I spend time each day reviewing about 15 different press release distribution websites, looking for API related news for API.Report, and potentially seeds for stories elsewhere on the API Evangelist network.
One thing I’m noticing a lot, are companies who reference their API as bullet point in a release, or sometimes as a footnote in their about section at the end of the release, but when you go to their website you can’t find any mention of API.
I’m guessing for many, they just haven’t thought about making the API something that is front and center, relinquishing it to just "feature status". There are also others who do not believe in the whole “public” API thing, and see their API as more secret sauce, something that should be kept close to your chest.
Whatever the reason, I’m looking to better understand how I can help companies be more public with their API presence, even if the API itself isn’t open to the public. My first instinct is to just email the company, and ask why they aren’t more public with API, but I know from experience it isn’t the best approach. ;-)
With this in mind, I’ll be exploring new ways I can encourage companies to be more public with their API presence, and help them understand the benefits of this approach—let me know if you have any good ideas.
