We're almost there! This week is about widgets. The term widget was in use long before Web 2.0 existed to refer to a "thingamajig" or whoozywhatsis. For our purposes, we are using widget to mean a software component of a web page, basically a little standalone "program" that performs a particular function. This could be displaying the latest news headlines, current exchange rates, or your most recent tweet, to name a few. There are other terms that are used interchangeably with widget - on Blogger, for instance, they are called Gadgets. Some of you are already familiar with using Gadgets because you've used one to display your flickr photostream on your blog.

One key feature of Web 2.0 widgets is ease of use - they make it relatively simple to put dynamic content on your web pages without a lot of bother. Another benefit is the ability to consolidate your various Web 2.0 activities in one place - your blog or web page can be a kind of "You Central" that showcases your latest tweets, photos, delicious links and more.

In Blogger, you add "widgets" by choosing Layout in the Dashboard of your blog, then selecting Add a Gadget. This will present you with a list of options - some are provided by Blogger, but others come from third party developers, and there is a very wide range to choose from. Did you know about The Daily Puppy? Clearly some of these will be better than others, and you may prefer to stick to the tried and tested Blogger offerings. If you don't like one though, it's easy to remove it from your page, so have fun! This article describes some popular Blogger gadgets.