API Guidelines

When building an application, or otherwise obtaining and displaying content with the Blipfoto API, you should adhere to the following guidelines. These guidelines will help you create a usable, responsive application with your own style that correctly attributes authors' content.

Content

• Thumbnail images should always be displayed with a link to the full version of the image or journal entry.
• All images should attribute the author appropriately, typically with the author's username and / or a link to their journal.
• Descriptive text should, where possible, be displayed in full. Truncated versions of the text should include a link to the full text.

Branding

• You should include a link to the Blipfoto homepage, in an 'About' page or similar area within your application.
• You must not reproduce (or display variations of) the Blipfoto branding & logos. It should be clear to your users that the application is not an official Blipfoto application.

Access

• Try to limit the number of requests you make. There are several opportunities to do this, including timestamp synching & date validation.
• Cache responses that are unlikely to change over a small timeframe. This might include journal entries, profile information or search results.
• Reduce the perceived time taken to publish entries by taking advantage of the 2-stage upload process. While their image is uploading, users can enter the entry title, description & tags.

Miscellaneous

• Be sure to provide a link to your application's support website, or an email address where users can contact you. Sell yourself!