Views: Use Widgetbox to promote your blog

I came across Widgetbox when I was looking into developing a Facebook widget I had an idea for. As with most bloggers I want as many people as possible reading my posts, so I look into every avenue of marketing my website. The social network boom has made this an obvious place to look, with every person having so many friends viral marketing has never been able to spread so fast.

For my Facebook application I delved into FBML and already had knowledge of php so was able to develop my widget in about a week. However when I came across Widgetbox it looked on the surface like I could have saved time simply registering and going through their wizard.

That wasn't quite the case although the features it does support are still quite impressive.
With php and mysql you can obviously create a far superior application than what is basically possible on Widgetbox. But it does let you interface with Flash and Javascript so there is scope to make a decent application.
As it interacts with Flash there are already loads of games that have been made into Widgets.

However the quickest and easiest way of creating a widget is by first creating a Blidget. This is a Widget of your Blog.
Widgetbox guides you through the process seamlessly, even loading Facebook within a frame to enable you to set up the necessary parameters.
You can then promote your new widget through Facebook, through a blidget promo badge you post on your website or on other social networking sites such as MySpace or Bebo.

You see, even though I've banged on about facebook, Widgetbox supports the OpenSocial container as well. Although Facebook is not developed on the OpenSocial platform and is at the moment the most used platform, OpenSocial is Googles attempt at standardising social networking... and I wouldn't bet against Google winning in the long run, would you?

So all in all Widgetbox is a great tool for developing a widget to promote your blog really easily.
Infact you can install my Widget to have a look at what it's like by clicking on the "Get My Widget for your site" on the left hand side of this page.

It looks like this...


I've only touched the surface of what Widgetbox can offer, but I can see that it will help loads of people out there spread their hard work to a far reaching audience.

Views: Gourmet Burger Kitchen - Earls Court London

This week I've been to the good old capital of England to visit the tfm (Technology for Marketing & Advertising) exhibition held at Earls Court. It was a worthwhile visit at a quality venue. Not least because of the Google university seminar and a talk on Facebook from Blake Chandlee who is Commercial Director, UK, at Facebook.
So you would think as I have now recovered from the trip, settled back in at home and answered my 200 emails at work because I was out of the office for 2 days without a Blackberry; I would probably sit down to write a blog about the highlights of the exhibition... that's what you would think.

That however, is not the case.

Instead I will tell you about the absolute outstanding highlight of the 2 days. The one thing that really stuck with me and made me look forward to my next London visit.

Let me paint the picture. Day one, up around 8.00am to catch the bus in to Leicester then train to London St.Pancras... not St.Pancreus (which is a gland organ in the digestive and endocrine system of vertebrates) like one of my colleagues kept saying!. Then straight to the exhibition as we want to make sure we don't miss the Google University, which by the way was good - not excellent, as it did feel just a tad like it was a sales pitch for Ad-Words, but still good.

After the seminar I take a look at the time-piece and realise it's way past dinner time... Food is beckoning.

We head down to Earls Court road and into the first pub we see (sorry can't recall the name).
Upon inspection of the menu there is one thing that is taking everyone's fancy... a burger.
As I'm just about to go to the bar to order, we take a glance out of the window and see GBK which stands for - Gourmet Burger Kitchen. Surely if we are to have a burger, we should go to a place that specialises in it... and boy do the specialise!!! oh yes... to the max!

After a quality large milkshake which was creamy, thick and perfectly flavoured, I look up to see a ginourmous Thai chicken burger floating down onto the table in-front of me. Looking around the table at my dining companions I look for a reaction to my mammoth plate of snap.
Unbelievably though, there is no reaction. The reason being they were too busy, mouths wide open, looking with disbelief at the size of their own belly busting burgers.

Sometimes however, you do get quantity and not quality. Not the case here my friend. Here the taste was every bit as good as it looked.

A smile has also been put on my face due to some further research that has uncovered GBK is a chain with over 40 restaurants dotted around the UK! Bring it on!

So, to sum up my highlight of my recent trip to London, three letters... GBK.