AOL and TopCoder, Inc., today announced the Web AIM Mashup Competition. Web AIM is AOL’s new APIs that enables users to integrate AIM features directly into web sites and online communities.
AOL outlines Web AIM’s features and contest guidelines:
The Web AIM APIs enable developers to mashup and integrate the following services and functionality directly into their Web sites:
• Presence, to let AIM(r) users get and set their availability, away message and profile. Friends visiting their site can view users online, idle and away times.
• IM Window, to enable AIM users to send and receive IMs right from their Web page.
• Buddy List, to let AIM users view their own Buddy List(r) feature.
• Expressions, to let AIM users access and edit their buddy icons, wallpaper, smileys, and sounds.
Entrants may also create mashup concepts using the new AIM(r) Whimsicals(tm), embeddable Web-based AIM widgets, which enable developers and AIM users to easily integrate AIM functionality into their Web sites with just a few lines of HTML. These include:
• IM Window, which enables users to send and receive IMs. The sender’s online presence is indicated to the recipient only.
• Buddy List, which enables AIM users to create mashups with their Buddy List based on user-defined criteria. In addition, this widget allows AIM users to see buddy info, including online, idle and away time, user profile and away message on screen name mouse-over.
• Get Info, which displays the AIM user’s availability, away message, profile and buddy icon via a separate window.
The winning developer will receive $5,000 for his or her efforts. All submissions are due by December 6th, and finalists will be selected on December 13th.
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