JupiterResearch Finds Use of Widgets Has Grown Rapidly Online, Driven by Viral and Social Channels
(New York, NY, November 12, 2007) - JupiterResearch,--
JupiterResearch, a leading authority on the impact of the Internet and
emerging consumer technologies on business, has found that companies
wanting to get their widgets into the hands of consumers build must
viral and social channels into the distribution plans.
Outlined in a new report, "Widgets: Delivering Applications Users Want,"
online users are more likely to get widgets from friends than from the
companies that created them. In fact, online users between the ages of
18-24 are six times more likely to obtain widgets from friends than
from a company.
The increasing use of widgets is tied to the rising popularity of
social networking sites. Widgets are not a new idea and similar
functionality has been available on personalized portal pages for
years. But the rise of social networks has introduced an entirely new
group of consumers to the idea of dressing up their Web pages with
small, useful programs. Adoption of widgets has grown rapidly in 2007.
Some 39 percent of online users are familiar with widgets, and 26
percent have used them.
The most popular widgets are those that enable the user to play video,
music, or view photo slide shows, although widgets offering news,
weather, or other information are also utilized and most commonly
distributed through social networking sites.
"Social networking sites have greatly contributed to the viral spread of widgets," explained Barry Parr,
JupiterResearch Media Analyst and lead author of the report. "Facebook
increased the viral ante by giving widget authors programming access to
its user database and notifying users when a friend added a new
widget."
The complete findings of this report are immediately available to JupiterResearch clients online at www.jupiterresearch.com. For details on JupiterResearch's methodology, visit www.jupiterresearch.com/bin/item.pl/methodology or email press@jupiterresearch.com to request a detailed methodology statement. For additional information on this report or JupiterResearch's News & Information research service, visit www.jupiterresearch.com or contact Kieran Kelly, Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Client Service, at 
1-800-481-1212
or researchsales@jupiterresearch.com.
About JupiterResearch
JupiterResearch provides
unbiased research, analysis and advice, backed by proprietary data, to
help companies profit from the impact of the Internet and emerging
consumer technologies on their business. The company helps online
businesses make critical decisions about technology selection,
spending, staffing, and Web site effectiveness; advises consumer-facing
companies with online advertising, marketing, and customer service
strategies to understand, attract, convert and retain customers; and
guides technology vendors and service providers on market opportunity,
positioning, product definition, and pricing. JupiterResearch is
headquartered in New York City and has offices throughout the US and
Europe. For more information, visit www.jupiterresearch.com.
Contacts:
Jennifer Fiorentino or Pete Arnold
781-239-1030
press@jupiterresearch.com
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