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Webwag - A Really Cool Start Page With Support For Netvibes and Google IG Widgets

News Type: Event — Wed Feb 7, 2007 3:49 PM EST

Live Poll

Will You Use Webwag?

  • Yes (I'm dumping Netvibes/Google IG/etc)
    26%
  • Yes (but I'm still keeping Netvibes/Google IG/etc)
    5%
  • No
    68%

Total Votes: 19

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I have to admit something: I never really "got" the AJAX start pages. It just never did anything for me. I used Google IG for a while, and used Protopage for a couple of weeks, but mostly, I just set my browser to Wikipedia's Random Page. But one day, I saw a link to Webwag. I thought, why not? So I decided to go to the site and view the demo page. It looked terrific. I've seen Netvibes and Pageflakes, but Webwag was SO much more beautiful. It has all that standard drag-'n'-drop. The built in RSS reader will tell you how many unread items you have, and though you can't change the colors or anything, you can add widgets via Webwag Factory. But that's not THAT cool, you might think. After all, Pageflakes, Netvibes, and Google IG all have their own modules with APIs. Guess what. Webwag supports both Netvibes and Google IG (but not Pageflakes, as far as I can tell). Just go to the "Add New Content", click the "External Widget" button underneath, and add it. Then, edit it (click the "edit" button). Then type in the widget URL. Here's how:

Netvibes
Go to Netvibes Ecosystem. Find a widget you want, right-click on the "Add to Netvibes" button. You'll have a link like http://eco.netvibes.com/subscribe.php?id=18484&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eclaireur.net%2Fnetvibes%2Fnetvibes_newsmap.php&type=api. Now, strip all everything away before the http%3A%2F%2F, and also &type=api. Now, you'll have a URL like http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eclaireur.net%2Fnetvibes%2Fnetvibes_newsmap.php. Replace the %3A with :, and the %2F with /. Now, you have a URL like http://www.eclaireur.net/netvibes/netvibes_newsmap.php. Add this into the External Widget box in Webwag.

Google IG
Go to the Google IG Directory. Find a widget you want and click on the image (NOT the Add it Now). Then, right click on the View Source>> button. Copy that link (Copy Link Location or something similar), and then paste it into the External Widget box in Webwag.

Other cool things about Webwag is multiple tabs (standard fare), a built in search engine powered by Yahoo (unfortunately or fortunately depending on your point of view), and English, French, Spanish, and German languages. There's also a Firefox and Internet Explorer toolbar. It's built-in widgets include a POP, Gmail, or Yahoo! email checker, a really cool podcast program that looks and feels like an iPod Nano, and a task list. Webwag is definitely in beta, as there are plenty of glitches (especially with drag-'n'-drop), but even still, this is a cool site. Oh, and I'm not even missing my Wikipedia Random Article as my home page, since I found an RSS feed for a daily Wikipedia article.

  • 11 Votes
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2.4
{"commentId":518551,"authorDomain":"osaide"}
Picaso

Nice article, one of the most interesting topics so far, i use google ig and recently saw Microsoft's version called "LIVE" .
I find protopage more interesting though.

{"commentId":518551,"threadId":"74645","contentId":"557250","authorDomain":"osaide"}
  • 2 votes
Reply#1 - Wed Feb 7, 2007 11:00 PM EST
{"commentId":518760,"authorDomain":"arewethereyet"}
Arrrf JohnsonRestored

webwag looks fun. thanks apps!

{"commentId":518760,"threadId":"74645","contentId":"557250","authorDomain":"arewethereyet"}
  • 3 votes
Reply#2 - Thu Feb 8, 2007 2:40 AM EST
{"commentId":518774,"authorDomain":"chill888"}
chill

it just seems like a good but inferior clone of Netvibes (said the very loyal netvibes user)

The RSS reader features at netvibes is far richer so I won't be switching

{"commentId":518774,"threadId":"74645","contentId":"557250","authorDomain":"chill888"}
  • 3 votes
Reply#3 - Thu Feb 8, 2007 3:08 AM EST
{"commentId":518780,"authorDomain":"chill888"}
chill

to say more.

I use lots of different modules at Netvibes (stock prices, weather, google calendar and mail, flickr, search, etc)

but primarily I use the different tabs to organize and read RSS feeds.

Feeds in Webwag, give a little tooltip with some info if you hover and go to the article if you click. thats it it seems. Its a lousy tool for reading feeds.

Netvibes gives tool tip, but if you click you get a little RSS reader section that gives more data and gives various reading tools and options. For me at least - far superior.

Netvibes is a slick, well supported, product with a large user and development group.

BTW if you dont like Yahoo Search then use Netvibes that gives the choice of four engines in their little search widget

{"commentId":518780,"threadId":"74645","contentId":"557250","authorDomain":"chill888"}
  • 2 votes
#3.1 - Thu Feb 8, 2007 3:19 AM EST
{"commentId":519186,"authorDomain":"daweb"}
DAWeb

I will have to take a look at this! I have been using Netvibes for some time now and really like it. It replaced googleig for me.

Thanks and keep sharing these great finds!

{"commentId":519186,"threadId":"74645","contentId":"557250","authorDomain":"daweb"}
  • 2 votes
#3.2 - Thu Feb 8, 2007 10:37 AM EST
{"commentId":522000,"authorDomain":"firsty"}
firsty

i'm with chill. i'm sticking with netvibes. webwag looks like a netvibes ripoff, except with no extra features and inferior usability.

{"commentId":522000,"threadId":"74645","contentId":"557250","authorDomain":"firsty"}
  • 2 votes
#3.3 - Fri Feb 9, 2007 4:27 PM EST
{"commentId":522452,"authorDomain":"daweb"}
DAWeb

Yeah, I haven't been swayed away from netvibes yet. for real power reading of rss tho, google reader is awesome (once you get used to it)

{"commentId":522452,"threadId":"74645","contentId":"557250","authorDomain":"daweb"}
  • 1 vote
#3.4 - Fri Feb 9, 2007 9:35 PM EST
Reply
{"commentId":518984,"authorDomain":"webwag"}
webwag team

Hi and thanks for the article. The External widgets feature is sill under something closer to alpha than beta (we will make it clear shortly) but it's indeed the convenient start of something that will be bigger ;)

For the search engine: You can use our Search widget that will search in Yahoo but also Google and others if you like.

Last, regarding news feeds reading, don't worry, they'll be taken care of shortly ;)

{"commentId":518984,"threadId":"74645","contentId":"557250","authorDomain":"webwag"}
  • 1 vote
Reply#4 - Thu Feb 8, 2007 8:18 AM EST
{"commentId":519069,"authorDomain":"auratone"}
Coleman-127457

The new ProtopageV3 beats them all hands down! Like Picaso. I find it interesting and opens up avenues where there were cul-de-sacs. I have to say it's unique. Love the way it handles RSS.

{"commentId":519069,"threadId":"74645","contentId":"557250","authorDomain":"auratone"}
  • 1 vote
Reply#5 - Thu Feb 8, 2007 9:42 AM EST
{"commentId":523659,"authorDomain":"JoulesBeef"}
JoulesBeef

LOL you suck online apps!
by far you are one of the worst bandits for my time.
Now i got a bunch more homework to go through after work.
your a real knee biter you know that.
};=O moo

{"commentId":523659,"threadId":"74645","contentId":"557250","authorDomain":"JoulesBeef"}
  • 3 votes
Reply#6 - Sat Feb 10, 2007 5:30 PM EST
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