The Pisstakers widget codes

Ed the Editor — 2008-12-12T23:58:23+00:00

Select a widget and copy the HTML code into your sidebar.

Funny quotes widget
Humor blogs widget
Cool blogs widget
MyBlogLog roll widget

Widgets, the lazy way to network your blog

Ed the Editor — 2008-12-02T07:23:34+00:00

What is it with widgets, they are every-bloody-where! There's a Widget box, widget dashboard, widget kits from specialist widget-makers; Clever widgets tell us we are stupid, whilst stupid widgets for MySpace, your space, and outer space clog up desktops the world over...

Yes folks, widgets are officially "in", because they fit neatly into the spirit of the caring sharing information-hungry internet. Now is the time for everyone producing content, to step up and make the internet even more user-friendly than ever before - with widgets. (In case you missed the news, the internet is that morphing network of information-laden tubes encircling (engulfing?) the globe.)

So, get on the widget band wagon now. The following site owners have.

Examples of widgets

Twilight is an action-packed, modern day love story between a vampire and a human. Twilight has a widget that keeps you updated on all the highly original, never-been-covered-before storylines. Bless!

The Daylight Widget Toolkit (tm)... allows scientists to display chemical information in a X-windows environment. Since this widget came along, the scientists have enjoyed a very high profile - and millions of MySpace users are now talking X-windows chemistry smack like never before.

There are widgets that pander to the fans of Honolulu's nightlife, and, keeping a Pacific island theme going here, Hulu is a widget for video fans, presumablyly those indigenous Hawaiians who can't afford to go out partying night after night?

Now you have seen examples of what is out there, it is time to explain life on the widget wagon. And yes, you do have to embrace widgetdom. If you think widgets are a passing fad, read this article about Too Many Widgets! Or if you have ADD, read this made-up internet best practice guideline. It is, and I quote,

...obligatory for all content producers to offer lots of gaudy widgets so that bloggers, webmasters and consumers can easily link to or find each other's content. Widgets are not going away, and they are breeding to the point they now support their own economic eco system.

The life-cycle of a widget

1 Make a widget. For tech-challenged readers, a widget is a sort of compact, prettily packaged mini website. If you know HTML, or Flash or Javascript, you can widgetize! Yahoo can tell you all the basics of how to make a widget.

2 Distribute the widget code around the internet Try to go viral, man and get listed by submitting the widget to the special directories like Widget Box, Yahoo, Google widgets, Apple Dashboard... It isn't super easy, seeing as the widget war has been underway for quite a while, and the concept of widgets has gone viral. An example of content floating in a widget directory

3 Watch the widget go viral All being well, a widget and its content captures the public's imagination, and millions of people download the code and stick the widget on their MySpace page, blog or wherever. Here are some most popular widgets downloaded from Konfabulator.

Surprisingly, in 2006, millions of people wanted widgets to confirm the time on their wrist watch and confirm the weather outside their window. Progress is such that now in the last 7 days it appears that 14,364 people downloaded this analog clock widget, proof that everyone still hankers for low tech solutions!

4 Widget millionairedom Content producers with successful widgets become filthy rich and retire early. Some of these clever geeks spend their hard-earned dollars using and abusing the info on Honolulu Nightlife widgets etc. Others take the opportunity to re-decorate their basement.

While the majority of widget designers fight for the scraps somewhere over the digital rainbow, the successful widget warriors continue their dollar-fed debauchery. As ever, though, the widget author eventually either dies from an excess dose of party-life, or their millions of dollar ends up more worthless than Israel Kamakawiwo'ol's diet plan.

5 End of a widget Just like Israel Kamakwiwo'ol, all good things must come to an end. With a few notable exceptions, most widgets get uninstalled globally when the next big widget comes along. The old widget passes into folklore, the author's revenue source dries up and the battle recommences to devise the next big widget or the technically best viral widget. Such is life!

What makes a good widget

Easy to install You should code the widget in such a way that it is easy for people to copy and install the code. At one extreme, Aquafina have a 25 button uploader that sends code almost instantly to social sites around the internet. At the other extreme, The Pisstakers rely on universal html code that you can copy and paste anywhere on the internet!

Reflect your corporate image Designing a widget to promote your site / company's content or product? Make sure the theme reflects your site image.

Correct choice of content Another widget design issue is: What content should be included on the widget? Is it your content, or other's?

The simplest idea is to spread your own content out there, with a widget linking straight to the RSS feed for your homepage, for instance.

A bit more creative, the widget could send snippets that promote content only available by subscription

Pisstakers has turned the "self-promotion" concept slightly on its head, by installing content from other blogs and websites on their widget. That's right! Instead of promoting our own content, saying how great we are compared to the "funny, humorous and informative competition", The Pisstakers is selflessly offering free widgets that promote other funny blogs, bloggers or websites!

User-friendly format Whatever content you are disseminating, you have to consider the format. You can offer simple headline links to full articles, or display full articles, or videos, photo galleries, noise, razamataz, whatever you think. With the choice of format, there is no definitive right answer, although, it is wise to remember KISS, Keep it Simple Simon! Make it fast loading and readable in the smaller format. Almost think Mobile.

How we made our Widgets

We have done the hard work coding, hosting, updating and promoting a "tech" widget, "funny quotes" widget, and "cool blogs" widget. If you don't like involved technical explanations, it is easier to click on a widget in the sidebar to understand how they work.

For the readers:

Coding the content
The fit and forget widgets comprise a series of one-liners (either funny quotes or summaries of blogs) manually installed into a javascript hosted on our server

The content is dynamic ie you get one new one-liner with every page refresh, and there are at least 5 - 50 on each widget, (Plenty to keep visitors entertained for at least 3 visits!)

Each one-liner includes a link to the blog or website of the person who contributed it.

The header banner links to the Pisstakers, the footer links to the widget designer, golden boy Giuseppe. at Bonsai Studio

Styling
The widgets expand according to the width of your side bar. The text and background adopt the colour of your blog's style sheet. The banner and footer stay the same.

Maintenance
Once installed, users need do nothing to maintain a widget, because we update the content at source.

Cost
It is free.

Pisstakers widgets

There is something for everyone who shares The Pisstakers' take on life, (or if you disagree, suggest a new genre and I will try to create a widget for it.)

Funny quotes widget .........Cool blogs widget ........Humor blogs widget .

So, instead of trying to devise a widget, all you have to do is contact me with a funny quote, or tell me about a cool tech blog or send me a link to your humor blog. I will add the info to a Pisstakers widget already in circulation. The widget will include a link back to your site or company. Voila, you just went viral.

Install the Pisstakers widget on your own site and go a bit more viral!

To be included on a widget, either send Ed a funny quote, or a link to a contest, or a link to a humorous post you wrote recently.

Promote the Pisstakers widget

You are encouraged to contribute a link for inclusion in one of the widgets. If you are feeling brave, you are also welcome to install the widget in your own sidebar.

If you enter into the spirit, please write a short post at some stage, mentioning the widget. That would also help these widgets (and your site, as well as everyone else's site) go viral!

Funny quotes widget
Humor blogs widget
Cool blogs widget
MyBlogLog roll widget

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If you enjoyed this post, or it made you mad, feel free to add your witty 2 cents. No pressure, but over 10k human and robotic visitors/month are dying to read your point of view. My humor widgets include past commenters. cheers, Ed.................

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