Wave of Widgets Spreads on the Web

Meanwhile, a slew of other widget companies have cropped up, though not everybody uses that word. Blog publisher TypePad now offers "blidgets"; home-page creator PageFlakes lets people incorporate "snippets" into their personalized pages; Netvibes, Snipperoo and YourMinis host widget galleries.

Apple and Microsoft have desktop tools in the form of constantly updating stock tickers, news feeds and airline schedules. Google says its fastest-growing products are "gadgets" for its personalized start pages, or Web sites that allow users to customize the displayed information.

Some of the most popular widgets on the Web are made by amateur developers or have user-generated content -- YouTube video screens on Web pages, for example, or Backwards Bush, whose widget counts down the days, hours, minutes and seconds left in the current presidency.

Chris Seline, founder of District-based Searchles, a social bookmarking site that organizes links, videos and articles for its users, is creating widgets that let people access certain online content without having to visit the actual Web site that provides it. By offering convenience, he said, he keeps his company's name on people's screens.

"It's contagious," he said. Widgets "are the glue between people and the content they want."

There are problems, though. Snazzy interactive widgets can guzzle computer resources, which will slow down page loads. Some skeptics say Web sites could become so cluttered with widgets that they cease to be effective.

Advertisers are leery of paying top dollar for widgets because their influence on consumers is unknown. And the longer a popular widget lives online, the less incentive there is for an advertiser to pay for a new one.

"Brands need to be where their consumers are," said Eric Weaver, a Seattle branding consultant with the firm Sound Principles. But he said that not all marketers will buy into the widget idea. "It's just one more way to have your brand out there, but it's not going to convert anyone. If I have a pizza-related widget on my desktop, am I going to want to buy everything from Papa John's? Probably not."

To introduce more advertisers to the idea, Freewebs throws a free widget into every online campaign it designs, so clients can "test the waters," said Christian Cunningham, the company's vice president of advertising.

A snag in the business model is that no one has quite figured out how to make much money off widgets. Cunningham said he expects a pricing strategy will emerge within the next year as advertisers become more comfortable with the idea.

"The economy is still being shaped," said Clearspring's Radfar. As in any other online venture, "we have to get volume first, then we'll figure out how to make money."

The companies may also have to clarify what qualifies as a widget before Internet traffic analyzers, such as Nielsen NetRatings and ComScore, monitor their penetration into online communities. Media companies, online retailers and big advertisers often use such measurements to target their audiences. Widget pioneers, however, say the new mode of advertising will make counting page views and unique visitors obsolete, since widgets connect users to content without opening additional browser windows.

Gregory Dale, chief technology officer at ComScore, said the firm is not yet tracking widgets, "but once anything gets critical mass, it will be measured."

In the meantime, these widgets -- or gizmos, snippets, doodads or gadgets -- are not replacing the traditional Web sites of the companies promoting them, said Maurice Boissiere, vice president of client services for Clearspring.

"The point is to see that there's value in the widget itself," he said. "It's the new cash register."