MySpace widget most viewed, Facebook’s Top Friends top application: ComScore

According to the ComScore Widget Metrix, more than 57 million users engaged with the MySpace Widget, while the Google.com Widget attracted more than 19 million users in November 2007

ComScore has released its rankings for Web Widget Metrix, its widget tracking service launched in June 2007. A widget is an application that can be downloaded and added to the home page or inserted into a blog page or personal profile page to receive a chunk of information or an update.

According to ComScore’s Web Widget Metrix (for November 2007), around 147 million people viewed a widget in the US, which is about 81 per cent of the Internet audience in that country. The widget of the popular social media site, MySpace.com, has been viewed by about 57 million users. The second most viewed widget is that of the photo sharing website, Slide.com – more than 39 million viewers (See table).

MySpace widget most viewed, Facebook’s Top Friends top application: ComScore

ComScore has separately measured the popularity of Facebook applications as part of the Web Widget Metrix. In measuring the Facebook applications, the users’ engagement was the main parameter; the other widgets were measured by the number of views they received. JavaScript objects have also been included in the Web Widget Metrix for November 2007.

According to ComScore, Facebook applications draw more than 20 million engaged viewers – about 61 per cent of the Facebook audience. The most viewed widget on Facebook is the Top Friends application by Slide.com, which engages more than six million viewers to share videos and photos. The second most popular application on Facebook is Movies by Flixster, with more than five million viewers. Slide.com’s SuperPoke! and FunWall have also made it to the top 10 Facebook applications on the Metrix. Two applications by RockYou! (a photo and slide sharing site similar to Slide.com), Super Wall and Likeness, have also been rated among the top 10 applications.

“The widget space is evolving rapidly, and we are continuing to add various widget file types into our definition to provide the most accurate and comprehensive reporting in the marketplace. The inclusion of Facebook applications in our reporting structure represents a significant step in that direction,” says Linda Boland Abraham, executive vice-president, ComScore, in a statement.

Widgets are a new opportunity for marketers to advertise by inviting users to engage with a branded application. For example, Coca-Cola created Sprite Sips, an animated character that lets users engage with the brand. The Sprite Sips widget has more than 2,000 fans. Even content developers can syndicate their content to readers by offering widgets to users and providing updates through the widget.

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