Widgets or gadgets how are they different?
Well they aren’t, so why not combine the concept here and stop the confusion, lets call them Gidgets? Now that we have cleared up that formality how can Gidgets help with your Viral Marketing campaigns?
Were you listening at this years Web 2.0 conference when Jeff Huber, VP of Engineering, during the Google presentation explained, “Gidgets are being created using rss, html, flash, and css and that gadgets are open, easy, mashable, packable, portable, and embeddable”. And, “what rss did for content, gidgets are doing for apps”.
Ok, he didnt say Gidget, or Widget, but we have covered that already.
Why is this important? Well now we know the re-usable pieces, parts and mash-ups are easier to wire together in usable ways. An example of this is the “mortgage calculator” example. When branded correctly, and created with new twists, turns, humor, and or Value - your site visitors may use it (first) and may find it useful or entertaining enough to embark on the journey we know as Viral Marketing and email it to somebody (second), who in turn keeps the fire going and sends it to their friends and hence the virus is off and running driving traffic like mad.
If set up correctly, with backlinks and not too “pitchy”, it can be a very worthwhile exercise. While many say formulas exist for viral marketing using widgets and gadgets, I say it’s all about “strategy” and “testing”. Google is a master at creating gadgets, and many other companies are creating Mash-ups to intermix technology, widgets and gadgets for useful applications. Check outNing.com as a platform to build your own.
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