Top Firefox Add-ons of 2008

There are so many add-ons and extensions available for the Firefox browser that anyone can find something to help them do what they do, no matter what their browsing needs are. As a writer and researcher, I have a few specific needs. I wander the internet for inspiration and then I research those ideas extensively, requiring careful cataloging and citation information. It always helps when I can get in "the zone" and music is great for tuning out the outside world and getting me in my groove. The following is a list of my personal favorite Firefox add-ons, and apparently I'm not the only one. These are some of the most popular Firefox add-ons you'll find. They're easy to use, reliable and definitely handy.

Get in the groove!

Fire.fm is a winner of the Extend Firefox 3 contest. It gives you direct access to the extensive library of music at Last.fm from your browser. Although you can create an account at Last.fm and set up customized selections, it isn't necessary to do so. Simply click on the "Pick a Station to Play" button in your browser, select "Start a Station" and enter the name of an artist you're in the mood for. Fire.fm will search for stations containing that artist and begin playing music from that and similar artists effortlessly. This add-on claims to be "the ultimate add-on for the music junkie" and I don't doubt it.

Find inspiration....

StumbleUpon is addictive in the extreme. The creator's simple explanation is that StumbleUpon discovers websites based on your interests, learns what you like, and brings you more. I'd have to add to that that StumbleUpon will help you find interests that you never knew you had and expand your world. It brings surfing the internet to a whole new level and delivers some amazing web content right to your fingertips. You do need to register at StumbleUpon.com and enter your interests, but from there the process is simple and painless. Simply click the Stumble! button in your web browser and you're on your way to being amazed, entertained and inspired.

Keep track of what you find

I remember most of what I read, but when I am writing, I have a very difficult time remembering all of my sources. I'm also easily distracted and frustrated by clutter and often end up losing things, so I have a few different tools to help me organize my mind and make it easy to find what I need, whenever I need it.

Read It Later has to be one of the most useful and yet subtle Firefox add-ons. When I'm researching, I gather and grasp everything that looks interesting from each search term I use. Before I found Read It Later, I often had multiple browsers open and full of tabs of different pages that may or may not have been useful. I found myself digging through the browsing clutter trying to find what I was working with and being distracted by things I was holding onto for later review. With Read It Later, I simply tag the page for later review and then close it. Simple, subtle, and incredibly useful; this is one Firefox add-on I simply can't be without.

I frequently work on two different computers. When my family is at work/school and I have peace and quiet, I work on my Windows XP desktop computer in the office. When they are home and I have to go find my solitude somewhere else, I use my laptop which runs Ubuntu Linux. Foxmarks Boomark Synchronizer keeps my bookmarks synchronized between the two computers effortlessly, so my workspace always feels the same even though I'm on two very different computers running two different operating systems. I can work on the desktop all day researching, then take the laptop to the sofa and pick up exactly where I left off.....brilliant!

"Zotero [zoh-TAIR-oh] is a free, easy-to-use Firefox extension to help you collect, manage, and cite your research sources. It lives right where you do your work - in the web browser itself."

That quote from the Zotero website is very accurate, and for anyone doing research, this add-on is amazing. While it doesn't help with researching company or organizational websites, it is indispensible for scholarly research of any kind. It will track citation information from newspapers, amazon.com and library websites among many others. It allows you to go in and organize your sources and make notes on each item. I have barely begun to scratch the surface of what this Fire-fox add-on can do, and I'm already amazed.

Firefox's security and web compliance make it an uncommonly good browser, but the add-ons are what make Firefox such an amazing tool for anyone and everyone. Whatever your needs, your interests, or your purpose surfing the web, there are add-ons to help you shop, bid, research, discover, listen, and watch more efficiently and effectively. Just search the Firefox add-on library to make your Firefox fit you.