Widgetbox, an online directory for syndicated web “widgets,” or small interactive services that can be embedded onto a webpage or blog, formally announced its launch on Monday, after completing a private and public beta.
Citing “a growing trend” on the Internet called “the programmable web,” Widgetbox believes the demand for widgets will increase in the coming years as the looks of blogs and webpages changes, and dynamic content becomes easier to publish and more prevalent.
“Our goal is to become the trusted directory for web widgets,” said Ed Anuff, president and CEO of Widgetbox. “We clearly see the shape the programmable web is taking and are providing a simple but powerful service that makes it easy for anyone to use web widgets. We will continue to add new functionality to Widgetbox, like expanding the widget analytics and e-commerce features.”
The company says providing a widget service such as this one will reach a large market that includes web widget developers, personal publishers like bloggers, website and profile developers, and participants in web auctions.
On the website there are featured widgets ranging from a YouTube widget, to Skype status widgets, to the CuteOverload Cute Tracker.
Widgetbox centers its business model around its Widget Syndication Platform, what the company calls an “under the hood” technology available to widget users. The company uses this platform to enable Live Widgets, widgets that can be reconfigured on the fly without tweaking HTML code; Smart Blogs that are “tag aware” and will “react” to the content of a website – for instance an image widget might display images related to the content of the most recent blog post; and Widget Panels, which has a drag and drop function to install widgets.
The company relates that the close of the beta period, which began in late June, brought with it some enhancements to the original platform, thanks to developer input. The company still appears to be engaged with the developer community and along with the announcement of the official launch, also announced the Widgetbox Certified Developer Program to provide specialized support for developers.
The enhancements that came about through the beta include:
Widget Panels – Drag and drop placement for easy instalationl and management of widgets
Support for all popular sites – Ability to show widgets on popular sites, including MySpace, eBay, Skype, Meebo, et cetera.
Unlisted Widgets-Ability to have widgets that aren’t listed in the general gallery. This makes it much easier to test widgets or share a widget with a private audience.
Live Preview -Ability to show bloggers exactly what their widget will look like on their website.
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