Widgets-Blog.com

Hello all!

it has been some time since my last post as I have been creating and managing my own empire in the world of Russ.

Actually, I have been busy managing other blogs as after the success of this one, I was approached to write and edit for several other blogs which I have sealed my lips to mention. Suffice it to say I help develop and make successful some of the top blogs on the Internet, only to stuff the wallets of my superiors. OOOO how I hate the word "superiors"!

Don’t get me wrong, I loved….no…liked my bosses a bunch and appreciate the opportunity they gave me, but it’s just not the same as running your own blog(s) and having the freedom to say exactly what I want to say, when I want to say it. Therefore, after a long hiatus, I am back to give you more of what you want in the widget world.

It appears Microsoft still hasn’t learned that a widget is a widget and not a gadget. I guess some habits are hard to break, but I will not buck the system and the choice of the people and continue to call these little suckers widgets, though I may not capitalize the word as if it were a person any longer. That’s right! I have accepted the fact that my friend the Widget, (oops, I capitalized him/her again) is not a person but only much more reliable and fun to hang around.

Enough of the hoopla!

That’s all for now, as I only wanted you to know I am back with plans to post as often as necessary to keep you informed of how widgets can change your life. OK….maybe a stretch, but widgets certainly make your online web design life easier and I look forward to getting this puppy rolling again.

In the mean time, feel free to peruse the site and widget your little heart out.

Don’t forget to sign up for the latest RSS feeds so you’ll know whenever I add new content.

Off I go to find a dating widget so I don’t have to spend the holidays alone.

Popularity: 100% [?]

I have never been a huge Astrology follower, but after a few requests for an Astrology Widget, I have decided to troll the Internet and find something my viewers may find interesting.

The interesting thing is there are many Astrology Widgets available, but very few are creative. Maybe an opportunity for developers?

My first stop is almost always widgetbox.com. You can reply on those guys to always have something related onhand. Not always the best, but almost always something you can use. Here is a list if Widget Boxes Astrology widgets.

I did find a few which are quite easy to implement, but one in particular which is a bit scarey if you’re planning for the long term placement on your page. I say a bit scarey, because the fine print on this site says "Terms: Only one Moon Phase Plugin per webpage. Widget reserves the right to withdraw this free service at any time without notification."

They also only allow one Widget per page.

That sucks! I’ve never liked rules, and this one really stinks, but it is a pretty cool idea.

Oh well, it’s free for now and they will not allow me to display but one astrology Widget per page and I have chosen the moon phase Widget.

I guess I liked the variety of what they offer more than anything:

Planetary Hour	Calculates the planetary hour for 4000 locations worldwide. Displays in text or image format.
Moon Position	Calculates the position of the moon and displays it in either text or image format.
Moon Phase	Calculates the phase of the moon and displays the moon’s image with the named phase underneath.
Instant Biorhythms	Calculates and returns an image of the users biorhythms cycle upon DOB submission. Requires the user to have the Flash 6 browser plugin.

To see all of their "offer may expire soon" Widgets, you may view at widgetsworld.co.uk

Other sites with astrology Widgets for websites and desktop:

• Apple "Ashtrology"

• Astrology.com Widgets

• NetVibes Astrology Widgets

• Yahoo Horoscope Widget
• Yahoo Desktop Horoscope Widget

• Softpedia Astrology Widget

Popularity: unranked [?]

I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to get back to this, as I’ve meant to add this post for some time to those whom requested an easy way to create Widgets for a web page.

Now, don’t get confused, it’s Google who is lost here…they call Widgets, "gadgets".

It’s obvious to any intelligent life that if a gadget was a Widget, it would be capitalized. Obviously it is not, so I’m not even sure gadget can technically be called a word.

It’s ok… we can’t all be smart and know every proper term. I mean… just think about how many words there are in the English language. Google is so busy thwarting off spammers, they have not had a chance to catch up with what the public now calls Widgets. They’ll catch on soon, I’m sure!

