What a weird term. As an economist, it always wigs me out. The co-opting of an intentionally generic term for a technical thing, except it’s such a vague and wide-ranging technical thing that it’s almost as vague as it ever was. Mac OS widgets. Open Social Widgets. Widgets as Facebook Apps. Widgets here, there, everywhere.

Technically, of course, we’re cool with all of them. Bring it. When people ask us about widgets, we ask what data is going where, and why? The primary value, we feel, of a widget, is getting a piece of information that is stored in one place to be shown in another place. Of course this can be extended to tools, as well, but viewed through the prism of marketing, information is where it’s at. Maybe it’s a testimonial. Maybe it’s a sale. Maybe it’s a top ten list. Maybe it’s the latest snipped of content from your community, shown in another community.

The web is now interconnected. Your content isn’t going to live in a walled garden. If you were the Wall Street Journal, maybe, but you’re a brand. You WANT your content, your information, your brand message, to be everywhere. That’s the whole point, right? Sometimes a widget is just what you need to get that content placed in a difficult environment.

And sometimes, they’re a total waste of time.