Realespace

A widget or plugin is nothing more then a client interface to your companies API. API stands for Application Programming Interface. The API is a set of functions that your company website offers to remote developers. As the saying goes, build it and they will come. If you provide a good set of programmign tools that allow developers from around the world to access you data, your widgets (or the widgets that developers make for you) will grow far beyond your expectations. If you are thinking about adding benefits and features with a widget,

• Brainstorm and decide if your data is beneficial to start. If it is, go ahead and move to the next step.
• Do you think your data can be used outside of your initial plans? if YES, then you definitely need an API, give the world access to your data. An API not only allows you distribute your data, but it also lets you maintain control. Your company builds the API so you control what data is released.
• Remember, even if nobody makes widgets from your API, you will still have a great framework to build widgets in house.

A good example is the Zillow API. Zillow has tons of data ranging from values of home prices to demographics. When Zillow released their API, they did not have any widgets. I think they still have not made a widget in house, but many developers (including myself) have made widgets based on the Zillow API.

Other API’s:

• Google Maps - Probably the most famous
• Yelp - great for consumer reviews
• De.licio.us - Good for bookmarking and very simple to use
• Yahoo Developer Network - I visit regularly
• Google Code - another fav