Open AIM Developer Challenge Highlights - Part 1

The Open AIM Challenge

Over the next few weeks I’ll be writing some posts which put the spotlight on various submissions to the Open AIM Developer Challenge. Today's post will look at the cool functionality of the IM Whiteboard plug-in entry which is a great example of thinking about Open AIM as a platform which enables communication, rather than just an IM protocol. Created to mark the launch of Open AIM 2.0, the Developer Challenge is an excellent way to make your ideas pay off. With $100,000 in prize money, there is real incentive to create a unique and appealing entry. Since a large percentage of the scoring is based on the popularity of your creation, it is important to be creative with a core idea, but it’s also important to think about distribution and appeal.

While the AIM API’s and libraries continue to improve, I think the most significant aspect of the Open AIM 2.0 release lies in the increased flexibility. By documenting the AIM protocol, simplifying the licensing agreements, and removing a lot of the limitations on API usage, Open AIM is becoming a platform which is flexible enough to fit with all of your diverse requirements.

In a way, the very nature of the Developer Challenge highlights this flexibility. While there is some guidance, provided on the site, the requirements for contest submissions are very broad. Hopefully, as I take a brief look at some of the contest entries over the next few weeks, you’ll get a taste of the possibilities that exist within the Open AIM communications platform, and perhaps even find yourself with a unique idea of your own.

The Entry: IM Whiteboard

Today I want to draw your attention to the IM Whiteboard plug-in submitted by dhbellol. While in some ways the idea is a fairly simple one, as I mentioned earlier this plug-in is a great example of thinking about Open AIM as a platform which enables communication, rather than just an IM protocol. Whether you’re brainstorming rough design concepts, trying to describe the weird car you saw on the way to work, or taking a quick time-out to play tic-tac-toe with your son or daughter, the IM Whiteboard provides a quick and easy solution.

To demonstrate some of the entries during this series, I’ll be chatting with a buddy of mine. In order to make it easy for you to see both sides of the conversation, I’ll be using VPC’s so both are on the screen at once. The following screenshots demonstrate initiating an IM Whiteboard session, and drawing with a buddy.

Image 1 - Initiate IM Whiteboard session by right-clicking buddy’s name and selecting “Draw with your buddy”.

Image 2 - Buddy receives an invitation dialog.

Image 3 - Drawing is fairly straightforward. All of the options are at the top of the window, including: various tools, options, a color palette, and the ability to save the drawing.

The final thing I want to point out is the new release of IM Whiteboard in which the author added a couple of features and fixed some bugs. I think this demonstrates a cool feature of the contest. Because of the “community” nature, once you submit your entry, you will more than likely get feedback on it. Releasing an updated version of your entry based on that feedback is perfectly acceptable, and is likely to create greater appeal and lead to increased usage, both of which are very important in the contest scoring.