Top 15 Very Useful Firefox Addons

I completely admit, that I love Firefox.  I know some people say it’s slow, others say it’s a bit clunky (technical term that!) but I love it.   But it is Firefox addons that enable me to do so much of my work efficiently without diving off to use other applications or software.

Here are my Top Firefox addons, some are ones I have mentioned before, but I think they should be mentioned again and some are new ones that I can’t wait to share with you!

1.  Page Tweets

Enables you to see what the twitterverse is saying about the current page in your browser in a neat sidebar to the left.

2.  HandyNote

Add notes, add categories and tags to manage, search, export in the sidebar of your Firefox without having to leave the page you are on or swapping to and from Notepad/Word etc, you can also synchronize data between different machines.   Fantastic for copywriting or jotting down colour codes etc.  I use it for loads of different types of notes every day.

3.  Save Session

This add-on will help the you save all the links opened to a session file and re-open session file (your browser with all the links you currently have open) any time later. Useful when you are investigating a topic and don’t want to loose all the good links you came across or painfully book mark everyone.

4.  Read It Later

Save pages to read later with just one click. When you have time, access your reading list from any computer or phone, even without an internet connection!

5.  Integrated Gmail

Gmail + Google Calendar + Google Reader + Gmail Labs = Integrated Gmail.  When you open your Gmail (or GoogleMail) all of your reader, calendar and labs show in the same place, very handy!

6.  RightToClick

Stops javascript annoyances such as forbidden right click, forbidden text selection or cascading dialog boxes.

7.  CheckFox

This enables quick check/uncheck of multiple checkboxes, handy for doing the equivalent of a ‘check all’.

8.  Hootsuite Hootlet

We call the Hootlet our secret weapon because it has the power to completely change how you use Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin. Want to share a link? Hit the Hootlet button, and automatically, the URL is shortened and text is grabbed from the site.

9.  Google Shortcuts

Display all of your Google Services as buttons just next to your address bar or anywhere you like it. I have all of my Google apps, mail and tools displayed directly under my address bar using this addon, it saves creating bookmarks and means you have everything you need right in front of you.  I use this countless times each day and certainly would not be without it.

10.  FireFTP

FireFTP is a free, secure, cross-platform FTP client for Mozilla Firefox which provides easy and intuitive access to FTP servers. I had been using FileZilla on my main laptop and PC since it started, however on discovering FireFTP this is now the only FTP I use on my netbook, and even on my laptop and PC it is fast becoming the only one I use.  I have the FireFTP button set up just under my address bar along side the Google Shortuts so again, everything is one place, great for a netbook, where space is limited. Along with transferring your files quickly and efficiently, FireFTP also includes more advanced features such as: directory comparison, syncing directories while navigating, SFTP, SSL encryption, search/filtering, integrity checks, remote editing, drag & drop, file hashing, and much more.

11.  Pixlr Grabber

Screen grabber and graphics program in one. Making screen grabs and pulling down images from the web easier as you can choose to edit, share, save or copy your final grabs. You also get the possibility to right-click any image or background to edit them.  Edit in Pixlr Editor or Express which the free graphics programs that come with it, share them to Pixlr imm.io (sharing facility) or save them directly to your desktop. This is a one-stop shop for screen grabs whether you want to select a section to grab or grab the entire page.  Excellent addon that I use every day.

12.  Web2PDF

Web2PDF converter converts web pages into PDF files directly from browser.  It doesn’t just take a screenshot of the amount of webpage you can currently see in your browser, it converts the whole web page into a PDF.  Very useful, especially as it has options for quality settings as well.

13.  WiseStamp

When I am out and about on my netbook, I do not have Outlook installed and I use my trusty old Gmail to send and receive emails.  However, one of my annoyances with Gmail is the lack of HTML signatures.  WiseStamp comes to the aid and allows you to create HTML email signatures to Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo and AOL mail.  WiseStamp also allows you to add to your latest blog post, videos,  social media and messenger links to your email too.  It allows for multiple signatures and the ability to add logos and photos.  Great addon and another one I would not be without.

14.  Morning Coffee

Keeps track of daily routine websites and opens them in tabs automatically at the beginning of your first opening of Firefox of the day.  This extension lets you organise websites by day (weekly options also available) and open them up simultaneously as part of your daily routine. This is really handy if you read sites that update on a regular schedule (like webcomics, weekly columns, etc.).  I have mine set to open my email, Twitter, Hootsuite, Facebook, BBC news website etc all at the same time so everything I want to check first thing in the morning is ready and waiting for me as soon as I open Firefox.

15. HeadlinesTicker

This is such a simple idea and a simple addon but unlike most other RSS tickers it doesn’t take up room on my browser, therefore great for a netbook.  The ticker allows you to add unlimited RSS feeds to the right hand corner of your bottom status bar.  It doesn’t take up any extra room as it just uses the space that is already there on the status bar.  It works like a dream and is a great way for me to keep up with all the latest news, as it happens, when I am out and about.

Have fun with these!