please don’t ever call anything that we do a "widget."  No matter how insignificant you think one or all of our apps are, just don’t do it.  Because  when we’re drawing out an app on a white board,  working on the logic behind it, thinking about the user experience, building the business model, etc… we are not dreaming of grand success for our "widget."

It’s like being called "boy" at the ripe age of 35.  It’s demeaning.  It’s belittling.  It isn’t even accurate.

From dictionary.com…

widg·et     [wij-it] Pronunciation Key –noun 

1. a small mechanical device, as a knob or switch, esp. one whose name is not known or cannot be recalled; gadget: a row of widgets on the instrument panel.
2. something considered typical or representative, as of a manufacturer’s products: the widgets coming off the assembly line.

Does that sound like a robust & interesting Facebook app to you?

I’ve heard the term a lot over the last few months, but this article really put me over the top this morning.  I’d like to ask the author "is it really accurate to call something worth $500 million a collection of WIDGETS?"  Seriously.  I don’t even like a lot of Slide’s apps, but hell at least acknowledge the achievement by giving them a little respect.  A widget is a crappy Chinese toy that breaks after three uses.  A widget is something that you give your child that he/she might choke on but at least it will entertain him or her for a few hours.  A widget is a useful kitchen tool that you wish you invented, but gets lost in your junk drawer.

But a widget is not a Facebook app!

OK… you can carry on now.  My rant of the day is over and I’ve registered an official pet peeve.  I feel better now.  :-)