A "windows gadget," otherwise known as a widget, is more than just a funny word... it's the next frontier for publishers who want reach new audiences through social media! In this issue of Engage, we get widgetized with widget master Steve Touhill of Clearspring Technologies. Don't forget to check out the latest launches, and our video interview. If you get even one idea, we'd like to think Engage is worth reading (and now, watching)!

industry buzz

Teaching A Magazine New Tricks
Print is not dead... it's never been more alive! Some publications are developing new technologies that give their "old" magazines "new" life. While National Geographic was the first magazine to use holograms on the front cover, Esquire is taking it one step farther with a new cover that actually lights up on newsstands — who knows what's next!

Condé's Keys to Success
Si Newhouse, chairman of magazine empire Condé Nast, "presides over a multibillion-dollar empire built on gloss, style, consumption, fluff and substance." Check out this article to see how Newhouse's attention to detail, high-quality products, and a love of controversy and buzz has created host of successful magazine titles... with no end in sight.

New Magazine Metrics
In response to growing industry requests, Mediamark Research & Intelligence is developing a new metric system which would "include measurement of ad recall and actions taken for ads within specific [magazine] issues — and, potentially, to develop ad ratings for magazines similar to those for television."

Disclaimer: Access to some sites may require registration.

diamond in the rough

For Reach and Revenue, Widgets Work Wonders

Widgets are more than pieces of content that can be moved from one online page to another. According to publishers, widgets unlock a highly effective channel for extending your brand experience from a Web site to fast-growing social networks. Best of all, advertisers are eager to pay publishers to ride along!

Here's why: widgets document solid ROI as they turn branded content into "ready to travel" games, quizzes, news, top-10 lists, fun facts, videos and photos. Users cut and paste these widgets to share with friends or enhance their own home pages, social network profiles and blogs. This causes site traffic, page views, metrics and engagement to rise, while publishers enjoy new exposure and distribution to target audiences. Advertisers also are willing to pay for the chance to ride along on widgets that can carry their messages to audiences that traditional advertising may not reach.

In examining the win-win widget scenario, Steve Touhill of Clearspring Technologies points out how well these applications fit with custom media objectives. "With users spending less time on Web sites and more time on social networks and blogs," he observes, "publishers who widgetize content can enjoy enormous viral reach." Steve talks more about how to create, distribute, analyze and monetize widgets in this month's interview with TMG Online Video.

Watch Steve's video interview

Web 2.0 is all about customizing content and the Web experience — widgets respond to this trend, and substantial rewards await publishers who not only widgetize their content, but monetize it.

Interested in making widgets part of your custom media strategy? Our new "Get Widgetized! A Widget Best Practice Guide" is a great place to start!

Connect    Get Widgetized! A Widget Best Practice Guide.

Engage    Do you have a widget question or tip to share? We'd love to hear from you!

Grow!   

Share your tips...