Widgetbox

As it turns out, we think they have a lot in common. So much so, that we are building the “Amazon” of web widgets. What’s driving this is the value of the network. When you’re building a syndication service, point-to-point or one-off sales and deals are okay but they don’t really move the needle forward. A syndication service’s value to customers increases exponentially when the power of the network is leveraged to the hilt. A widget syndication network becomes increasingly more important as the quantity of widgets increases and the quantity of people using and sharing those widgets also goes up. And, it becomes especially valuable as widgets find their way into e-commerce and marketing campaigns.

Sometimes I am asked, “Why do we need widget aggregators? What’s your role and value in the web ecosystem?”

I like to answer this using the analogy of books and Amazon. Amazon’s service provides amazing value in book recommendations, affiliate programs and marketing opportunities. For example, take finding a good book. You don’t need Amazon to find the Top 10 Bestsellers – you can find those at the supermarket. But, go down a level, and how do you find a book that matches your specific or general interest among the rows of bookshelves or online titles. On Amazon, you can browse by subject, look at bestsellers in categories, see new releases, look for bargains, etc. If you want a recommendation, you can read the reviews and ratings from Amazon’s editors and customers. Or, you can consider the intelligent cross-promotion such as “if you like this book, you might like this one too,” “customers who bought this items also bought”, and “customers viewing this page may be interested in this sponsored link.” You get it – you know Amazon creates immense value to their customers by leveraging their network of customers.

So what does this have to do with widgets?

Apply the question of “how do I find a book that matches my interest?” to “how do I find a widget on the wild plains of the web?” That’s where Widgetbox comes in. As the critical mass of widget builders and widget consumers accelerates, there is an increasing need for a widget “Amazon.”

We built the most powerful and easiest way to rate, recommend, find and browse web widgets. From day one, our widgets are presented by new releases, most popular, top rated, featured, and a myriad of categories for browsing. When someone selects a widget, we give them a list of similar widgets they might also be interested in.

And, like Amazon in the early days, our recommendation features will evolve and gain viability as the network evolves. You will see us continually tweak, reiterate and improve the Widgetbox navigation and recommendation functionality. You’ll also see us offer impressive affiliate programs and co-marketing opportunities. These improvements and advancements to our syndication network are made possible by our underlying platform, the Widgetbox Syndication Engine.

People are using features like these every day on Widgetbox to navigate through our thousands of widgets to find the one they are looking for – whether they are searching the specific or browsing the general. This is the value of a widget aggregator, or widget marketplace as we see ourselves. Our syndication network reaches well over 20,000 sites today and that number is growing quickly; all widget developers benefit from the distribution and business opportunities provided by this network.

Like Amazon and books, our job is to keep widget users happy and coming back for more. Part of that is providing them with relevant reviews and ratings from people with similar interests and needs so they can find the widget they are looking for.

Let me know what you think about this analogy and our plans to build the “Amazon” of web widgets.