Google, BBC Make Mash-Ups

The word “mash-up” has certain connotations; the product may not be too polished, or it could be downright amateurish.  The British Broadcasting Corporation is not an amateur, however; the BBC is, in fact, the world’s biggest broadcasting corporation.  And the BBC’s into mash-ups.

That’s interesting information, but even more interesting is the name of the BBC’s pal in this endeavor: Google.  “One-third of the prototypes hosted on backstage.bbc.co.uk – where developers can post ideas and prototypes for reusing Auntie’s content in new and interesting ways – are mash-ups with Google Maps or other Google apps,” reports Silicon.com’s Gemma Simpson.

Also, lest you should get the idea that Google somehow slipped those mash-ups into place while “Auntie” (also known as the BBC) was looking the other way, Simpson adds that “Matthew Cashmore, BBC Backstage producer, said a lot of the content on the BBC website has a geographical element . . . and this sort of content fits well within a Google Maps mash-up.”

The BBC has, after all, proven that it wants to transition smoothly into the 21st century; it even arranged a deal with Google-owned YouTube.  As for Google, well . . . we all know how the search engine company loves to forge partnerships and make acquisitions.  In the end, it’s nice to see both gigantic corporations taking an interest in mash-ups, though what this means for the traditional creators of such things remains to be seen.