What are Widgets and how can they improve your Blog?
Widget applications can improve your ability to be the proactive, useful resource that your clients & prospects appreciate. Plus they can add some pizzazz to your blog.
Widgets or adding a widget [badge or snippet], in simple terms, is like inserting a window that will pull information from a third party resource [such as current weather updates] to your blog. How do they get onto your blog? Well, your provider can put them there for you, but every widget is a piece of code. The code is a set of instructions for where to go and retrieve current data so that it can live on your blog. Unless you’re a programmer or a talented “do-it-your-selfer”, it’s often difficult to understand code and installation instructions so all you really need to do is allow your provider to install it for you.
While there are 100’s of fantastic widgets out there and more emerging all the time, here are some great ideas for your Business Blog:
- Search-able Google Maps Widget
This application is designed to let you add a search-able Google Map on your web page, allowing users to find places around or near you. The map display can be customized to your needs. 
- Weather Widget
This application is designed to let you add updating local weather to your page. .jpg)
- Wikipedia Search Widget
This application is designed to allow visitors to access Wikipedia search right from your own blog. 
- AnswerBoxes Widget
This application is designed to enable your site so that visitors can access answers information on over 4 million Answers.com subjects. - Polldaddy Widget
This application is designed to allow you to create surveys and polls for your blog. Rather than assume, why not find out what your visitors are thinking? This widget allows you to custom create surveys and polls and it includes a reporting engine for simple results aggregation. 
- Video Search/ Control Widget
This application is designed to let you add a video search form and a block of videos to your blog. It’s customizable, allowing for the set up of size, location, number of results, color schemes, custom video search terms, etc. - Flickr Flash Photo Stream Widget
This application is designed to let you display a photo stream of images from a Flickr account. You can display photos from your own collection, one of your groups, or anyone else’s photos. 
- LibraryThing Widget
This application is designed to let you show off the latest books you’ve read, are reading or even intend to read. - del.icio.us Linkrolls Widget
This application is designed to let you display your latest bookmarks on del.icio.us. - Skype button Widget
This application is designed to let you display your Skype status, such as online/offline, ‘Skype Me!’ or ‘I’m awaaaay’. - Leafletter Widget
This application is designed to let you create a mini version of another website and to embed it into your blog. - ClockLink Widget
This application is designed to let you display the time in various zones. 
- VFlyer Real Estate Listings Widget
If you are a Realtor, VFlyer allows you to create a featured listings display on your blog or website. - Jaxtr Phone Link Widget
This application is designed to let you link people directly to your phone while keeping your number private. - Meebo Widget
This application is designed to let you offer Instant Messaging on your Blog. If you’d like to be able chat in real time with people on your blog this baby will allow you to do it! .jpg)
chris@kineticknowledge.com
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Comments
I am pretty ignorant about the whole widget scene. I am going to check into it though. Great article.
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