Widgetbox and Dapper turning widgets into Facebook apps

September 26th, 2007

WYSIWYG widget publishing platforms Widgetbox and Dapper both announced new tools for turning widgets into Facebook applications today.

Widgetbox released App Accelerator, a new service that lets you publish your Widgetbox widgets as Facebook apps. In addition to bringing your Widgetbox widget into Facebook, App Accelerator also packages viral Facebook features like news feeds and friend invites around it, helping it grow. Over 200 Facebook apps have already been created during private beta.

Widgetbox simultaneously announced a revenue service for App Accelerator developers whereby RockYou will sell inventory and will split a 50% commission with Widgetbox. This is a nice perk for publishers in monetizable spaces.

Separately, Dapper today announced AppMaker, a tool that lets you turn any”Dapp” into its own Facebook app. The service launched with apps created by partners Answers.com and MTV. Dapper is focusing more on content syndication and allows for more powerful look and feel customization.

Cranking out a simple Facebook app with Dapper is dead simple. (The Inside Facebook app below was made in 5 minutes!)

Automated Facebook application creation gives the “long tail” of communities and content a better Facebook experience. We’ll keep an eye on this space as it grows.