The Small Business Web, a loosely affiliated group of web app providers that cater to small businesses, today launched a handy directory that not only lets you know which companies belong to the group and what they do, but, crucially, which of the apps integrate with each other. So, for example, if you go to Freshbooks’ entry, you’ll see that it integrates with Setster, while BatchBook, Outright, MerchantOS and Shoeboxed all integrate with the invoicing app.
As I discussed in a post over on GigaOM Pro (sub. req.) “Enterprise 2.0: Web Apps and the Patchwork Quilt Problem,” one of the major problems with the proliferation of web apps is that users often end up using many different services from a variety of vendors whose tools don’t work well with each other, if at all. The Small Business Web’s integration effort is an attempt to try and solve that problem.
As well as having an A-Z listing, the directory is categorized and has a search feature, which is useful, as browsing through the directory makes clear that the Small Business Web is not that small anymore — there are currently more than 50 apps listed. It has grown substantially since Scott first wrote about it this time last year, when it was comprised of just five founding companies. It’s great to see that more web app providers are realizing the value of working with each other to improve their products.
Do the apps you use integrate well with each other?

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