Google is going to start charging for access to its Adwords API, Mediapost reports. An API is like a coat rack that allows developers to build "coats" that add functionality to Google's service through data exchange. If this cascades into other Google services and other companies it would effectively slow innovation.
So many of the great new sites that have popped up in the last year are "mashups" that blend a big player's data with ingenuity from one more more geeks. Take this mashup for Google Maps and Craig's List as one example. If charging for API data becomes more widespread among the big players, it will slow innovation. I am personally excited about creating mashups for marketing purposes. But moves like this could get me thinking twice if the fees become too costly.
Why should we pay for sending a site traffic or data? It only builds the brand of the core technology.
