An Overview of Badges and Widgets: The Fast Rise of Viral Web Parts

Increasingly, turning the high-value content and functionality of a web site into user distributable web parts that can be hosted anywhere else on the web is becoming a key adoption strategy for Web 2.0 applications.

These informal web parts, often known as badges, widgets, and gadgets are gaining popularity as the Do-In-Yourself phenomenon grows on the Web, where everyday users can copy and paste their favorite pieces of the Web into their own blogs, "spaces," and web sites to bring together the content and functionality they care about.

When built correctly, these portable visual elements can spread virally and sites like YouTube have taken their video badge nearly to an art form when it comes to having tens of millions of users helping broaden their distribution and enable network effects.

This session explores the state-of-the-art in badges and widgets, what the industry leaders are doing, the different ways they can be built including key design characteristics for mass distribution and uptake.

Attendees should have a basic understanding web protocols and standards to get the most from this session.