Presentation from Web2.0 Expo NY 2011. Good architecture of systems and flexibility of content has also allowed NPR to have the freedom and agility to quickly deploy solid user experience and elegant design to multiple platforms. This presentation will cover how NPR improved the code inside its API to be more efficient, while meeting new and evolving product needs

1. NPR Everywhere: Even Better APIs and Content Strategies Zach Brand NPR, Digital Media@zbrand #NPRAPI

2. “From NPR News in Washington..” –Jack Speer et al X 784 X 35M / Week

3. NPR Digital Media

4. But First, Some Definitions… CrossMedia CMS: Content Management System API: Application Programming Interface COPE (Create Once Publish Everywhere) Flexible Content

5. Why Have A Crossmedia Strategy? 0 - 50 > 1,000,000,000 ~ 1,000,000

8. COPE (Create Once Publish Everywhere)

9. COPE drives all other architectural decisions

10. Realized at NPR with the NPR News API

11. Content Management Tools & Presentation Layers

12. Understand Your Atom

13. Story is the Atom for NPR

14. Stories contain ‘Assets’ (ie. text, audio, video, images, etc.)

15. Stories belong to ‘Lists’

17. Goals for NPR API Improve development efficiencies Distribute content to stations and partners Allow the public to do amazing things with the API Greater flexibility in what we do with NPR content

18. The Life of a (FLEXIBLE) Story at NPR PresentationLayers CMS API 1 2 3 4

20. (1) CMS: The Story is Born

21. (2) API: It Becomes Data..

22. (3) Distribution: Delivery Service

23. (4) Presentation Layers…

24. iPhone Music App

25. iPhone Music App

26. iPad App

27. iPad App

28. HTML5 site

29. Station Website

30. The Life of a (FLEXIBLE) Story at NPR PresentationLayers CMS API 1 2 3 4

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32. Lesson: COPE! br />

33. The NPR Architecture of COPE

34. The NPR Architecture of COPE

35. The NPR Architecture of COPE

36. The NPR Architecture of COPE

37. The NPR Architecture of COPE

38. The NPR Architecture of COPE

39. Goals for NPR API Improve development efficiencies Distribute content to stations and partners Allow the public to do amazing things with the API Greater flexibility in what we do with NPR content

40. Goals for NPR API Case Studies of the ^ Improve development efficiencies? Distribute content to stations and partners? Allow the public to do amazing things with the API? Greater flexibility in what we do with NPR content?

41. Has NPR’s API improvedApp Dev?

42. Lesson: Enabled Mobile Facebook Integration NPR Music iPhone app NPR iPad app Relaunched NPR mobile site NPR News Android app APILaunch 2008 Player 2.0 NPR MusicRemix NPR BlogsMade API Friendly Homepage Improvements Story PageImprovements NPR News iPhone app

44. Lesson:Gotta figure out how to use it. Lesson:Be Scalable

45. Lesson: Flexible Architecture A P I MySQL Instance Web Server Web Server Content Management System Cache Tier Web Server Web Server MySQL Instance Single Oracle Database Server (Point of Failure) Web Server Web Server MySQL Instance Web Server Web Server Web Server Web Server MySQL Instance Web Server Web Server MySQL Instance Web Server Web Server

46. Lesson: Maintainability

47. Better Architecture

48. Results of New Architecture Response time is 22% faster (0.45 -> 0.35s) Eliminated many (slightly) inaccurate returns Faster Development on the API Cleaner Separation of Output formats No more use of Xpath Queries Easier Ramp up for New Developers

49. Lesson: Its Not Just Tech.. FlexibleContent Tools People

52. Lesson: A thousand words matter

55. Lesson: Have PeopleWorkonStuffthatMatters

58. Image Data in the API <image id="133849355" type="primary" width="200" src="http://media.npr.org/img/a1.jpg" hasBorder="false"> <crop type="square" src="http://media.npr.org/img/as.jpg" height="440" width="440"/> <crop type=”wide" src="http://media.npr.org/img/aw.jpg" height="400" width=”225"/> </image>

59. Case Studies of NPR API Improve development efficiencies? Distribute content to stations and partners? Allow the public to do amazing things with the API? Greater flexibility in what we do with NPR content?

60. How has NPR’s API served Partners?

62. Nationally-Broadcast Reports by Martha Woodroof Martha Woodroof

63. Connecticut Public Broadcasting Photos Courtesy Derik Elis, CBTV

65. Lesson: It’sHard to knowhow it will go.

66. Lesson: Changes and Deletes

67. How has NPR’s API served Partners?

69. Lesson: Tools/Support is Big Deal

70. Case Studies of NPR API Improve development efficiencies? Distribute content to stations and partners? Allow the public to do amazing things with the API? Greater flexibility in what we do with NPR content?

71. Has the API resulted in amazing ‘free’ stuff?

72. NPR Addict iPhone App

73. Lesson: You’ll drink your own champagne

74. Paid Dev Public Dev $$$

75. Lesson: Opportunity to work with the public

76. Case Studies of NPR API Improve development efficiencies? Distribute content to stations and partners? Allow the public to do amazing things with the API? Greater flexibility in what we do with NPR content?

77. Has the API made our content flexible?

78. More than ‘Story’ Pages

83. Lesson: New Features…New Versions

85. Yes it Does!

86. Flexible Content Helps Solve the Mobile Problem

87. An API Requires Investment x2

88. Content & Technology Are Inextricably Linked

89. Creates New Editorial & Content Challenges

91. Improve Distribution to Partners?

92. Absolutely!

93. Should Support a Range of User Capabilities

94. Expedites Business Development

95. Ingestion has Unique Challenges

97. Improve Distribution to Partners?

98. Public Will Do Your Work For you?

99. They Might Do Some Things

100. You Must Engage with them Actively

102. Improve Distribution to Partners?

103. Public Will Do Your Work For You?

104. Greater Flexibility in What You Can do with Your Content

105. Yes … But Not Everything

106. Understanding Your ‘Atom’ helps & also Defines Limits

107. Content Needs Expands = API Expansion

108. You’ll Need Versioning