Web 2.0 Stores > Fast, Simple, Search Engine Friendly Ecommerce

What’s hot online these days? Video. What’s hot in web mashups? Video. We continue to see a steady stream of mashups built with the YouTube API. We now have 123 YouTube mashups listed here. But this is an API that’s due for a change. At last week’s Google Developer Day the folks from this team outlined how they soon be transitioning this API to use the Google GData formats and protocol. See this YouTube API blog post The Future where you can read more about it, including why:

• Better scalability/stability/flexibility
• Standardizing on an existing framework - easier to mash up with other GData APIs
• Setting us up for write feeds later in the year by using the authentication models
• Developers can leverage GData resources, such as client libraries and developer guides

And what would a piece about YouTube be without a video. Below links you to a video from Developer Day to get the story straight from the YouTube engineers. Got ideas on what they should do with it you can let them know in the YouTube API Feature Requests wiki.

On Tuesday this week the official YouTube API Blog launched with their first post. No news there yet, but is surely a good place to keep an eye on if you’re developing with their API. We have updated our YouTube API Profile to include both the blog and the YouTube API Google Group. As of today we have 116 YouTube mashups listed at PW. Clearly this is an API lots of developers have an interest in. If you have any ideas about what would make the YouTube API better, they’re inviting API feature requests here. So far developers have asked for things like the ability to add and delete videos, an API for video responses, and hooks into the player. Speaking of those additions to the YouTube API profile: we’ve been enhancing our API profiles recently with some new data. For example, two new profile fields are API Blog and API Forum. This allows you to quickly see if a given API has an associated blog and some type of newsgroup or dedicated forum. More enhancements coming soon…

Mike just posted what everyone else was expecting - Google acquired Youtube for 1.6billion. During the last few weeks, many people wondered whether the rumors were true - and many wondered what the strategy behind the deal might be. While I like the fact that Chad and the rest of the YouTube team get the recognition for their work, I think I’d rather see Google expand their offering and functionality instead of acquiring a whole community. According to the investor conference call, Youtube will remain (at least somewhat) independent - something I believe Chad intended -, and honestly I hope that’s what happens. Communities like those of YouTube aren’t always keen on being associated with big corporations so only time will tell how this acquisition will have an impact on the site’s usage patterns. I guess we’ll wait and see. Something I’d definitely like to see: a more polished-looking Youtube. Come on, guys, you really can’t deny having the resources now, right? :-)

Treemo, which launches today, is a social network and media sharing site with a focus on cellphones. Formerly known as HyperMob, the Seattle-based startup also has a social mission - they’re encouraging users to recycle their old digital cameras and phones. “Media sharing” is a fairly vague term, but the short version is that Treemo combines Flickr-like photo and video sharing with a mobile platform. You can upload photos, videos, audio or blogs via the website, email or your phone, organize your content into sets, bookmark your favorite media and view channels on your cellphone. What’s more, you can navigate the content using social filters like those on YouTube: most recent, most commented, most viewed, most favorited, top tags and featured media. The upload limit is 200MB per month. Other features include tagging, RSS, drag and drop management tools and the ability to share media with your network of friends. Another notable feature: you can embed the media in external sites like MySpace, hi5 and Piczo using the embed codes supplied. In fact, these features are very similar to the media-sharing site Twango, and many other players, too. Treemo is trying to differentiate itself with a focus on mobile, allowing users to upload and consume media on their phones. However, I’m not sure that it’s enough: this is a crowded market to say the least. What’s more, it doesn’t bode well when lazy headline writers like me can sum it up with a comparison to another service: YouTube, Flickr, Webshots, ImageShack, Fotolog and Photobucket all overlap with Treemo, and all of them have more resources and users. The only strategy that I can propose is to become more of a niche play: targeting socially-conscious users perhaps. Because without a stronger angle, I think many of these media-sharing startups will struggle.

Treemo User?Mashable’s Treemo profile is HERE - feel free to add Mashable to your friends list if you sign up.

Two startups that I’ve mentioned here previously, Crowdstorm and Dovetail, launch today. Crowdstorm is a shopping platform that measures the buzz around products, complete with a social network - the public beta began this morning. It takes on Kaboodle, ThisNext, ShopWiki and the scores of social shopping startups, but it’s well put together and fun to use. There’s definitely a Digg-like feel to it, but the interface is unique enough that it doesn’t feel like a clone. Dovetail, meanwhile, is the so-called “YouTube for Independent Films” - it also includes a P2P network for distributing HD/DVD quality content. Dovetail’s official launch was announced today via a press release, although a lot of the functionality was already live (if not all of it). Both are interesting plays and worth checking out.