In the last few weeks things have been fairly quiet here on the blog mostly because I’ve been doing some traveling and because I’ve been working with Sprout Inc. the company that makes Sprout Builder. Sprout Builder is a tool that allows designers to build rich, and engaging online experiences without writing a single line of code. This is made possible through a drag and drop interface that makes Builder perfect for building widgets, but it’s also great for anything  from building micro-sites to rapid prototyping.

Sprout Builder is a toolkit that sits on an extensible platform such that Sprout will ultimately offer several levels of service. The Sprout Builder is the simplest level to use, but don’t be fooled by the word “simple” because it’s quite powerful. The next level up is called Sprout Engage and we use this internally to create our own widgets and widgets for our clients. This level is not yet available directly to the public, but will be before too long. The good news is that you can sign up for a free 30-day trial of first tier of Sprout Builder and there’s also a limited free version.

Here’s a simple Widget that Pepsi created with the tool:

One of the most popular applications of Sprout is to create highly customized Facebook Fan pages. One of the criticisms of Facebook is that it’s hard to personalize your page so that it doesn’t feel like a generic Facebook page. Sprout’s solve this problem by letting you create completely customized pages with everything from rss feeds, to slide shows, videos and more. Go here to learn learn more about customizing your Facebook page with Sprout Builder.

Finally, if you’re in the Bay Area, we’re holding a cocktail party this coming Tuesday Sept. 22nd, after Ad Week at Bin 38. If you’re interested in joining us for that event get in touch with me through the contact page of the blog!