3 Ways Widgets Can Help Local Newspapers.

Assuming you’ve read my post “what is a widget?”, and you now know what a “widget” is, lets take look at how local newspapers can use widgets.

Some of the major newspapers have jumped headstrong into widget development already. The New York Times has created a widget for their crossword puzzle, The Washington Post has a widget for viewing photos and keeping track of 2008 campaign issues, and a stock market tracking widget is available from the Wall Street Journal. We’ve seen less from the more local publications who have much more to gain. It’s true that the business model is not yet clear for widgets and none of major news sites have made any money from their widgets, but here’s some clear opportunities widgets present to local newspapers.

1.Branding:

Besides allowing newspapers to draw in new readers, widgets can be used to create mini local news kiosks on other community web sites. Chamber sites could incorporate widgets with local business news, High School sites can get feeds from Prep-sports. it’s just a matter of time before some local newspaper comes up with the perfect tool or game that “catches on” in the community through widgets which can be easily copied and shared on-line. Regardless of whether or not they read the newspaper or visit the newspaper site, the newspaper’s brand is boosted by being exposed on the widget skin.

2. Advertising:

Widgets can be sponsored by local advertisers. It’s like placing your logo or advertising message on a video game console, your message is in front of the user while they’re using the widget. A pet store might sponsor a “pet finder” widget or a local dealership might sponsor a “sports scoreboard” widget. Newspapers can even be involved in helping advertisers create their own widgets to share important information that they have to share. We’ve already begun to see classifieds widgets with local auto and real estate listings.

3. Promotions & Events:

Newspapers can team up with local advertisers to offer promotions revolving around game widgets. Advertisers can deliver special coupons or deals to these local kiosks on other sites. Widgets can be designed around local community events. The “Tournament Of Roses” widget or the “Western Days” widget might be used for delivering content on local events.

The opportunities to benefit from widgets are only beginning for local newspapers. While steady declines in circulation and print advertising have continued to plague newspapers, widgets are a way to reach out to new, younger users online, who might not otherwise come to a local newspaper’s web site.

“The Word Is Alive”

What is a “widget”?

When I was 9 years old I got my first handheld video game for christmas. It was a football game with little LED lights for each player and although I could turn off the sound, it made the most annoying beeps as I ran a player across the screen or scored a touchdown. “What is that “gadget” you got there?” my grandfather would ask. When I got to high school my Economics professor used “ACME Widget Company” in examples of income and revenue models he was teaching. A “widget” or “gadget” in these cases was a mechanical or electronic device that served some purpose. The video game served as a form of entertainment and the ACME “Widget” was a placeholder name used to represent a product that the company created and sold to earn income. In actuality it could have been ACME Video Game Corp., thus a “widget” is actually a “gadget” that one party manufactures and another uses for some purpose. Not much has changed today.

WWW widgets are nothing more than useful gadgets that can be placed on web sites or on your computers desktop to do something, only in this case the gadgets are not mechanical or electronic, they are tiny software programs. There’s a widget on this page that shows the most recent blog posts. Rather than having to type in the title of the post I just place the widget there and it’s does the work for me automatically. There are hundreds of categories of widgets available to be used on any web site or computer. Most widgets are available free, although some entrepreneurs have started charging for them or charging for more advanced versions of certain widgets.

How Do You Get A Widget?

There are hundreds of sites offering widgets that you can download and use. Here are some of the most popular:

• widgets.yahoo.com
• http://www.dashboardwidgets.com/
• http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/ (For Apple Users)

Once you choose the widget you want to start using, you can install it in one of two ways depending upon where you are going to use it. If you will be using it on your computer’s desktop you will simply need to download and install it as you would any other program. If you will be using it on your website, you will need to place it within the code that is used to create your website. Placing the widget on your website may require some technical knowledge, as you’ll be making changes to the appearance of your website to accommodate the new widget. Many widgets come with detailed installation instructions to help you in this process.

“The Word Is Alive”