From an article today:
Widgets -- you know, the kind of applications good for cluttering up a Facebook page -- can get expensive. The six most-dreaded words in corporate America in 2008 have been "After we release our Facebook app... ." Yes, once these beautiful butterflies are released into the world, pots of gold and unicorns for all! Building a widget can cost a company between a few thousand dollars (for something simple like a countdown clock) to $100,000 or more (for, say, an elaborate game).
You can make simple widgets / apps for free with services like iWidgets and SproutBuilder. You can convert existing RSS feeds into widgets and apps with services like Widgetbox. And you can convert existing widgets into apps with services like Clearspring.
And for $100K you can hire a team of developers off shore for a year.
As we approach economic downturn, Fast Company may want to review some of their spending habits.
