Data, one of the foundations of Web 2.0, My task as a member of team B is to find an example of hows Data is changing the way we make web applications and how it will become the next Intel inside. However how do we make the best use of data, well one way is to make an application. A great example of a very successful web application that runs mainly on data is SoundCloud.
Essentially SoundCloud is a online audio distribution platform that allows collaboration, distribution and promotion of songs, tunes, basically any form of audio recording. However why exactly is SoundCloud a good example of the Web 2.0 data application? allow me to inform you.
For starters, At the time this website was created it was the very first of its kind and set the standards and still maintains the standard for an audio sharing service. So basically this service has a very unique hard to recreate source of data. Created in 2007, SoundCloud fills the gap in the online music scene by providing a collaboration and audio distribution platform which met and exceeded the needs of countless musicians and song writers alike. In that time there were so many platforms and services for picture viewing, video sharing however nothing was made for the sole purpose of sharing music, this is what SoundCloud fulfills. These days, SoundCloud is marketed as The worlds leading social sound platform and rightfully so, made up of a unique and extensive data set, including audio tracks, musician’s profiles and a community of listeners.
It is not enough however to have the core data alone in this case the ability to share music, SoundCloud also enhances the core data by implementing social network features into the site. Such as the ability to create a profile or portfolio, follow other users, a full record of popular liked tracks and most followed groups and also the added ability to like and comment on tracks. One particular feature however is very unique only to this service which is the ability to comment and tag a specific section or time on the track and add a comment, the images bellow demonstrates this. another useful feature is the ability to recommend and tag tracks so that users could find exactly what kind of track they wanted quickly and easily.
SoundCloud also allows users to control the data that they upload to the site, by providing features to edit track and profile information, and delete tracks. The site also does not limit file size and allows public and private sharing. Another great feature is that users can control the copyright to their audio, including being able to tag tracks under Creative Commons licencing.
Although SoundCloud doesn’t technically own the user data the site contains, as the one of if not the largest online community of online creators of music and audio, SoundCloud has indefinitely established their leadership in the index of online audio. The site is a primary source of Creative Commons music and is used by the official Creative Commons search engine. Because of their popularity many popular artists choose to stream and promote their music through the site.
One of SoundClouds greatest features is their ability to let the users share and reuse their audio in a variety of ways. SoundCloud allows users to share music with distinct URLs so that unlike social media sites like Facebook and Twitter it does not get lost in the news feed of random posts. SoundCloud also allows integration with existing technologies such as RSS feeds and provides code for embedding SoundCloud audio players into web pages.
SoundClouds developer website is a great example of a data strategy. The site provides information and an API for developers to build upon SoundCloud’s data and features. The site specifies developers can: share sounds and web recordings across the web, power apps with millions of sounds and build customized audio players for websites. SounCloud has also released an app for most operating systems, therefore proving that SoundCloud is trying to expand their market range.
In conclusion, SoundCloud is a great example of Web 2.0 practices and patterns being implemented to their full potential. It has paved the way for future audio distribution and sharing services and will continue to hold the benchmark for years to come.
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That is a fabulous post about INTEL INSIDE topic, It is really a great description about how SoundCloud works and how to make people make their own profiles through it. An excellent example for Web2.0, good integration between Web2.0 and SoundCloud which is showing the importance of Web2.0 nowadays
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