Software widgets are the new band shirts

Written on 3rd July 2008                                                                                                              4 COMMENTS
Ernst-Jan Pfauth, editor in chief

Our – really beloved sponsor – Wakoopa (the Last.fm of software) has launched some new widgets today. From now on, it’s possible to express yourself by showing off your software usage. To let people know you’re the Firefox-kinda-guy or a Flock-chick, you basically have three new – or improved – options.

• Badge – show your blog or social profile visitors your most popular, recently added or recently used software.
• Forum-like signature – show your fellow forum members what you’re doing beside commenting on endless discussion
• Card – small card, modeled after the famous Xfire ones, that shows your avatar and some software data, like the two most used programs (always your browser + something else)

These three types of widgets fascinate me. Apparently there are people out there who use their software data as a way to express themselves. Most boys and girls let their blog and profile visitors know who they are by showing the music they like (Last.fm) or the books they read (Amazon), yet now software enters the stage of self-expression. In a way, it makes sense. 30,000 geeky early adopters – like me – we’re already watching each others software usage within the safe surroundings of Wakoopa, so why not take it outside as well?

Moreover, just like you see fellas walking around with a shirt of their favorite band, some guys now also wear Firefox jackets or Linux hats. One thing I don’t see happening though, is a poster of your favorite app above your bed.

There’s a fourth widget too, with which developers can show much Wakoopa members use your program. Want to create your own Wakoopa widget? Here’s the API.