Triggit “widget” service goes into private beta today, worth using?

Webware is reporting that Triggit, a new service which allows bloggers to embed multimedia and other “widgets” directly into their sites, has entered a limited private beta phase today.

The concept: various web elements, such as pictures from Flickr, YouTube videos, affiliate links, and so on, can be easily inserted into the web page without having to mess about with adding code directly to the blog template.

It works by using a small piece of JavaScript, which then makes calls to the Triggit server to fetch and dynamically modify the blog’s HTML code “on the fly”. Bloggers need Firefox to mange content using the service.

This means that it doesn’t require less tech-savvy bloggers to insert lots of different code into the template each time they want to add something (though, of course, the JavaScript snippet has to be added in the first place), which could be an advantage.

Unfortunately, it also means that a lot of functionality may be taken off site, requiring the blogger to put their trust in a third party host to correctly and consistently serve up code.

It also means that some elements, which could perhaps have been better managed with static code or blog plugins, will rely on JavaScript, which may limit the audience.

Webware says that the service is incredibly easy to use, and it’s “faster and more enjoyable” to create various elements than doing it manually. However, I’m not sure whether convenience outweighs the potential loss of control.

The closing comments in Webware’s review of Triggit says:

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I would not bet on Triggit taking the world by storm, since it’s a very unusual product and there’s a chicken-and-egg problem with it. It’s not all that compelling without a large library of widget partners, and there’s no reason to write a Triggit widget until it gets a lot of users. But it does represent an interesting movement in the ongoing widgetization of content. It illustrates how easy it can be for publishers to assemble their sites from pieces and parts from all over the Net. The major blog platforms already have native support for widgets, of course, but this puts that kind of power at the item level, and using an incredibly simple visual interface.

What do you think of the concept? Have you got hold of an invitation and are trying the service? Let us know in the comments section below.

(Via Webware)

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