• by Lydia Loizides , Op-Ed Contributor, July 2, 2007

Widgets. Before you say huh, I'll tell you: A widget is the collective name used for small, embedded application that can be selected to provide additional features or functionality on a self-selecting basis by a user. The majority of blog servers and social networking sites are offering a vast array of widgets that users can embed into their pages and profiles that can be accessed from computers as well as cell phones. Advertisers are also signing on, understanding the power that widgets can have in promoting word-of-mouth like buzz around products and programming (for more details, check out the Wall Street Journalarticle by Emily Steel today, "Young Surfers Spurn Banner Ads, Embrace 'Widgets'").

But, move away from online and advertisers' pure promotional use -- and potential misuse -- of the widget. Let's look at this technology for use on the television for a minute, and think about this as a way to elevate the work towards true interactive television. So far, interactivity on the set has evolved slowly and at a rather frustrating pace. But if we look at the various technologies that are impacting "the box" in the living room, the opportunities become very interesting. For example, by delivering to the screen an interactive icon that is really a widget with 2-way communication capability, a programmer could automatically entice the viewer to comment, vote, post, etc.

And while I have never been a huge believer in certain software giants' attempts to infiltrate the television watching experience or displace the set-top box, I am a believer in the game console as one of the most under-leveraged, robust platforms locked into almost 10 million U.S. households. (NPD's tally of the total U.S. installed base among the three most recent generation game consoles is as follows: Xbox 360, 5.6 million; Nintendo Wii, 2.8 million; and PlayStation 3, 1.4 million). That's 10 million households, with demos that most advertisers and programmers would kill for, at their fingertips.

Now, I am not saying that widgets are the end-all, be-all to interactivity on the television or other entertainment platforms -- but they are a nimble start toward developing some interesting possibilities. All we have to do is figure out how to make the widget compelling enough to get the viewing audience to play. Hmmm. Hey, I never said I have all the answers!