We Build Widgets

Like you didn’t know this would happen…

This is Patrick Sexton. I hereby declare that We Build Pages now builds widgets.

As a widget developer, I have spent the last two years doing nothing else but experimenting with widgets and how they can be used for traffic and profit. I have blogged about Google gadgets for longer than people even knew there was such a thing as Google gadgets and I have a menagerie of widgets that receive millions of views a month.

I want We Build Pages to be the place to go for widgets. Period.

There are so many exciting and very real opportunities out there for widgets that are simply not being used. It kills me. Anyone who has worked with me will tell you how my mind works. The way my mind works is big and what your widget strategy needs is big, achievable goals. We Build Pages can deliver.

Here is what We Build Pages offers as of today. Listen up; this is good.

Widget Strategy Reports

Have you ever wanted to know how to get started with widgets? Have you wondered how much it would cost? Have you ever considered widgets but were not sure where to start?

In my experience, I’ve found that there are a large amount of companies who would love to know more about widgets but do not have the resources to do so. We are solving that problem by providing affordable and informative widget strategy analysis reports.

These reports will answer the questions you have.  We have designed them to do so. We have spoken with hundreds of companies about their widget curiosities and know what the common questions are.  Want them answered?

See our widget report page.

Are you still reading? Why? Use the link above and see what the six most common questions that businesses have about widgets are. This is not a “glance over post”. This is the “future of your profitability on the Web” post. If there is a link in this post it is there for a reason. Look at that widget report and what it offers and how economically it offers it.

Widget Creation

We Build Pages will build your widget if you do not know how.

Pretty simple actually. Widget creation is an art. We can take your budget and provide ROI.

There is not an investment that will be returned on more than a well-executed widget strategy. In order to have a widget strategy, you need a widget.

We ask you a lot of questions on our contact form, but there is a reason for that. If you can’t spend ten minutes describing what you want, then we’re probably not a good fit.

Need a widget built? We can do that.

We build them, if you want to know more, then contact us.

Widget Promotion

How do you promote a widget? If you are serious about your venture then I recommend you promote your widget through us. We know all the angles. If you need a serious service that will take your widget and spread it, then consider We Build Pages widget promotion services.

I recently authored the Google gadget promotion guide where you can get an idea of the main concepts that we look at while promoting widgets.

Widget promotion is not understood well by many. We are one of the few that can effectively promote your widget using innovative and proven methods.

Widget platforms

If you want to know more about widgets, take a look at our widget platform guide. There is such an amazing amount of confusion about widgets out there that I see many companies paying twelve times for the very same thing.

We Build Pages believes in a cross platform widget strategy. What is right for Facebook may not be right for MySpace or Google. We know our stuff well enough to be able to recommend what you should do and how you can get the biggest bang for you buck.

Whatever your widget needs are, let us know. It is simple. Contact us.

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Widgets on TV and Why Widgets are Important

One of my first priorities at We Build Pages was to change the way we interacted with our own information, tools and databases. To accomplish this goal, our entire development team had to stop what they were doing, not take on new projects, and spend a couple weeks to create a more flexible way of storing and interacting with our data. They did a great job.

The ability to interact with data in a “widgetized” form was crucial to me for several reasons. One of the most important concepts of widgets that I think many do not yet grasp is a very simple one.

The way that we have been displaying and interacting with data is not very efficient.

We had an assumption that our Web pages were perfect little pieces of displayed information, yet widgets have taught us that they were not. An individual resource, no matter how wonderful, is still an individual resource. The places where widgets are used are not much different than a shopping mall. Malls are useful because many different products and stores are in one convenient place. Personalized home pages like iGoogle or Netvibes are just malls for data.

These means you need to provide the ability to connect with your data outside of your website and ensure you are getting value from your widgets or projects wherever they may reside on the web.

Why do hundreds of millions of people use widgets? Because it is more efficient for them. It is more convenient to interact with their world and the data in it (emails, messages, stocks, news, entertainment) in one place than it is to interact with the very same data in twelve places.

Yahoo introduced a relationship with SamSung in which Yahoo widgets will be availible on TVs.

Imagine watching your favorite show and being able to check your email during commercials. Or if you are learning something on the Web through a video and you could see that video full screen on your TV. What about a Twitter feed sidebar so you can discuss what is happening with your friends during a show or a football game?

There are many possibilities, but what this announcement means to me is not just about widgets. It is more about how we interact with data. The more that you know about how people interact with data, the more capacity you have to serve your audience.

It seems that widgets are rather misunderstood.

Do you yet realize that widgets are used by millions of people all around the globe? Do you yet understand that widgets are used by millions of people on their phones? Are you aware that millions of people will interact with widgets on their television sets?

If not, your competitors surely will.

Widgets are portals into other worlds where your advertising will never reach. Widgets are the pathway to people who would never otherwise see your Web site.  They are simple, convenient, portable, and intelligent ways to display your data and to allow interaction and access.

You need a widget budget.

You will likely not receive better ROI from any other budget in your business. Widgets are not just Facebook apps or Google gadgets. They are a way for people to interact with your products and services wherever they are and whichever medium they are using.

The definition of what a widget actually is has not, in my opinion, been stated well in our field. There are hints of it here and great articles about it there, but there doesn’t seem to be an overall reference for this on the Web.

That is why I have been making one for the new We Build Pages Web site.

The next couple of weeks you will be hearing many things about widgets from We Build Pages.

We are now open for business for widget strategy analysis and widget creation.

If you do not understand the widget world but want to explore the possibilities of them in your field, I would recommend that you contact us and let us know about it.

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LinkedIn Application Directory

LinkedIn announced a few months ago that it would be using the Open Social platform. They haven’t said much since. But many were waiting for how they would handle an application directory.

Now they announced it’s launch. Reid Hoffman of LinkedIn said:

“The nine applications that you see live today on LinkedIn include productivity enhancing applications from Amazon, Box.net, Google, Huddle, Six Apart, SlideShare, Tripit, and WordPress as well a Company Buzz application developed by LinkedIn. Each of these applications will help you stay current and competitive as a professional in today’s rapidly changing business world.”

On October 28th they opened the LinkedIn Application directory.

The most interesting application for those with blogs might be the WordPress one. The WordPress app was simple to install, took only seconds to do. It allows you to put your latest posts on your public Linkedn profile. To see this live, go to my LinkedIn profile.  Note: You will have to be signed in to see my “full profile”, where these apps display.

SixApart (typePad), not to be outdone, also has an app. Theirs didn’t work for me. So I can’t really say much about it yet, but it is described as:

“With Blog Link, you can get the most of your LinkedIn relationships by connecting your blog to your LinkedIn profile. Blog Link helps you, and your professional network, stay connected.”

The is a Google Presentation one as well where you can :

“Present yourself and your work. Upload a .PPT or use Google’s online application to embed a presentation on your profile.”

I have personally been waiting for LinkedIn to start this directory up for awhile. I have some exciting ideals for it and some extraordinarily LinkedIn appropriate apps to speak with them about.

We Build Pages will be offering widget consultation very soon as one of our services. More to come on that subject later…

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