That said, if you are loloking for an easy way to create a WIDGET, here’s an awesome resource from the folks that barely know it’s name.

Create a web page Widget.

Pretty cool source and very easy to use. My grandmother could probably use this one.

If you are just looking to insert Widgets into your existing website, follow this link:

If you want to create Widgets, go here.

Popularity: unranked [?]

I have received an email asking which sites I use for creating Widgets. I am
sure there are others, but a man only has so many hours in the day Know
whatta mean?

There is also a distinction between web page Widgets and Desktop widgets. This post is focusing on web page Widgets and the links used most often for Widget creation.

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Here are a few I have used and hope you’ll comment with others.

Creating Widgets

Create Yahoo Widgets

Create Spring Widgets

Create A Digg Widget

Create Opera Widgets

Create Snipperoo Widget

Create Widgetbox Widget

Creating Mobile Widgets?
Try Widsets.com If interested, you will find a YouTube video demo from Widsets explaining how it all works.

After you have created your Widget and are ready to share with the world, you can submit your Widget to the sites listed above, as well as popular Widget sites like Widgipedia. I love this site and it is a popular source for getting the word out.

Submit Widget to Widgipedia.com

Here’s another submission location from sixapart.com (TypePad)

Submit TypePad Widget

If you are intimidated by new technology and simply want to see how easy it is to create a Widget, this site offers a simple solution. WARNING: Once you see how easy it really is, you may become addicted.

If you must know about Dashboard Widgets right now, here are some
Dashboard Developer Resources:

iSlayer.net
Lensco Widgets
Liepins.org
Lost Boy Studios
Mesa Dynamics
Monkey Business Labs
Vanilla Soap Widgets
Tossen•Widgets
Jon Brown Design
The Dashboard

Different browsers require different platforms in order to make your Widget
work. Keep in mind, Internet Explorer is still largely the widest used browser.
However, and personally, I prefer Firefox which operates similarly to IE, and most Widgets will work perfectly in both browsers. Opera, a relatively new browser may have
some restrictions. Opera user feedback is welcome.

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Browser Downloads

Download Firefox Browser

Download Internet Explorer

Download Opera Browser

Download Safari Browser

Creating Widgets is fun and easy! Widgets definitely make life easier when creating a new website or blog. Web 2.0 allows any idiot (including me) to create a professional looking site with all the bells and whistles of the big boys!

Lastly, a future post will include info related to desktop Widgets. Though this CNET video came out last year, it clearly demonstrates how easy it is to create you own personalized desktop widgets with Web Clip . More to come on how to make a blog Widget…

If you have favorite sites where you like to create Widgets, please let us
know!

Tags: game widget, webpagewidget

Popularity: unranked [?]

Have you ever wondered where bloggers get those nifty social bookmarking and RSS news reader icons? You know, the one where users can easily click to add to their favorite newsreader or social bookmarking site like Technorati, Yahoo, Google, NetVibes, Newsgator and others.

When I began searching for the RSS bookmarking widget for newsreaders, I began to think I was going to have to go to each individual site and sign up for an account. Luckily, my persistence paid off and I found this sidebar widget which provides a set of RSS chiclets for visitors of your web site to add YOUR blog to their RSS reader.

I could not believe how easy it was to implement. In fact, I didn’t even know I could do some of the things in the widget editing section in WordPress. Who knew you could could drag and drop widgets right in your admin area of your wordpress blog. Go to “Presentation/widgets” and then you will be able to see your available widgets at the bottom of the page. Drag and drop until you get your side bar the way you want it. It literally takes seconds to implement once you have your Widgets uploaded.

By the way, if you do not have a Reader yet, there are many to choose from, but since I have been using Googles services, I have become accustomed to the Google reader. If you are a Firefox user, you will especially like the Google Reader add-on.

While you’re at it, be sure to add this blog to your reader to make sure it works.

Did I mention I love Widgets?

Tags: widgets directory, widget desktop

Popularity: 4% [?]