The BBC has launched a
new beta site called BBC Backstage, which
is their new developer network. They’ve put the call out for people to remix their
content, using their APIs and content RSS feeds. Although over the years the BBC has been
understandably “cautious” about “letting go of control of so much of our content”, it’s a
good sign they’ve started the unshackling process now.
I took a look at the Prototype
section of the site and was impressed by the projects already published: a BBC News/Wikipedia mash-up, some del.icio.us experimentation and a search of the BBC’s Today
program.
In the BBC/Wikipedia and BBC/del.icio.us prototype apps, the additonal information and links are
integrated very tightly using the existing BBC News design. In fact it took my eyes a while to pick up the changes! While using the same
design may be the point, personally I’d prefer a little more differentiation – if only so
the Wikipedia and del.icio.us services have their fair share of
branding on those pages.
Other highlights for me in the Prototype section were an RSS
feed of BBC complaints and Mint, “a video bloggers friend”. I
can’t wait to see what else pops up! You don’t necessarily need to develop the apps
yourself either, you can simply note down an idea
and who knows who’ll pick it up and run with it. For example, Rael Dornfest has
put in a request for “an app that’ll find, bundle, and download all parts of a four
part radio play”.
So whether you’re a developer or a normal user with a request, the BBC Backstage has
something for you. Congrats to the BBC for fully embracing the Remix Culture!
