Let's Just Call Them "Widgets"...

Once upon a time, the term “widget” was used as the name for a conceptual manufactured object in a business or economics class. The widget could represent a piece of farm equipment, a writing implement, or even a reproduction of a Shogun Warrior action figure. The important attribute of the widget of yesteryear is that its variable forms and uses are coupled with its portability. The widget of today’s new digital landscape still shares many of the characteristics that made it such a nifty concept in theoretical models.

So now we have the web widget to compliment our already cluttered impression of the web landscape. Yes, we need to differentiate apparently as some will argue that OS widgets have been around for years (the Mac Dashboard being a prime case in point). No, no... THIS widget is special.


The numeber of English posts that contain Widgets per day for the last 30 days is charted below. If you look at the term web widgets, the number of blog mentions decreases a bit, but there is an undeniable buzz about them. Is this the buzz of an innocuous fly on the window sill or the ominous buzz of a yellow jacket getting ready to sting without provocation?



Over the upcoming week I'll be posting exclusively about widgetizing the web as I'll be giving a Webinar on the topic. Join me for a guided tour of many practical uses for the widget in current technological playgrounds and work environments. From practical examples of widget uses and implementations, to the places you can go to get or put widgets, you will leave this event an enriched and enlightened knowledge worker ready to dazzle any and all with your new widgetry know-how.

If you already know that you want to know more about this topic, register today for the upcoming Dow Jones webinar "Widgets: Internet Sushi for the Web 2.0 Crowd" to be presented by me - Thomas G. Dopko from the Dow Jones Enterprise Media Group.

Find out what makes a widget a widget and how they are being used (and created) for the enterprise and business world. These widgets are nifty little devils, so be sure to jump on board!

Catch you soon!

Thomas