LinkedIn, the social network for professionals, is finally giving out some details on its upcoming API, touted the LinkedIn Intelligent Application platform.
Using the API, developers will be able to create widgets and integrate LinkedIn data into other applications, as well as create applications that will integrate with LinkedIn. Google's OpenSocial platform is sure to be supported, and some others are planned. LinkedIn is quite clear on one thing: they don't want Facebook-style donut-throwing time wasters; they want business productivity applications, and although it is not explicitly said, they will probably ban everything that doesn't fit that description.
LinkedIn has also announced one partner for the upcoming API, BusinessWeek, which will link certain keywords to LinkedIn, in the (unpopular?) mouseover popup style. Not the best way to introduce the API, if you ask me; something less annoying would do the trick just as well.
[img src="" caption="" credit="" alt=""]
As far as the inevitable comparisons with Facebook go, I think that the decision to focus on business/productivity applications is a good one. Facebook is becoming a mess similar to MySpace; it may have a cleaner design, but the information you commonly find on profiles is far from useful. So, the "less is more" approach may actually prove to be an advantage for LinkedIn in this case.
Check out a video presentation below.