The latest installment of Widgetbox's Screencast series:
"How to make Vimeo Widgets with Videos"
You can also access video tutorials on how to make other widgets with in-line video capabilities: YouTube, Vimeo and Hulu!
... And if you want to stay current on our latest screencasts and video-tutorials - grab the widget:
Have a presence on several websites?
Have multiple RSS feeds that you'd like to merge into a single widget?
Want to include your favorite blogs in one great widget?
The Blidget Pro makes this easy by allowing the addition of tabs within a single widget.... yet another reason to Go Pro! Here's how:
Provide a Label and Select Add Tabs
In the second part ("Customize Blidget Content") of the Blidget Pro creator, you will notice two relevant elements:
1. Label
Entering text here automatically adds a label for your widget's content - placing it directly above the widget's body. This label appears in a horizontal bar which will also house other tabs. When adding a label, be descriptive but short. In this case, I have used the label "New Posts".
2. Tabs Creator
Click the "Tabs" link to open the creator. Then click "Add New Tab"!
Choose the Tab's Format
Four great options:
1. RSS Feed
2. YouTube Feed (with video play!)
3. Vimeo Feed (with video play too!)
4. Hulu Feed (also with video play!)
For this example, let's use the RSS Feed as an example:
Customize the Tab & Add an RSS Feed
Three easy steps to get started:
1. Content / Source: input your feed's URL here
2. Tab Label: input the name of the tab and remember to keep it descriptive but short!
3. Layout: choose how the tab's content will appear - List, Slideshow or Bricks view
Tips & Tricks with Tabs
Tabs are a terrific way to add increased content, value and promotion to your widget. There are countless usages of tabs, but here is a great example of how bloggers and blog networks can use the tabs effectively. Gawker Media operates several popular blogs from Gawker to Gizmodo to Kotaku. By using tabs, we can create a single Gawker widget that highlights content from across Gawker's network of blogs. This is a powerful widget that can be displayed across Gawker's network to promote content from each of their blogs. And it's a terrific way for readers and fans to consume headlines from all the Gawker properties:
The new Blidget Pro now allows you to add videos from YouTube, Hulu and Vimeo directly inside your widget. Your widgets can now display the latest videos and, when clicked, load the video directly on your website... bringing a new level of interactivity to widgets:
Adding video to your new Blidget Pro is simple and you can get started by either inputting the video feed directly into the Blidget creator OR by adding a new tab. The below walk-through is using the Tab Creator:
Add YouTube Videos
- Select your YouTube feed by inputting your favorite YouTube user-ID or search term
- Give a label (such as 'My Videos')
- Then select the Layout format (it looks particularly good in Brick view!)
Add Vimeo Videos
- Input your Vimeo User-ID and then choose whether to display your videos or favorite videos
- Give a label (such as 'My Vimeo Videos')
- Then select the Layout format (it looks particularly good in Brick view!)
Add Hulu Videos
- If you have a Hulu username, you can have the widget display your video history, activity feed or recommendations
- Or, you can add a search term (ie "Simpsons") and the widget will display the corresponding videos
- Give a label (such as 'Simpsons Episodes')
- Then select the Layout format (it looks particularly good in Brick view!)
Here are a few examples of Hulu widgets constructed using the Blidget Pro: