API FYI - General Info
What is an API?
What is...An API is not a beer! That's an IPA or an APA.
API stands for Application Programming Interface
Example: An API is like a menu at a restaurant. The menu provides a list of dishes you can order, along with a description of each dish. When you specify to the server what menu items you want to to order, the kitchen staff does the work and provides you with the finished dish. You don’t know exactly how the restaurant prepares that food, and you really don’t need to. You just know that if you ‘call’ for it, you will receive it.
How much does it cost for a brand to purchase Dash Hudson API access?
What is... GOOOD QUESTION! The cost of adding API access to a contract depends on a few key variables such as the brand asking, their budget, renewal date, etc. Like all pricing related questions, consult with the associated AE to get a quote :).
How does Dash Hudson receive information via Instagram's API?
What is... Fun fact! Instagram no longer has an API. It is now all under Facebook's API (as FB owns IG).
Our development team makes 'calls' to the FB API (human terms - orders items off of a menu). We then get the information back, and manipulate it to display it accordingly within the Dash Hudson platform.
Again - To receive the information pertaining to ONE post on IG, could require Dash Hudson to make 10 different API calls in order to receive all of the data associated to that one post. Once we receive the information back from FB, we manipulate the post information and 'bulk' it together into the one post that we show within the global photo pop up, the your post section, etc.
What is a DAM?
DAMs offer an effective solution for companies to store, organize, find, retrieve and share digital content.
Dash Hudson's Library is an example of a DAM. Apple's 'Cloud' is an example of a DAM. Google Drive is an example of a DAM.
What is an Endpoint?
Example: When you're looking at the restaurant menu - The menu represents the API, and the dishes represent the endpoints you can choose from. It doesn't make sense for you to order the entire menu at once (or call the entire API at once) as you'll be bombarded with food (and in API terms, information). Instead, you pick and choose what dishes (information) you need at that time from the menu (API).
How do you set up a customer with API access?
What is... As of right now the process of setting a brand up wth API access is very scrappy as we are in the middle of updating our API (due to legacy migration) so our documentation is outdated.
HOWEVER, we do have the below steps:
1. Post the request in custom requests.
2. A dev team member (likely Stu) will get back to you, and will send you and API key via email, along with a few examples and important information.
3. You likely won't understand a single thing in the email you receive, and that's OK! You're not expected to understand this.
4. Simply copy and paste the information you receive from Stuart and create a new email to send along to the brand.
5. Tadaa! You're finished!
What are some things Dash Hudson can't pull via Facebook's API?
What is...
- Instagram DMs
- UGC from Stories
- IGTV information
- Instagram Live information
- Story highlight information
- Automatic posting scheduled story content
- Particular follower demographic information (name of followers, how many followers a public IG account may have, etc).
What internal DAMs are are compatible with Dash Hudson's API?
What is... We don't know! There are SO many DAMs out there and we haven't come across all of them (not even close TBH).
IF someone asks if Dash Hudson can connect to their DAM, we will have to find out things such as:
1. What DAM are they using?
2. How are they using the DAM?
3. WHY/what would be the purpose of connecting Dash Hudson to their DAM?
We would then consult with the product/development team to do our research! This may sometimes require a product build.
What does an API look like?
What is... Absolute gibberish! An API looks like a ton of raw data & code. It will NOT make sense to our typical MPOC (social media managers, coordinators, ecomm teams, PR teams, C-suite, etc). It WILL make sense to a developer/software engineer.
What requirements do we need from a brand in order for them to connect to our API?
What is...No known requirements!
We send the brand the API access token & documentation (once received from Stuart) and they are then off to the races :). If you come across a requirement... BONUS POINTS TO YOU - however, this is yet to happen in Dash Hudson history.
Why won't Facebook let Dash Hudson access ALLL information via their API?
What is...
1. When a new product is released on Instagram, it takes time for IG to understand and iron out what is important pertaining to that particular product.
Ex: IGTV - To us, we may feel as if IGTV has been around FOREVER. However, in the grand scheme of things it is still a 'new' feature on IG. IG has to take it's time to understand usage patterns, what metrics are important to show, what metrics aren't important to show, etc. They have to establish the product, before they release it to the API.
2. Sometimes it's a strategic business decision made by IG to block certain data from their API.
Ex: IG needs to ensure people are still using and investing time into their native app. If they released EVERYTHING via their API to third party platforms (like DH) then there wouldn't be any point for brands to still utilize the IG app. This wouldn't be great for the business, now would it?
3. Privacy issues/rules and regulations.
Ex: Allowing third party platforms access to story UGC.
What are the benefits of a brand using an API?
What is... The ability to manipulate the data available within the Dash Hudson platform / customize it in whatever way they see fit.
Brands can also use our API to connect to other third party platforms (think Business Intelligence tools, internal Dashboards they may have built, etc).
How is data pulled differently through Dash Hudson's API, than what I am seeing in the Dash Hudson platform?
What is... What Facebook is to us, is what Dash Hudson is to another brand. Some brands require/want the ability to receive and manipulate our data in different ways than what we offer within the Dash Hudson platform.
Ex: We COULD show brands the Facebook API data about their owned Instagram content, but it would likely not make any sense to the people we work with (raw data = gibberish).
Instead, we take the information from Facebook's API and package it in beautiful ways (think the global photo pop up - Our development team has to make numerous 'calls' to Facebook's API to receive ALLLL of the information that's available within a global photo pop up. By us manipulating the data received from Facebook -- aka packaging it and making it visually pleasing and easy to understand -- we're providing brands with the ability to actually understand the information available through FB's API).
Why would a brand want access to an API?
What is... Lots of reasons!
1. Access to data in real time
2. Have a direct connection to the Dash Hudson platform WITHOUT having to log-in.
3. Receive raw data that they can manipulate.
4. Allow certain teams to access the analytics, without giving them access to the Dash Hudson platform (ex: A development team doesn't give a RIP about the creatives... They just care about the analytics and code behind the creatives. It wouldn't be efficient for them to log into the DH platform and download a bunch of csv's, but it would be efficient for them to pull the information via our API).