RSS & Widgets: 8 Ways to Utilize RSS in Widgets

RSS feeds make it easy for web publishers and marketers to create custom widgets on Widgetbox… with no development resources! Below are eight great ways to turn feed-based activity into viral widgets sharable across the web:

1. Convert your blog or website’s RSS feed into a Blidget or Blidget Pro on Widgetbox.
Just enter your feed and customize the widget’s appearance, size and content. The widget will dynamically update as the RSS feed changes.

2. Add multiple RSS feeds with the Blidget Pro.
Why stop at one feed when you can add multiple tabs and content sources?!

3. Create custom Twitter widgets based on your activity or favorite searches:

4. Add your favorite RSS feed to your Facebook profile with a Widgetbox App (learn how!).

5. Create YouTube & Vimeo widgets that play videos in-line:

6. Turn your Flickr feed into a slideshow widget:

7. Turn your eBay listings and store items into viral marketing widgets (learn how!):

8. Turn your real-estate listings into a viral widgets and reach new potential customers:

The Blidget Pro keeps getting better!

Last week we introduced two new features for Blidget Pros:
1. Geographic & in-widget click tracking
2. Add/remove the Get Widget button

Today, we are excited to announce our most exciting new feature yet:

Custom Blidget Pro Tabs

The custom tab enables you to add content to your widget that is not feed-based – meaning, you can add custom, formatted text, links and pictures directly inside your widget! With the custom tab, you are able to:

- Add text and images
- Format that content: font size, color, alignment, etc
- Create hyperlinks to promote your content and sites
- Change the content on an ongoing basis… and have it automatically refresh across the web

Looking for ideas on how to use the new custom tab? Here are some ideas:

- Bloggers: In addition to your blog and Twitter tabs, add a custom tab that describes your blog and links to it
- Small Businesses: Add a custom tab that describes your business and prominently provides contact information (email, phone, URL, etc)
- Brands: Use the custom tab to further your brand awareness. Add a logo and links to more information.
- Realtors: Create a custom tab that describes your services and encourages viewers to schedule appointments

If you already have a Blidget Pro, simply login to edit it and press the “Add a Tab” button. There is a new “Custom Tab” option within that menu.

Learn more about the Blidget Pro and read other Tutorials

]]> http://blog.widgetbox.com/2009/03/introducing-custom-tabs-for-blidget-pros/feed/ 4 http://blog.widgetbox.com/2009/02/now-you-can-add-remove-your-get-widget-button/ http://blog.widgetbox.com/2009/02/now-you-can-add-remove-your-get-widget-button/#comments Thu, 26 Feb 2009 01:33:36 +0000 Jillian Jones http://blog.widgetbox.com/?p=1082

Over the last couple weeks, we’ve added several features to the Blidget Pro. The latest enhancement is by popular demand:

You can now add or remove the “Get Widget” button on your Blidget Pro.

This is an option in the Blidget creator / editor flow. If you have already created a Blidget Pro and want to hide the Get Widget button, simply edit your widget and toggle the option to “Include ‘Get Widget’ button when blidget is installed”. This a useful feature if your widget is designed to sit tightly alongside other components on your website. But beware – without the ‘Get Widget’ button, readers cannot grab and embed your content:

Learn more about the Blidget Pro and read other Tutorials

]]> http://blog.widgetbox.com/2009/02/now-you-can-add-remove-your-get-widget-button/feed/ 7 http://blog.widgetbox.com/2009/02/blidget-pro-contest-20-winning-widgets/ http://blog.widgetbox.com/2009/02/blidget-pro-contest-20-winning-widgets/#comments Thu, 12 Feb 2009 19:12:41 +0000 Jillian Jones http://blog.widgetbox.com/?p=966

When we launched the Blidget Pro last week, we also announced it to Widgetbox users in our email newsletter. And for those users, we ran a special contest.

The first twenty Blidget Pros that were made would be spotlighted on the Widgetbox Blog with a blurb written by the creator.

So without further ado… these were the first twenty Blidget Pros and their stories. The post is broken into three parts (Part I, Part II, Part III)

See all the winner: Part I, Part II, Part III

Live Stream: Onyx Sports

I use the widget to let people put my sites latest streams onto theres I have the rss feed hooked up to it so all posts go right to the widget, it’s like spreading my rss feed around the web only the widget looks much better , http://www.blog.ppv-streams.com it stays on all my pages.

Bariatric Girl

My Blidget is my blog and YouTube channel. I blog about the positive side of weight loss surgery because I lost exactly half my weight and have kept it off. My surgery was 8 years ago. I use my Blidget when I post on forums so that anyone reading can see at a glance what my blog is about and can easily access my youtube channel as well. My blog is www.bariatricgirl.blogspot.com and my Blidget is at the top right side.

Thanks so much! It was super easy to set up and I’m looking forward to new stuff!

