Widget Development

Widget and Social Network Application Development

Advanced Media Productions provides full-service Web widget, desktop widget and social network application development services, including strategy, development, deployment, distribution and promotion and ongoing management.

Web widgets and social network applications offer the most powerful way to create engaging connections with target audiences on the Web and within social networking web sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Bebo and LinkedIn.

Web Widgets

Web widgets are mini-applications or tools in standard web code that lead to other content or drive traffic back to a web site. They are primary built in HTML, JavaScript and Flash and are developed to be embedded in social networks, blogs and other web pages. Most Web widgets are available for free and focus on gaining brand visibility through embedded links, logos or advertising that promote a brand. Web widgets are also increasingly used to generate revenue.

Web widgets are typically distributed virally when there is a compelling reason for Web users to copy and past the code on their own web site or blog. Another way to get a Web widget noticed and distributed around the web is to register the widget with a widget distribution company such as Musestorm, Widgetbox, Snipperoo and Clearspring.
Desktop Widgets

Desktop widgets are small, interactive applications or tools, such as a video game, a calculator, a live sports updater, stock market quotes or a currency conversion calculator that run in tiny windows on the computer desktop to deliver extended desktop functionality or to extend an existing application.

Most desktop widgets are built for a desktop platform and require that users first install the widget before it can be used. Desktop widget platforms include Yahoo! Widgets, MacOS X Widgets and Microsoft Vista Gadgets. Desktop widgets that are developed in HTML/Javascript, Flash and Flex can be installed on Windows and Mac OS X systems through Abobe AIR.
Social Network Applications

Social network applications are integrated into the target social network web site and offer direct, deeply aligned and integrated brand experiences that get naturally shared with thousands of friends through the viral internal network communication channels of the social network web site. Social network applications developed for the Facebook platform can be transferred to other social networks supporting OpenSocial with some additional development.

Developing a social network application strategy with clear goals and objectives is just as important as social network application development. A well-defined social network application strategy helps online marketers and businesses understand how Web widgets, gadgets, blogs, wikis, and social networks worked together as part of a comprehensive social media strategy.

Distribution and Promotion

Promoting and marketing a Web widgets or social network application virally is becoming an important part of an online marketing strategy. It is a powerful means of bringing a brand closer to the target market by exposing the content to a network of users and convert those users into loyal customers. Due to the nature of viral online distribution and online networking marketers and businesses will not only be able to reach the individual users but also their entire referral chain of friends.

Social networks in particular not only provide integrated application promotion opportunities for applications inside the social network sites but are also highly efficient in demographic targeting by age, sex, location, interests, keywords, political persuasion, religious views and more.

Web Widget and Social Networking Application Management

After the launch of a Web widget or social network application ongoing maintenance, management and support will be required to enhance the functionality, but also for the internal communication channels at the social network and the external social media network that support the viral marketing program.

Widget and Social Network Application Development Services

Advanced Media Productions builds, promotes and manages Web widgets, desktop widgets on the Web and social network applications on Facebook, MySpace and other leading social networking sites. Our services help businesses and online marketers monetizing their Web widgets and social network applications on the Web and create a presence within the social network sites.

Strategy

Web widget and social network application strategy is just as important as development. An effective widget and social network application strategy helps our clients understand how Web widgets and social network applications can work together as part of a comprehensive overall social media strategy. Our knowledge of social media and social networks allows us to recommend an effective viral social media strategy.
Development

We analyze your requirements, create ideas, design and develop web widgets and scalable social network applications that work and are easy to maintain and promote. All application and widget development projects are executed to a precise schedule of milestones and deliverables.
Distribution and Promotion

Advanced Media Productions can help online marketers and businesses with the distribution of web widgets and social network applications through the social Web. By using our development skills and social media marketing expertise are able gain more installations and make our clients’ brands standout among the Web widgets and social network applications that already live on Facebook, MySpace and the other social network web sites.
Widget and Network Applications Maintenance and Management

As part of our Web widget and social network application development service we can manage and maintain the custom web widgets, social network applications and the distribution channels we have developed for our clients. Our services includes:
- Monitoring and analysis of user engagement
- Usage reporting
- Application functional enhancements
- Viral channel maintenance

Widget and Application Development Services

Our Web widget and application development services include the development of Web widgets, desktop widgets and primarily Facebook social network applications. Web widget and social network application development projects include:

Strategy development
Functional requirements specification
Design
Prototyping and development
Deployment to a scalable hosting environment
Distribution and promotion
Monitoring and usage reporting
Ongoing maintenance and support

Web Widgets Benefits

The marketing benefits of Web widgets are primarily in their brand awareness building and web traffic generation capabilities. They can take the form of:

Brand visibility - When Web widgets are running on thousands of web pages and blogs and include the widget publishers’ company name, brand name or logo they build free brand awareness.

Monetization - Web widgets enable businesses and online marketers to generate revenue from the services or functionality provide through the Web widget.

Direct web site traffic - Web widgets are generating direct traffic to the widget publishers’ web site from embedded links that are pointing back to the web site.

Search engine optimization - Web widgets provide a search engine optimization benefit when they are added to thousands of Web sites. Through the back links they generate from an embedded link on the Web widget, the widget publishers’ web site gets a boost in search engine search results.

Social Network Applications Benefits

Brand visibility - Social network applications offer deeply aligned and integrated brand experiences that get naturally shared with thousands of friends through the social network’s “viral” communications channels.

Monetization - Social network application enable businesses and online marketers to generate revenue from the services or functionality provide within the social network sites.

Extended functionality - Social network applications can provide application functionality or utility that currently doesn’t exist on a social network or is significantly better than what currently exists.