files from other sites. First click on Cancel to clear the Upload Files dialogue box that appears initially. Click on Connect and choose the site from which you’d like to retrieve content. For example, let’s say you want to include a video from Youtube ­ so select Youtube. Wait a short while and all your Youtube videos will appear in the window. Repeat this process if you want to include content from Flickr, Picasa and Facebook.

Now click on Create and choose Oosah Slideshow Widget. Drag some media items on to the slideshow. Click on Next and add more content, such as sounds and transitions. When you’re done you’ll be able to see a preview. Click on Share if you want to make it available to others. You’ve just created a mash-up.

Meatier mash-ups
Oosah keeps thing simple and that’s no bad thing. For more flexibility, we’d recommend trying a program such as Yahoo Pipes, which can be found at http://pipes.yahoo.com. Yahoo describes Pipes as a “powerful composition tool to aggregate, manipulate and mash-up”, but don’t let that put you off. It’s not that difficult to use.

However, you really will start from scratch with Pipes. Unlike Oosah, it doesn’t restrict the choice of media or content to certain sites ­ the whole web is at your disposal. This includes page content, search results and RSS feeds.

You’ll need to log in before you begin. Get yourself a Yahoo ID if you don’t have one already. Click on the blue ‘Create a Pipe’ link at the top and you’re ready to start mashing-up any and all web content. There’s nothing to install as everything is done online. The program comprises three work areas: the Library, Canvas, and Debugger.

The Library pane contains all the modules needed to start creating mash-ups, or Pipes as Yahoo calls them. The Canvas is where Pipes are put together and edited. Modules are dragged over from the Library, then connected using the mouse. The Debugger pane details the information that’s being used, displayed as text.