It's time for me to fly.... Popfly, that is!

If you've been following trends in web development lately, you may have heard of the term mash-up which allows you to build an integrated Web experience using data and services from multiple sources. To me the ultimate mash-up in real life is Sid, the kid in Toy Story who tore his toys apart and reassembled them into new (and sometimes creepy) creations.

Well, the web team in Redmond has just released Popfly, an online tool for building mash-ups, gadgets, and even Silverlight experiences. What is fantastic about Popfly is that you can build these mash-ups (and gadgets and web pages and ...) just by pulling in easy to use "blocks" that link to services. Plus, it's implemented as a Silverlight application. Add to that the community aspect for collaborating and sharing, and you've got one cool web thing!

Right now Popfly is in "limited alpha" which means you'll have to sign up to participate, but my guess is that they are encouraging everyone who tries it out to give feedback - which is the key way we ensure our tools and technologies are meeting your needs.

I'm waiting for my invitation to arrive any minute now... :)

Technorati tags: popfly, silverlight, mashup, web