Newsweek Declares 2007 the Year of the Widget

With 2006 hardly in our rear view mirror and Time declaring the Web 2.0-empowered public as its person of the year, Newsweek is out front with a prediction for next year. They say 2007 is the year of the widget.

I'd go a step further in saying that in 2007 we're going to hear an awful lot about the atomization of content that you put wherever you want. If you think YouTube was disruptive, this is going to have an even greater impact on marketing communications. It will slowly cause big audiences, page views and hits to erode. It's another manifestation of the Long Tail.

Comments

[Dr. Rod King]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, "The Next Big Thing is Really Small. Widgets are Truly the Next Big Thing on the Internet." The basic power of widgets lies in the fact that a user can simultaneously access, view, monitor, and 'manipulate' multiple web pages and topics at one location rather than single web pages and topics at several locations. Widgets are not just about fun and personalization of the Internet. Properly managed, widgets can significantly increase peope's productivity on the Internet. As 2007 approaches, I wish "Widgets" a bright and prosperous New Year.

Best regards,
Rod.

[DavidEzra]

I'm convinced that the new "Desktop / Operating System" (think "internet" instead of "local computer") is going to incrementally reveal itself via a "platform" that is "widget based."

(A few companies have tried to develop an "internet operating system" such as YouOS and Goowy, however, it would seem that they have yet to gain "significant traction" since they have attempted to *imitate* the appearance of a "traditional operating system" - such as "Windows" - as opposed to the FUNCTIONALITY of an opperating system - specifically the functionality that the majority of individuals actually care about with respect to the internet. Said differently, "widgets" offer this "Functionality," and now all we need is a platform upon which to aggregate the myriad of widgets (Functionality) all onto a single page.)