Leah Culver, the lead programmer of Pownce, has informed us that the messaging/social networking service will release a more complete API this Friday, one with substantial improvements over the first version released late last October.
This second version will include the ability to post notes and replies, fetch private and friends-only notes (in addition to public messages and user information), and upload and download files. OAuth support will also be rolled out, allowing users to protect their Pownce data when using API-based services. Services built on the API will be publishable in a Pownce directory where users can find them more easily.
Culver says that API 2.0 is powerful enough that developers could recreate the official Pownce AIR client if they were so inclined. Pownce is already speaking with several partners who have shown an interest in using the new API, including Flock who plans to integrate Pownce into its people sidebar so you can see friends’ messages and post messages while browsing.
SocialThing! and Mahalo also plan to use Pownce’s new API. SocialThing!, a social activity aggregator launching this March, will feature the ability to send messages to friends on Pownce in addition to other sites such as Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, del.icio.us, and YouTube. Mahalo currently relies on a hack to allow website sharing to Pownce through its Share Firefox toolbar; access to this new API will replace that hack.
Culver will be at FOWA Miami this Friday to officially launch the new API. She’ll be speaking there about websites as services and the importance of solid APIs.
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Pownce keeps releasing cool features and is much better than twitter, but for some reason they cant grow bigger than twitter.
Leah rocks !
Hardly anyone uses it, why do you keep covering it?
This is fantastic news. The API was one of the largest problems with Pownce. With a solid API, the other issues can be effectively worked out. Can’t wait till Friday to hack around with the new API.
We love you, Leah !
Let the damn thing die Michael. Everytime you post, there traffic goes up and then it dies faster than before, look at alexa or compete. Ugh let it go.
Pownce is cool and all, but I can’t find a reason to use it. It doesn’t do anything relevant I couldn’t already do with my email plus my blog plus Facebook or any other social network. Twitter, which I don’t use either, has the cell phone stuff, and it was here first, and has a big user base.
“send stuff to your friends” because is so much easier than using email, isntant messaging, or an existing social network
im with #7 on this, pownce does nothing new and only complicates “sending” stuff to people.
Umm…Pownce sucks ass
Let me qualify my astute assertion:
Having *tried* it since its limited Beta release, it is hardly something that will gain traction - The only thing it had going for it was the association with Kevin Rose, but that certainly does not mean its a good app…I sent many requests and invites to my friends but everyone who gave it a whirl came to same conclusion…
Pownce?
/barf
This is absolutely great!
@PixelRobot maybe you may join us, because pownce is a kind of micro forum where start very interesting discussions
@Bastien
Who are “us”? Join you where?
I’ve been using Pownce to post really bad haikus. Boredom can do that to a man.
http://pownce.com/PixelRobot
Posting via the API works like a charm; using it already
Until they have something like TwitterBerry, except in PownceBerry form, I won’t be using it as much as Twitter.
With out SMS Pownce is dead to me and most of the world.