Widgets?
What are they?Widgets are the graphical interface elements like a text box, frame, a chat window etc, that a user interacts with. They provide some basic functionalities for which they are designed. For example, a chat widget, when installed in your website or blog, will enable you to log in, search a room, let you know the online status for the users logged in and chat with them. They add great value to your website and blogs since they make them more functional, interactive, informative and diverse.
Where can you find them?
A website that I have found very useful and personally keep visiting for "widget shopping" is
WidgetBoxYou have a wide range of widgets from different categories to choose from and whats best is that they come free!
I have in fact installed a lot of widgets (see my comments widget, ratings widget, social bookmarking widget etc) in my blog to give an example of what they might look like.
You can even check out my chat widget (under "discussion and chat" link).
These are some other useful links that you might want to try out:
Blogrush, to add more traffic and readers to your blog
Blue-Blooded Blogger badge, get a badge for your blog that shows your passion for blogging
Brilliant Button Maker, add a button to your blog
Bunchball, add Flash games to your blog
Cafepress, add a store with your logo or designs to your blog
ClockLink.com, add a clock to your blog
Del.icio.us, add a link roll to your blog
Emoticons4u.com, put emoticons and smileys on your blog
Feedjit, web traffic and visitor map widgets
Flickr.com, add photos to your blog
Frappr, add a Frappr map to your blog
Glassy Buttons, add a button to your blog
Google Gadgets, thousands of different add-ons for your blog or website
Gravatar.com, get a Gravatar to identify yourself when you post comments on a blog that accepts gravatars.
Haloscan.com, add comments and trackbacks to your blog
Hello, post images to your blog. Works with Blogger
ImageShack, host images for your blog
iMood.com, put your mood on your blog
Kineda Blogger Ranking Widget, determine whether your blog is an A-list, B-list, C-list or D-list blog
Meez, add a 3D avatar to your blog
Mobber, a chat tool for blogs
Moodsticker, a Moodsticker tracks the current mood of LiveJournal users
MusicVideoCodes.com, put music videos on your blog
MyBlogLog, add a community to your blog
MyChingo, add voice comments to your blog
Online Button Maker, add a button to your blog
Photobucket.com, host images for your blog
Pingoat Blog Worth Calculator, calculate the value of your blog
PollHost.com, put polls on your blog
Quizilla, add quizzes to your blog
Sideblog, add a small, seperate sideblog to your blog
Site Meter, add a counter and/or get web traffic measurement for your blog
SketchPlanet, add sketches to your blog
StikIt, StikIt from Opinmind allows bloggers to insert bloggers' opinions about a subject or keyword into their blog.
Street Sign Generator, make a street sign for your blog
Tag-Board, add discussion to your blog
TagCloud, show your blog's most popular tags on your blog
Technorati Profiles, add a profile and search box to your blog
Wanabo.com, let others tag your blog
We Love Widgets, add a horoscope widget to your blog
WebSmileys.com, put animated emoticons on your blog
Wunderground.com Weather Stickers, add a weather sticker to your blog
How will you install them?
You can click on each of these links. Some of them might require you to register.
You then browse through the widget list and pick your choice.
WidgetBox will let you install the widget to your blogger automatically - this means no copy paste of code. You just have to specify which blog you want to add your widget to. Once its added, you can go to the "page elements" of the "template" section in your blog and accordingly arrange where you want your new widget to be placed. Simple!
In case you are not using widgetbox's widgets,then after you pick your widget to add, you will be given a piece of HTML code.
You copy the code to a notepad. Log into your blogger account and navigate to "page elements" section of "Template" in your blog.
Click on "Add a page element" and choose the "HTML/Javascript" element. Once the pop up window opens, you can then enter a name for the element and paste the piece of code from the notepad. Save your changes. You are done!
I had designed some buttons using MyCoolButton and thought of sharing them with everyone who reads my blog. Would love to hear what you think of them and yeah...they are free for you to download and use. So go ahead and "buttonize" your website or blog!
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