Widgets

A story on Widget's. Interesting just for it's background on how big player like Google and IBM are developing widgets as well as how others like the NBA, Rebook, and Ebay are using it as a channel. Haven't seen any NZ specific examples (although rumors abound about a NZ Telecom promo widget).

Also, a note about it's potential of fubarring existing ad models (similar to RSS feeds).

"If widgets really take off, they could upset some big apple carts. They undermine performance measures that the ad industry has tried so hard to establish for measuring Web activity, such as page views and time spent on a site. In a world where a Web site can be splintered into a hundred little pieces, widgets reshape the definition of a Web page and an audience. They also could accelerate a move away from big Web portals."

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_30/b4043071.htm?chan=technology_technology+index+page_top+stories