BBC World Service Widget Launched

Gears (by tallkev)

We recently completed an exciting project for BBC World Service: the World Service Widget, which lets people share BBC World Service content on their websites, blogs or computer desktops.

It's being released on a number of web platforms (WordPress, iGoogle, Adobe Air, Facebook, Netvibes, Mac Dashboard, Vista Sidebar and as a simple snippet of HTML code). These are being rolled out over the coming days.

The widget is available in a multitude of different languages and content networks. (This was one of the trickiest aspects of development - although there were other, perhaps even stickier issues). Below, for example, are the English and Farsi flavours. (Farsi is the language spoken in Iran. It is written right-to-left, and it has a special widget: click on a news story to open the "Lightbox" window).

English:

Farsi:

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7 CommentsRSS Feed

  1. Really great.

    My only problem is that clicking news links do NOT open new page. Takes visitor out of my site.

    How can I fix this?

    I don’t really want to send people away after I work so hard getting them to come visit :)

  2. @bsuwriter – thanks for your comment. I’m glad you’re using and liking the widget.

    The widget doesn’t actually change the way that links already work on your website. Unless you’ve added some special logic on your site to force links to open in a new tab or new window (note that some users might find that annoying), then users will remain in control of how those links behave. They will have the option to open links in either the same window (a left-click) or in a new tab/window (right-click -> select “open in new tab/window”).

    Being in control is certainly my preference, as a user. However, perhaps there is some merit in allowing website owners to force links to open in a new window, if that’s what they require.

  3. Dean

    With a target=_blank you can force the widget to open in a new window… but it has to be coded inside the widget

  4. @Dean – yes. It would be possible for a blog owner to set the target for all links on their page, including those in the widget. But yes, for convenience, it would be good to include it as an option in the widget.

    @bsuwriter – we are currently working on version 2 of the World Service widget, and we hope to incorporate an option for bloggers to have links open in new tabs/windows, to be released in the near future.

  5. zaheer

    This is really cool but I’m having a problem with the code. Every time I embed the code, a huge space follows the widget on the right hand side. I can only go up to 268 pixels in width. Can anyone help?

  6. Hi Zaheer,
    Can you share a URL of the page you’re testing, and let us know the browser/version that you’re using?

  7. C. papers

    If you want you visitors stay at your site you should change the html code. Just try to put “open in the new tab” and problem solved

2 Trackbacks

  1. […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Dharmafly. Dharmafly said: As yet untweeted: our widget for @bbcworldservice – in a million different languages and platforms http://j.mp/wswidget […]

  2. By bbc world service - StartTags.com on January 26, 2010 at 4:45 pm

    […] they travel through Bangladesh by boat to examine how a heating planet is changing people's lives.BBC World Service Widget Launched : DharmaflyWe recently completed an exciting project for BBC World Service: the World Service Widget, which […]

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