New Widgets

It’s that time of year again where people start asking what I’d like for Christmas and I start wondering what they’d like in return. It’s just the sort of problem that should be solved with social software. Over the last few years I’ve had an Amazon wish list which suffices for books, music and software, but doesn’t allow me to add fun things like board games, sensors and [lego] (http://shop.lego.com/Default.aspx).

I’ve thought about building a wish list service that worked against any web store a few times and was talking to my old friend Tom about this problem at the weekend when he came to stay with his lovely new daughter Beth. We both agreed that someone must have built it already and so it goes: boxedup provides you with browser buttons that allow you to easily add any product any where on the web to a social wish list service. It also supports the other essential feature — allowing your friends to reserve items in a way that’s visible to them, but invisible to you, so everything stays a surprise until the big day.

I’ve added a boxedup widget to the side bar so you can see what interesting schwag I’ve uncovered from across the web in a wonderland style. While I was at it I added a friendfeed widget so you can see what I’m reading, bookmarking and uploading in a simon willison/boingboing style too.

Now I just need to get everyone I know to set up a boxedup list too and my Christmas shopping will do itself.