Information services company Experian has launched a new widget that includes information from the company's commercial database, BizSource. The widget provides a real-time view of Experian's business information in a viewer-friendly database.
The information contained in the widget is the same as the data included in Experian's BizCheck reports. These reports summarize business information and include a credit rating system for the companies that are featured.
In the report, a green check mark means that a business "checks out," a yellow question mark means that questions were identified; and a red X signifies that problem areas were uncovered. The reports also include key facts about the featured companies, including years in business and address history. Information about potential problems, such as liens, judgments or bankruptcies are also included, along with links to more detailed Experian business credit report information.
Widgets are becoming increasingly popular in the business information space. They seem to be an effective way in which to distribute content on a very broad scale. Experian’s idea to use the technology to provide free general access is a great idea. Such access, in actuality, is a low cost marketing tool. Getting Experian content and tools into as many users' hands as possible should be the ultimate goal. Widget seem like an ideal solution to help Experian (and other business information providers) accomplish their goals.