djskew

I have figured it out! If your users are using an external webhost, like godaddy or bluehost, they need to confirm the following:

* That the host allows the fsockopen php command
* That the host can and has opened the port by which the widget queries the minequery plugin – default setting is 25566

In my case, it meant moving my domain to a private and static IP (which cost more, but has other benefits) and that my host opened the correct port for outbound and inbound connections. After that final hurdle, it works like a charm!