Wilderness Awareness School

The blidget I created with Blidget Pro from Widgetbox was made for our online community portal…so folks could grab it and stay updated with the latest info, educational tidbits, and cool videos coming from Wilderness Awareness School. Right now it lives on our community site at www.WildernessAwarenessVillage.org (or www.wildernessawareness.ning.com). In the coming weeks, it will also live on our home page

I love the tabs option in Pro! Thank you…that’s awesome, along with the option to put a banner at the top of the blidget itself. This has made our RSS feeds so easy to create and share. Wahoo!

zMogo Tech News

We created the zMogo Tech News Blidget as a way for our authors and readers to post our recent headlines on their blogs, myspace pages, etc. Additionally, we are hoping to find advertisers that support this format, allowing us to place this Blidget as a means of advertising our recent headlines on related sites.

We’re currently featuring it on our frontpage: http://www.zmogo.com/

Flirtatious T-s

Flirtatious-T’s – It’s All About Dating blidget was created to attract and increase our blog readership, offer easy access to our video blog post on YouTube and help generate name recognition for our t-shirt line, Flirtatious-T. Our blog, It’s All About Dating pokes fun at the trials of dating, making dating fun again. Our t-shirts are inspired by the true essence of flirting, conversation starters.

Our blidget is located on our blog website: http://site.flirtatious-t.com/blog. Our on-line store is at: www.flirtatious-t.com.

The latest installment of Widgetbox’s Screencast series:
“How to make YouTube Widgets with Video”

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:

Learn more about the Blidget Pro and read other Tutorials

]]> http://blog.widgetbox.com/2009/02/youtube-widgets-how-to-make-your-own/feed/ 3 http://blog.widgetbox.com/2009/02/vimeo-widgets-how-to-make-your-own/ http://blog.widgetbox.com/2009/02/vimeo-widgets-how-to-make-your-own/#comments Thu, 05 Feb 2009 18:38:01 +0000 Jillian Jones http://blog.widgetbox.com/?p=986

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:

Learn more about the Blidget Pro and read other Tutorials

]]> http://blog.widgetbox.com/2009/02/vimeo-widgets-how-to-make-your-own/feed/ 2 http://blog.widgetbox.com/2009/02/hulu-widgets-how-to-make-your-own/ http://blog.widgetbox.com/2009/02/hulu-widgets-how-to-make-your-own/#comments Thu, 05 Feb 2009 18:37:59 +0000 Jillian Jones http://blog.widgetbox.com/?p=984

The latest installment of Widgetbox’s Screencast series:
“How to create your own Hulu Videos Widget”

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:

Learn more about the Blidget Pro and read other Tutorials

]]> http://blog.widgetbox.com/2009/02/hulu-widgets-how-to-make-your-own/feed/ 1 http://blog.widgetbox.com/2009/02/2009-super-bowl-ads-widgets/ http://blog.widgetbox.com/2009/02/2009-super-bowl-ads-widgets/#comments Tue, 03 Feb 2009 23:47:05 +0000 Jillian Jones http://blog.widgetbox.com/?p=974

There are two times during the year where the world actually looks forward to the commercial breaks: The Super Bowl and The Academy Awards. Thanks to Hulu, the 2009 Super Bowl’s ads are all online and available for watching… and thanks to Widgetbox’s new Blidget Pro, you can now embed all of those ads directly on your blog or website using this widget:

Learn more about the Blidget Pro and read other Tutorials

]]> http://blog.widgetbox.com/2009/02/2009-super-bowl-ads-widgets/feed/ 4 http://blog.widgetbox.com/2009/01/video-tutorial-how-to-make-a-blidget-pro/ http://blog.widgetbox.com/2009/01/video-tutorial-how-to-make-a-blidget-pro/#comments Thu, 29 Jan 2009 21:48:42 +0000 Jillian Jones http://blog.widgetbox.com/?p=952

The latest installment of Widgetbox’s Screencast series:“A Video Tutorial to Making a Blidget Pro”… And if you want to stay current on our latest screencasts and video-tutorials – grab the widget below!

Learn more about the Blidget Pro and read other Tutorials

]]> http://blog.widgetbox.com/2009/01/video-tutorial-how-to-make-a-blidget-pro/feed/ 6 http://blog.widgetbox.com/2009/01/screencast-how-to-add-tabs-to-your-widget/ http://blog.widgetbox.com/2009/01/screencast-how-to-add-tabs-to-your-widget/#comments Thu, 29 Jan 2009 21:26:13 +0000 Jillian Jones http://blog.widgetbox.com/?p=934

The latest installment of Widgetbox’s Screencast series:
“How to add tabs to your widget!”

You can also access our text and picture tutorial on adding tabs.

… And if you want to stay current on our latest screencasts and video-tutorials – grab the widget:

Learn more about the Blidget Pro and read other Tutorials

]]> http://blog.widgetbox.com/2009/01/screencast-how-to-add-tabs-to-your-widget/feed/ 2