I recently wrote about Firefox and why you should use it as a browser. I briefly touched on add-ons in this blog but I thought with all of the great extensions floating around, that I should make up a list of extensions that would really help out those who are working at home or simply surfing the Internet, with their browsing experience. These are great extensions I have actually used myself, so I can recommend them wholeheartedly.
1. Time Tracker ~ This clock tracks when you are using the Internet, and keeps a running total at the bottom of the screen. Using this clock makes me realize how much time I am spending online, vs the amount of time I am blogging and doing other (paying) tasks. It’s a subtle reminder to stay focused.
2. Morning Coffee ~ Do you have a set of websites you visit every morning without fail? Do you visit different ones on the weekend vs weekday? What about the afternoon–do you have other websites you visit then, every day? If any of this sounds like you, Morning Coffee is for you. You simply have to open all of the websites you want to go to in different tabs, then click on the arrow next to the coffee cup, select Add to Morning routine, and you are now set to go. Every morning, you click on the coffee cup and go to the saved sites. This is a very cool add-on I can see a lot of uses for. For all of you freelancers who go to the same bidding sites every day, this may be a huge time saver for you.
3. Answers ~ This was pretty cool. If you want more information about pretty much anything that you see while browsing, simply place your mouse over the word you want info on, press down the Alt key, and then click on the word. A small pop-up window comes up with a definition of the word, and the choice to find more info if you want to. Very quick and easy. No more Googling random words you aren’t sure about–this is faster and easier.
4. No Script ~ I talked about security and Firefox before–this program is much of the reason why Firefox is as safe as it is. This is an absolute must for anyone worried about viruses or trojan horses. I have been using this add-on for well over a year now, and have absolutely no complaints.
5. Google Preview ~ This is a quick add-on that gives you previews of the websites when you do a Google or Yahoo search. When you conduct a search, the list of sites will now have a small graphic next to it, showing what the site looks like that you’re clicking on. I would not recommend this add-on for those of you who are on dial-up because the slow down caused by having to bring up that many images won’t make it worth it for you. If you have high-speed Internet though, this is definitely worth downloading.
Well, that’s my top five list of add-ons that have to do with strictly browsing the Internet. In my next blog, I thought I would list five add-ons to those of you who work in an office and want to keep your browsing habits to yourself. 😉
NOTE: I do not work for Firefox, nor am I an affiliate of Firefox. I am not receiving any sort of payment or gifts for mentioning Firefox or Firefox add-ons in this blog. I just happen to think they’re cool, and want to tell my readers about them. Just wanted to make that clear. 😉