I’ve just returned from the excellent three day Nonprofit Software Development Summit, brimming with business cards and new ideas. The most exciting idea to emerge was API-apalooza, a proposed training conference for progressive developers to learn how to integrate their tools through great Application Programming Interfaces.

Why is such a conference needed? APIs are the foundation layer of integrated tools. We learned from the Summit that many progressive tools providers are willing to create APIs, but not able. Good APIs are hard to create. They take skill, resources and expertise. API-apalooza would rapidly spread those skills, resources and expertise to the developers who need it.

I’ll be leading the effort to get the conference off the ground and properly funded. Stay tuned for more, or email me if you’re interested.