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It's just like the Google API it seems. Anybody played with it yet? Experiences?
5000 queries per day - 5 times that of Google (per IP, not per ID), and you don't have to do the SOAP thing either. Great move Y!
(I found this related post [webmasterworld.com] from september as well.)
They've made it quite easy to get started. And free!
As for the examples, i can't figure out how to use the JavaScript one - anyone had any success with it?
I had some trouble with the php example as i booted to windows this morning, but uncommenting this line in "php.ini" did the trick:
extension=php_domxml.dllNow i've started looking at the Perl module [search.cpan.org] - that one seems quite rigorous :) Tip: Installing is as easy as typing this on the command line:
perl -MCPAN -e 'install Yahoo::Search'
Nice one Y!
[webmasterworld.com...]
Can't say I'm happy about the idea that this API will encourage more made-for-adsense sites however Y! is easy to scrape. I don't have monitoring tools that scrape Y! and report ranking results because that would be unauthorized use...but if I did, I would not rewrite them to use this API. Google is hard to scrape so it makes sense that they could be critisized for releasing an API. But anywho, I'm happy to see Y! catching up to Google and leveling the playing field a bit more.
how do you figure one is more difficult to scrape than the other?
(From the FAQ)
Their TOS are a little too strict for some parts of the world (as international laws differ), but i don't think using the APIs on a clearly commercial site (ie. one that sells widgets) is in violation of the TOS as long as the use of the API itself is non-commercial - and as long as your site does not deal with any of these subjects:
any products or services that constitute, promote or are used primarily for the purpose of dealing in: spyware, adware, or other malicious programs or code, counterfeit goods, items subject to US embargo, hate materials (e.g. Nazi memorabilia), goods made from protected animal/plant species, recalled goods, hacking/surveillance/interception/descrambling equipment, cigarettes, illegal drugs and paraphernalia, unlicensed sale of prescription drugs and medical devices, body parts and bodily fluids, stolen products and items used for theft, fireworks, explosives, and hazardous materials, government IDs, police items, unlicensed trade or dealing in stocks and securities, gambling items, professional services regulated by state licensing regimes, non-transferable items such as airline tickets or event tickets, non-packaged food items, or weapons and accessories; (ii) use the Yahoo! APIs in any manner or for any purpose that violates any law or regulation, or in any manner inconsistent with the Yahoo! TOS, these Terms of Use.
I understand the TOS to mean that it is the specific use of the API that has to be non commercial. Ie. this is what you say "yes" to when you download:
d. YOU SHALL NOT:
(iv) sell, lease, or sublicense the Yahoo! APIs or access thereto or derive income from the use or provision of the Yahoo! APIs, whether for direct commercial or monetary gain or otherwise, without Yahoo!'s prior, express, written permission
So, it's even possible to obtain permission for commercial use (theoretically at least). Anyway, the TOS also has this line:
>> If you have questions about your intended use of the Yahoo! APIs, you may contact us at
>> TODO@yahoo-inc.com.
Sidenote: It's also the case that you shall not: "use the Yahoo! APIs to operate nuclear facilities" ... *lol*
I've never seen the api serve something that isn't being shown on at least one datacenter.
Sorry chap, but this is not what I meant. I saw the API results lagging behind the serps 99% of the time for over a year. That *does* mean that the API was not up to date.
> I've never seen the api serve something that isn't being shown on at least one datacenter.
Me neither. But when I saw a DC serving the same results as the API, that DC's serps were lagging behind the other DC's serps as well. My observations are from 6 months ago, so don't lynch me if the API's topicality has improved since then. I personally swear by scraping.
I have integrated it into my 2 phpBB forums!
Check it out at
[matrix-explained.com...]
(shows an orderly table)
and
[in-my-opinion.org...]
(shows a proportional layout
= the thumbnail size is RELATIVE to the picture size
= the bigger the picture, the bigger the thumbnail)
When I first saw this I thought that that looks too confusing. However after a while I didn't want to miss it.
Firefox looks a bit lame, try IE if you can.
