If your competition launches a public API, there's only one way you can answer: launch one yourself. Photo sharing service and MySpace's darling Photobucket has done just that; shortly after Flickr announced it, they're launching their API, too.
Here's how it sounds in marketingese, from the mouth of Photobucket chif exec Alex Welch: "Photobucket pioneered the ability for people to link and share photos and videos -- whether on blogs, social networks or auction sites -- and the broad release of our API makes it possible to create entirely new media experiences on the Web and on devices of all kinds."
The applications built with the API will enable users to securely log into Photobucket albums, create, edit and access their albums, upload new content, share content from albums via email, search through publicly available content on Photobucket as well as access and update metadata, such as tags, descriptions and the like.
Initial developers are Adobe, AOL, FotoFlexer, Intercasting, RockYou, Slide, Snapvine and Picnik, which already announced Photobucket integration. While working in Picnik, you will now have the ability to create a Photobucket album, have a special Photobucket tab within Picnik, view and edit all your Photobucket images and save them directly to Photobucket.