Toolbars : What are the prospects?

[besttoolbars]

Hello, guys! I'd like to know your opinions on such a question: nowadays many companies use custom toolbars (Google, Yahoo, Alexa and so on) to promote themselves. And toolbar is a good marketing and branding tool. Also there is a software over the Internet that helps you to build a custom toolbar. So I'd like to know: What are the prospects?
How can such a toolbar be used? Which features it should have to attract users? I see such an opportunities:
- a toolbar for a hosting company, that should help users to manage their account and site;
- a toolbar for a forums like this - to managae account to, to make a search or for a quick view of a "Top 10" or smth like this (just think - voting maybe );
- a toolbar for e-store or auction - to be in a close contact or to order a goods, increase your price;
- a toolbar for a search engine. No comments Benefits are obvious

So, how can it be used? What features would you like to see if you would make a custom toolbar? And what should it has to attract a users? Or do you believe that toolbars market is saturated enough?

 

[suthra]

No, i meant providing money for having the toolbar and viewing the ads. It will be a new marketing approach

 

[Rowan W]

Zero toolbars are enough for me.

 

[besttoolbars]

No, i meant providing money for having the toolbar and viewing the ads. It will be a new marketing approach

Well, it's another way, that may work. It's a way to make a money using a toolbar Thank you, Suthra!

Zero toolbars are enough for me.

Why so??

 

[Rowan W]

Because there is no worthwile use for them, well not external ones anyway.

In Firefox I have 4 'bars', the first one is the normal menu (file, edit, view...), the second bar is the navigation, including back, forward, home, address bar, google search, etc. The third bar holds 15 bookmarks with icons, and the fourth bar is the tabs.

It's all I need to do everything.

In IE I have the google toolbar, which I don't even use.

 

[armstrong]

Because there is no worthwile use for them, well not external ones anyway.

Quite right. ATM, I can't think of any possible toolbar function which I can't replace with a website (which users can bookmark), or maybe a stand-alone windows program. As mentioned, even the google toolbar is used only when I want google to notice me. Normally, I go to google.com to search, or a PR-checking website to check PR.

 

[dgridley]

I use the Google toolbar constantly.. and a specialized eBay toolbar when I need to.

Quite right. ATM, I can't think of any possible toolbar function which I can't replace with a website (which users can bookmark), or maybe a stand-alone windows program. As mentioned, even the google toolbar is used only when I want google to notice me. Normally, I go to google.com to search, or a PR-checking website to check PR.

 

[armstrong]

But why use it at all, if google.com is just quick typein away? Meanwhile, you give up screen real estate. If you can explain this, then maybe BestToolBars can figure out what people need.

 

[suthra]

basically, toolbars reduce the need to typein an url in the address bar. Its just an added brand.

 

[BioALIEN]

Hello besttoolbars,

I think your product definitly has potential. True, you cannot take on Google, MSN, Yahoo, Alexa in terms of toolbars, but you can expand your service to provide for businesses and service providers.

Here are some ideas/suggestions. The user downloads the toolbar, enters username/pass for forums/website and the toolbar installed on the user's browser displays an alert when a new PM is received, when a buddy is online. Such service can also integrates well to search the owner's website (or a website of a user's choice).

Do you see? There are many possibilities you can take to expand your toolbar. :gl: