Scenario 3: Ever Evolving Mashups

Due to the success of the first mashup camp, similar events will be introduced, allowing people from all over the world to acquire more information, meet people with similar interests, and allow the exchange of information to take place. These camps along with mashup websites and forums will introduce new ways to create and integrate mashups.

Although the promotion of mashups will develop, this application will still remain limited for the fun producers (create mashups for personal achievement, mainly technical savvies), the reason for this will be due the majority of company and private information required to develop mashups, remaining protected by government restrictions as well as copyright and privacy laws. However there will be a steady increase in the amount of industry mash up providers investigating and developing this new marketing application for companies. These new applications combine services with a potential to increase profit, with companies such as Google and Netscape setting the standards.

The interest from the majority of companies will be slow due to the wariness of exposing their competences, which in turn could possibly make them vulnerable, and an easy target for their competition (see Scenario 2). There will be some companies, mainly entrepreneurial, that will take a risk and claim the ‘first mover advantage’, and other companies within the same industry will see the advantages and follow their lead.

The amount of API’s available will also prohibit the quick take-off of the mashup development, although the API service providers will certainly be looking into ways to increase the amount of API’s and in turn, promote where possible, mainly towards the industry mashup providers.

The creation of mashups will steadily become a recognisable tool, and its development will slowly progress as more information is made available through the accessibility of the Internet and companies becoming more open.