Because the race to grow and grow of Facebook cannot sustain of the site itself anymore, now you can get proper Facebook widgets. but don’t get too excited because it don’t mean great widgets of your personal account or great widgets of your content in Facebook to share in your blog.

It is all about Fan Pages converting into Widgets as Fan Boxes for blogs as Facebook states in the general details of the widget:

As a Facebook Page owner, you can implement the Fan Box widget on your own website to gain more fans and share your Facebook updates. Implementing requires pasting just 4 lines of code.

The widget currently has 3 components: “Button”, “Stream” (optional), and “Fans List” (optional). The widget can fit in a space as small as 200 x 64 (just the “button”) or offer a richer experience including recent posts and other fans at a full 600 x 544 pixels (width adjustable from 200 – 600 pixels).

So this means that it is for the brands, personalities and celebrities in Facebook to better market and target connect with you. This way if you stumble with Fan Box in the website of your favorite band, celebrity or brand and you are not already following them in Facebook. you can add yourself as a fan directly in the Fan Box Widget thanks to Facebook Connect. So next time you are in Facebook, the updates from that fan page will start reaching you.

All around a sound idea but i think that the widgets could be more flexible when it comes to customization because right now they look out of place most of the time like the photo examples above clearly show. Now if they started making widgets regular users could use to share what is in facebook beyond it. That would be truly useful.

via Facebook Blog & TC

Related posts:

1. Networkedblogs uses Facebook to create blog social network
2. Facebook: Show your Status in your blog
3. Metaplace Widget: Blog Embeddable Virtual Word

I decided to add this note even if happened almost two weeks ago as a inspirational note that the widget space marches on even in this recession. i know that may sound weird since it is about a acquisition. but even then a acquisition in this economic climate is a good thing right?

So Adgregate Markets that specialize in making transaction enabled Shopping Ad Banners decided that it was a good idea to buy a Promo Widget Network like Gydget. IT IS. these will be rolled into the ShopAds they do and will result in in-widget shops and smarter ad widgets.

Gydget had been around for 2 years or so and it seems that they were losing steam as the competitions in promo widgets is quite brutal now. but this is a good ticket out and it does create a better end product, that in the end continues to be widgets. so it is all good.

Gydget

Adgregate Markets

Adgregate Markets Snaps Up Widget Maker Gydget  via Techcrunch

Related posts:

1. Gydget: Promo Widgets Network
2. Gydget widgets rock Myspace
3. Automattic Acquires PollDaddy

Skittles, the colored candy company decided to start March with a bang and introduce a clever spin that married social media marketing with Website Widgetization. the question was on the how. i have posted on Promo Widgets and Ad Widgets and how a brand can be made portable and viral via widgets. What Skittle did that is a true work of genius in terms of Online Marketing was to make their website a Widget and then make that widget float over web 2.0 darlings to place the brand into a social context given by the direct consumers of the brand product. be it YouTube for videos, Flickr for photos and Twitter for Social Messaging. this way they brand over people perceptions and opinions why promoting directly the skittle brand and boost the marketing into the 21st century as it gives it credibility and effectiveness.

I remember vaguely other company that did something similar by making their website in flash at a size that could fit into a 800 x 600 pixel grid that linked to myspace and that reproduced videos about the brand. this was back in 2006 i think. what skittle did goes into a whole new level thanks to the evolution of the web, widgets, new media and social media alike. so it is not that another brand didn’t tried this or that it was not possible. it is just that it was not yet the time for it as the tech was not only evolved enough but that the conventions had not reached the mainstream to me this idea a marketer dream.

I hope the idea gets explored more we get to see even better execution of this.

Skittles

Related posts:

1. Advertising Age On Widget Marketing
2. AOL adds Affiliate Marketing to Buy.at with Widgets
3. SproutMixer: Widget Advertising & Marketing For All

iMedia Connection is not a stranger to Widget related Articles. and while this new piece called “11 Steps for Widget Success” should be more useful for those interested Widget Advertising and Widget Marketing.. the points are good for everyone interested in Widgets.

I also recommend to read the article by Bob Garfield on Advertising Age. but if you have already read that one. this would could be considered a guide post that one.

And finally as a matter of Blog Replies go. Newsgator got their on take on imedia Connection article that is also worth a read.

Related posts:

1. Lessons in building a Better Widget
2. 4 Widget Best Practices
3. Advertising Age On Widget Marketing

Bob Garfield over at Advertising Age did a piece on Widget and Marketing that is truly great. it is also 101 material for anyone not only interested in Widget but also in Internet Enabled Marketing and Advertising.

Widgets Are Made for Marketing, So Why Aren’t More Advertisers Using Them?

That said. i don`t agree on the over pushy title that makes it sound as if Widget only purpose was marketing. i would have put it as “Widgets are a match made in heaven for Marketing”. but that is only because i feel the need to be nit picky with it.

My favorite phrase of the article has to be “Utility Plus Brand” as a way to define Widget Marketing and something to thought about since it inherently implies there should be something utilitarian to the Widget in the first place. that should always always translate to the widget not only have a purpose but being useful for it.  otherwise no matter how great the product you are pushing is or how great your widget analytics are everything will be pointless and a waste of time for everyone.

Related posts:

1. SproutMixer: Widget Advertising & Marketing For All
2. Eyeblaster takes Widget Advertising Global with Nike Football Video Widget
3. AOL adds Affiliate Marketing to Buy.at with Widgets