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Here are some interesting stats for the use of widgets compared with native website visitors. This is from Meebo (maker of the web-based IM) widgets.

Basically the BULK of Meebo’s traffic comes from their widgets. Widgets allow Meebo’s benefits to be utilised by its users on other websites, meaning customers use Meebo even when their not AT Meebo’s website.

Apparently, according to ConScores Widget Metrix (useful to know that COmScore has a means of measuring this. Important too now that your company’s reach cannot be adequately measured by visitors to your website), in October 2007 6.3m people in the US actively engaged with a Meebo widget, compared with 1.2m people who visited the Meebo website worldwide.

Techcrunch has more info here, also a neat chart that shows the growth of their widget usage/reach.

Bebo is partnering with Microsoft in order to use its Windows Live instant messaging service throughout the Bebo network. This marks the first time Microsoft has partnered with a social network to provide IM tools.

Full article on Mashable here.

What’s interesting is that Bebo, with all its developer might is choosing to outsource this technology. I think its smart and its a strategy I’ve been talking about for a long while: why re-invent the wheel? If you can deploy quicker and better with a partner product, especially if it already has mass user adoption, it adds value to your core. It makes perfect sense.

IM is fast becoming the preferred communications means for the new generation. As postal mail was to my generation (old, slow) so is email to this generation (old, slow, no instant feedback, spam overload). Here is Mashables roundup of IM tools, everything from webpage IM widgets, to single IM clients, to multi-IM clients, to mobile IM.

Seems to me that companies wanting to engage with this generation need to start thinking about their IM strategies ASAP!

http://mashable.com/2007/08/07/instant-messaging/