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It's sort of ridiculous how little information you can get from LinkedIn via their API. Case in point, I don't think you can get Twitter handles from even first
by alanctgardner2 14y ago
It's sort of ridiculous how little information you can get from LinkedIn via their API. Case in point, I don't think you can get Twitter handles from even first-tier connections any more. I made the appropriate API calls, waved my hands, and all I got were empty values. The docs do clearly state that you should be able to download every Twitter handle associated with an account, so WTH? It looks like they've revoked this functionality without changing the docs?
More broadly, it would be cool for a developer-oriented company to de-risk their API by adding some guarantees that they won't pull this kind of stuff. Right now developer agreements pretty well only restrict what the developer can do; adding conditions to limit how the interface can change would be a big selling point. The problem is, as long as VCs keep throwing money at companies that exist at the mercy of LinkedIn et al, there's no reason for them to. They get to open up the platform, watch for popular apps, then consume or copy them and lock down the API again to prevent competition.
- camus 14y agowell contact the company and ask for a partnership,you cant get stuffs for free forever.
- alanctgardner2 14y agoWell put, Albert[1], but the promise of opening up APIs was supposed to be to encourage an ecosystem, which locks users in because all their apps are there. Rather than LinkedIn trying to hoover up every penny that might be generated by their data, the goal is supposed to be: - LinkedIn collects a ton of user data, and had some idea to monetize it - clever developer has a different idea about the same data, uses the API to achieve it - users love developer's app, and they stay on LinkedIn because they love all the ecosystem apps - maybe LinkedIn gets jealous and implements their own version. This is fine, if they don't break any laws, or cut off the original service for no real reason Partnership sounds like some Facebook-Zygna type relationship. That seems like a really high barrier to entry. If you look at a service like Wolfram|Alpha, they're doing it right by putting reasonable restrictions on API use, and saying up front "license this commercially, contact us". This is a win-win: WA makes money, you're a real customer with bargaining power. Throwing a half-assed api out there for anyone to use, whinging about not making any money, then revoking bits piecemeal is not good for anyone. 1. Your writing seems to lose a certain quality online, maybe stick to prose? L'etranger was very good.
- pspeter3 14y agoI wonder how much of this has to do with Twitter ending their partnership with LinkedIn last summer