New firms 'using widgets before websites'

An increasing number of start-up companies are building a Facebook application before constructing a website, it has been claimed.

Gi Fernando, of widget-creator Techlightenment, made his comments to the Sunday Times during a discussion of the social networking phenomenon which has seen 24 million Brits register accounts.

He explained that many new companies seek to create a user base and create brand awareness through social networks before launching their own online presence.

Mr Fernando and his business partner Ankur Shah predict that over the next decade companies "will create something for Facebook and something for MySpace and that will be the bulk of your advertising spend", adding: "It's a toy shop."

According to consultancy Intelligent Online Marketing, applications allow marketers access to arenas they could not enter before, such as blogs, social networks and other personal sites.

It claims that they are fun for the consumer to interact with and can also be a clever way of marketing a product or developing brand awareness.