Tear Down This Wall: Clearspring Blurs the Line Between Facebook and the Widget Ecosystem

I was starting to get a little worried about the impact that Facebook was having on widget platforms like Clearspring, Widgetbox, Gigya, Musestorm, and YourMinis.  It seemed that the combination of Facebook’s control of the platform and the Flash-unfriendly nature of the Facebook environment was marginalizing these companies.  In short, it seemed to me that the widget platforms were getting outplatformed by Facebook. 

After all, as a widget / app publisher, do I really need third party distribution tools when Facebook is already giving me distribution tools within their social graph?  Do I really need widget analytics when Facebook is already giving me adoption and engagement numbers?  And is an add to Facebook button all that useful when the output is just a neutered Flash widget that appears only in the news feed, and requires the user to hit “play?”

More discouraging to me was the apparent lack of creativity coming from the widget platforms in regards to Facebook.  While companies like Slide, RockYou, and HotOrNot gleefully churned out apps with little to no connection to their core business, in the process, successfully building out massive footprints which can in turn be used for advertising / cross promotion networks, the widget platforms stayed quiet.

Well, they’re quiet no longer – at least, Clearspring isn’t.

Over the Labor Day weekend, Clearspring announced a few changes to how they manage widgets in regards to Facebook.

Widgets built on the Clearspring platform can now be distributed to Facebook as if they were full on Facebook apps.  What does this mean?  First and foremost, this means that the apps are automatically hooked into Facebook’s viral distribution tools.  Adding the Rob & Elliot comic widget (note that I say widget here) to my Facebook profile gives me all of the distribution options that I would get if I were adding a Facebook app from the Facebook App directory:

 

So Clearspring’s platform is smart enough now to manage both widgets and apps as one.

But that’s not all… this is two way traffic.  Once I’ve added a Clearspring powered widget / app to my Facebook profile, it can then be grabbed by others and exported not just to their Facebook profile, but also to any destination that you would expect a Flash widget to go.  Places like Blogger, TypePad, Friendster, MySpace, etc.

So widgets treated like apps, and apps treated like widgets.

And it’s not just the distribution that has been upgraded.  This Clearspring release also allows widgets to be dragged around the user’s profile as well – again, just like a real app.  While you still have to click on the widget to enable to activate the Flash, this release is a huge step up from everything else that I have seen from the widget platforms.

So what are the real implications of this release?  As I say in the title, the distinction between Facebook Apps and widgets is being blurred.  In my four pillars post, I talk about Facebook and Flash widgets as two separate distribution strategies.  If you buy into what Clearspring is doing, those two channels have just become one.

Furthermore, like the Netvibes Facebook module, the Clearspring release is another example of the exciting things that can happen when you allow data to come out of Facebook.  For the first time, a visitor seeing a cool Clearspring powered WidgetApp on my Facebook profile can easily grab it and post it onto the social network or blogging platform of his choice.  This is really powerful.

I feel like there's one Internet again :)

You can test out the Clearspring WidgetApp here.  For their blog post announcing the release, see here.

Comments

[Cyril]

See also Pictogame's move (custom games widget) to Facebook with I Kick You ( http:/apps.facebook.com/ikickyou)

[Ming]

I had a chance to take a quick look at what Clearspring was doing and I like their approach. Even, dropped them a quick email about it. Maybe I will send you a copy.

In any case, while I have the highest regard for the guys/gals over at Clearspring. ;) There's no magic sauce here. Never-the-less it is/was a well calculated and executed move on their part.

Widgets are here to stay and in my opinion it is still smart to stay on track with the widget strategy. Widgets can live on Facebook with very little limitations if done right. That's not to say there isn't value in creating a custom Facebook App, but that app should still be part of the overall widget strategy. Whether it's labeled a widget or app, the overall business and marketing strategy behind either should be the same.

One of these days I'll actually sit down and write a post about Facebook. Unfortunately, I just have so much to say but not enough time to just do it.

[Facebook Profile]

How can I edit my facebook profile like I do on myspace