Web Widgets
"All content needs to be loosed in the smallest particles possible (widgetized). Then it will reform itself into valid and relevant units, driven by the consumers of that content."
- Ivan Pope [1]
Definition
From the Wikipedia article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_widget
"A Web Widget is a portable chunk of code that can be installed and executed within any separate html-based web page by an end user without requiring additional compilation. They are akin to plugins or extensions in desktop applications. Other terms used to describe a Web Widget include Gadget, Badge, Module, Capsule, Snippet, Mini and Flake. Web Widgets often but not always use Adobe Flash or JavaScript programming languages."
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_widget)
Why Widgets are Important
This commentary notes how the emergence of widgets leads to a process of de-portalization:
From http://blog.softwareabstractions.com/the_software_abstractions/2006/12/disruptive_tech.html
"Over time, users will come to expect horizontal features like Search or Social networking to become available within the context of their vertical application or web site. Two rapidly accelerating trends will magnify this effect: the common availability of widgets and APIs for horizontal engines and the increasing popularity of combined offerings (mashups) that put features and content together in interesting new ways.
This approach has several user benefits:
- The combination can create whole new capabilities and present information in an entirely new way
- There is no context-switching required to exercise different types of functionality
- It puts the onus of evaluating and picking the best-in-class solution for each feature category on the application developer or web designer
- The end user gets a fully-integrated product with a seamless experience
This puts increasing pressure on the remaining content creators to open up their content, create APIs and widgets, and actively encourage integration and partnerships to promote their use, or risk getting left out. "The real danger is not copyright violation, but obscurity and irrelevance!" (http://blog.softwareabstractions.com/the_software_abstractions/2006/12/disruptive_tech.html)
Examples
The Yahoo Widgets site at http://widget.yahoo.com/
Google Widgets at http://www.google.com/ig/directory?synd=open
WordPress Widgets at http://www.widgetbox.com/
More Information
Webcast on the Significance of Widgets