Fraser Kelton, Adaptive Blue

How can you find the right equilibrium between value for the publisher, value for the browser, and ease of replication?

For the publisher: need to get the widget installed

• Self expression
• Additional content
• Cost
• Playful/fun
• Community building
• Increased page views

Value for the browser: have to get widget interaction

• Self expression
• Playful/fun
• Call to action
• Ego

If you can get people to view this not as an ad, but as content with a call to action that serves them, then you’re on your way.

For example: my bloglog, if you’re not in mybloglog, it shows a blank avatar and “you” to fuel the growth via self expression.

Ease of replication: need minimal friction to copy

• 1-click installation
• On-page
• Customizable
• Simple
• Transaction timing

Case studies:

Value for the publisher:
Self expression – no one wants top 25 overall anything. What they wanted their own top 25. Their own content from separate services. So they made widgets for the netflix queue, last.fm

Another is the affiliate options widget. They got a lot of reviews, which helped adoption.

Value for the browser:
Users have a great love for thumbnails. Users will always put their mouse over an image, even to rest. Many users will actually leave defaults on. The power of the default is a very real thing.

Content rich calls to action

Rollover had “click here to explore” what happened was that no one clicked to explore. The bigger problem found that the rollover action was thought of as noise. So they looked at a popularity thing. They could show the popularity of the item, and displayed that popularity – this is what people loved as the call to action.

Ease of replication:
They used to have a “grab” button and a “get my own” button. After the first rush of copying, the clicks on those went right down.

This was a disconnect with the customized content. So you have to be contextually correct.

Constrained customization

Simple few steps to customize how the widget looks. Making the logos clearly as buttons made the process more effective.

Related posts:

1. WidgetWeb Expo Live: Tracking Widgets in the Wild with ComScore
2. WidgetWeb Expo Live: Widgets as Adverts
3. WidgetWeb Expo Live: Social tools and Fragmentity
4. WidgetWebExpo Live: Fred Wilson Keynote