WidgetLaboratory, a widget platform that is still flinging abuse in Ning’s direction after being kicked off the make-your-own-social-net host for terms-of-use violation this summer, is back: this time, on upstart UK Ning imitator SocialGO.
WidgetLaboratory, which sells its widgets for $30 a month, kicked up a stink in August, when Ning disabled widgets across its network, and has been blogging its dissatisfaction since. But now the outfit is returning with a revenue-sharing partnership on SocialGO, the still-in-beta Ning follower that’s being launched for Lara Croft and Tiger Woods DVD game maker Bright Things by Alex Halliday, the merely 22-year-old developer who says he has a team of 11 working on the project.
The tie-up will see WidgetLaboratory facilitate SocialGO’s “widget store”, letting users pick gadgets to add to their on-site social nets. Still trying to leverage the Ning fall-out, Halliday posted a “bill of rights” to protect his customers from “draconian” rules. There’s talk of “monetising” the widgets, but it’s not clear how that will work exactly. SocialGO’s premium option costs $19.99 (£12.22) a month. There’s talk of “monetising” the widgets, but it’s not clear how that will work exactly.