The New York Times To Give Users Control With An API

The New York Times may not be the first thing you think of when you hear the phrase "in touch with technology", but the venerable rag has been steadily keeping up with the changing times. Handling technological advances and trends much better than its counterparts, it continues to innovate by announcing that it will release its own API soon.

The New York Times embraced email newsletters, mailing lists, a web site and more over the years, even as other newspaper properties were slow to adopt and embrace the web out of fear of becomig obsolete. The Times saw early on that rather than become obsolete, the web and its many tools only offered ways to make itself more vibrant and attract different demographics of readership on and offline.

Now the Times uses RSS feeds and other tools to serve its readers in addition to continuing to offer some of the older methods like an email digest for those who still prefer that. The Times doesn't let itself stagnate with one new idea at a time either - already it has a Twitter feed and pops up around places like FaceBook and other social web sites, and puts reader comments and feedback front and center.

The new API that the Times has in development for release will mark another step in the Times continuing evolution. By allowing users to fully customize their experience with the paper, the Times is ensuring that no matter what happens to print editions of the news, it will have continued longevity by giving its readers what they want - a personal news experience. Now that is smart business. Readers can expect to see the API start to surface over the course of the next six months or so.