The Growth of Web Widgets

The WSJ has a report (sub) on comScore’s latest study on the growth of web widgets.

Nearly 177.8 million people world-wide viewed Web content in April made with online tools from companies that let people post photos, videos and music on other Web sites, according to data that Web-tracking firm comScore Inc. plans to release today.

The comScore study reveals that photo-sharing widgets are the most popular, with Slide dominating the widget market. However, Jeff Jarvis asks why YouTube is not included on the list…

I don’t understand why Brightcove is on the list but YouTube isn’t; they must be limiting the definition of the widget. As far as I’m concerned, it’s YouTube that spread embedding — thus, widgeting — across the web. I’d define a widget as any embedded content or functionality.

It seems that widgets are here to stay, now we just need to figure out how to use them for marketing purposes – beyond building backlinks.

Care to share your ideas on how widgets could be used for marketing?

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