Personal Homepage Flair

Almost everyone I know either has a blog or or social network account and besides the things they write about, one challenge they all come across is figuring out a way to differentiate their page for all the others.  One solution to this issue is the use and implementation of web widgets.  Web widgets have been around for over 10 years but have recently gained popularity among bloggers and other site owners as a way to 'liven' up a site by enabling users to put things like music videos, event calendars, interactive maps, etc. onto their sites. 

So whether you are familiar with widgets or not, you can easily imagine how they can quickly help turn any boring, static site into a personalized, interactive online space.  Recently I came across a site called Spinlets.com, currently in private beta, that is offering an alternative to widgets - that also enables quick an easy personalization of personal homepages or sites.  Spinlet allows users to create, use and share there own customized spinlets.  So, what is a spinlet?  Well, quite frankly it is an embeddable chunk of code that can be placed into any web site that lets display your photo albums, personal videos, movie clips, social calendars, music playlists, etc. quick and easily.

Some reasons why I like Spinlet:

• No downloads are required
• Free to create, use and share
• Customizable - color, layout, etc.
• Allow for easy transfer of content from page to page (photos, music, video, etc.)

Bottom line, I know that the concept isn't new; however, as the number of bloggers, social network users, and personal site owner's continues to increase there is strong demand for ways that enable people to add interesting and interactive content on their sites.  Spinlet does just that. Oh yeah, there is one other thing.  Although, it is not expressed in detail on their site.  Spinlet will also enable users to "take your content from your desktop to your mobile phone or mobile handset".  A great bonus considering we are entering a mobile revolution - high bandwidths and bigger mobile browser screens are paving the way!