In this article, the following objectives will be discussed:

• Benefits of using Firefox Extensions
• Types of Firefox Extensions
• How to Install and Uninstall Firefox Extensions

Benefits of Firefox Extensions

Internet Explorer, Safari, and Opera provides the opportunity to communicate, to purchase items, to save your bookmarks for that favorite page you like and even surf the web. Firefox provides pretty much the same benefits as the other web browsers do but offer the benefit of using Firefox Extensions with Mozilla.  Below are noted some benefits to using Firefox Extensions which are:

• Easy to install and uninstall Firefox Extensions.
• View related news, weather, and other information when Firefox Extensions are installed.
• Firefox browser compatibility is checked before installing Firefox Extensions.

Types of Firefox Extensions

Mozilla Firefox offers thousands of different types of extension, also known as Add-ons (this can be found at http://addons.mozilla.org) for non-developers and developers for the purpose of day to day business or general use. Mozilla Firefox Add-ons section provides various categories from web development, bookmarks, photos, music, blogging, and much more. Once you start browsing the different categories, you noticed that the page to the right will show you the type of extensions and also provide you the top downloads, top rated, and recently added within that category that you selected. From downloads, top rated, and recently added, can be one out of the many factors of choosing an extension with Firefox.

How to Install and Uninstall Firefox Extensions

After examining the various categories of extensions to use with Firefox, now it is time to install some or even uninstall the ones that you do not want anymore. If you want to install Firefox Extensions, the following can be done:

1. Select a Firefox Extension category.
2. A list of Firefox Extensions will appear. Select the green button which is to the right that says “Add to Firefox”
3. Click on it to install.
4. Before installing “A dialog box will appear indicating to install from authors whom you trust. If you feel comfortable with this then click on the “Install Now” button and it will install that add on for you to use with Firefox.
5. Select the Restart Firefox button so that the Add-On can be included on the Standard Toolbar under “Tools” menu command.
6. Go to the Tools menu command after Mozilla Firefox has reopened and look for Add-ons you have installed.

You have installed an extension to use with Firefox.

Now that you have installed several extensions and find no need to use these anymore, how do you uninstall them? Below are the following instructions on how to uninstall a Firefox Extension:

1. Go to the Tools menu command and select Add-ons.
2. Select the Extensions button at the top. It will list all of the extensions that have been installed.
3. Select the extension in the list area that you do not want and select the “Uninstall button”. An alert box will appear and ask “Do you want to uninstall? Select the uninstall button.
4. Select the “Restart button” to allow the uninstall changes to take effect.
5. Go to the Tools menu command.
6. Select Add-ons to see if the extension is uninstalled.

There you have it! The extension that was once installed is uninstalled.

In conclusion, using Mozilla Firefox as an alternative to Internet Explorer, Safari, and Opera, provides an opportunity to include functionality and features to Firefox. However, it is a good idea to spend time looking at the various categories of extensions that you might need on a day to day basis for business or general use.

If you use Firefox Extensions, which ones do you use and why?

Domain name parking is just what it is, parking a page that is not being used at the present time. Domain name parking can display some pay per click ads on the domain name parking page. As for me, I decided to look into parking my domain name to generate a little revenue when it was time to renew my domain name that I am not using as part of my business at the moment.

Some websites will charge you to park your domain name but there are some that will allow you to park your domain name for free. I found two free domain parking websites that I use which are Traffic Parking and Sedo. By parking your domain at these sites, revenue can be generated when traffic is being directed to a search page or when a visitors clicks on a pay per click ad link that calculates a percentage and generate revenue.

Even though I listed two free domain names parking sites to check out, there are many more free ones to research. Domain name parking is a process to register, park, and leave your domain name at the parking site until you are ready to use it.

Social RSS. This will allow you to promote your blog or business within Facebook. I like the fact that with the Social RSS you can add your blog or any RSS feeds to your wall tab or even create a new RSS/blog tab that is only for your feeds. In addition, I like that the fact that I can post latest articles automatically to my wall once and I can share it with my friends, family, or as it relates to business. To include a tab of RSS/blog, go to “Profile “ to add.

Slide Share. I just recently went to a meetup and the person that was presenting was talking about Social Media. He informed us that he would put it under “Slide Share”. This is one I also found to be great for business. If you are presenting somewhere, you might want to use “Slide Share” which is located under the category of Business. This allows you to share your presentation online whether it is in Powerpoint, OpenOffice, a .pdf file, and many more formats as well as share your ideas with others. I like the fact that if you do not go through Facebook and you created an account with them which is through www.slideshare.net, it appears as though you can sync your account.

MarketPlace. From time to time, I do take a look here. Marketplace is a great way for a person to buy, sell, give things away, or even ask for things that you might want or need from people especially if it is to support a cause or charity.

weRead. With so much do on a day to day basis, where is the time to read? With using weRead, you can list, rate, and write reviews for the books you have read as well as even start a book club. I must say that my interest really is really reading computer books but I would like to start reading other books that are purely for no benefit.

Growing Gifts. This is one where you can give your friends a gift that grows. You can send a Growing Gift to someone or even help some of your friend’s with growing their garden therefore giving and helping one another.

There are so many different applications that can a person might want to use as their favorites as they are connecting with their friends, family, or even business associates.

So it goes without question, which Facebook applications do you find worth adding?

Beyond just going to Google website and performing a search like I normally do, the book itself delves a lot deeper in what Google has to offer and what types tips and tricks can be used to make an effective search on the Internet. The book itself was divided into four parts.

Part One, “What Can You Do with Google?” This section explains what Google isn’t (Google index is not a snapshot of everything online) and what Google is (Google is a searchable index).

Part Two, “Asking For What You Want”. This section shows you how to use phrase searches by surrounding a phrase (roses are red) with quotes to generate results. There were a lot of search features in this section that one can used which included: using the AND or the OR, using the date range, using the minus sign in order not to include that word as part of your search, and many more. As an alternative, they pointed out that a person can use the Advanced Search to pick and choose what they want instead of using Google search.

Part Three, “Understanding What You Get”. Okay you know what you want to search and now you have the searches. The question is “What did you get from the search? This section provides a little bit more understanding as to how use the Safe Search to filter out offensive searches, understanding the different part of the search, and checking your spelling.

Part Four, “Other Google Services and Features”. Google goes beyond just being a search engine. It demonstrates how Google offers other services such as a directory, catalog, image searching, news, shopping, and of course groups.

I like the fact that this book summed up all the different searches that can be performed while using Google. I also like the fact that throughout the book, they provided various examples for a person to follow while sitting in front of their computer to practice these searches and to reiterate these searches all together again in one area of the book which was the Appendix.

Provided by Google, here is a list of Google shortcuts for searches that you can use.

After you have registered your domain name, choose a web hosting provider, and have your website visible on the web, what do you do next? The next thing is website maintenance. But how? One way I like to maintain my website or others I work with is using a web content management system. First let’s take a look at what a content management system is, the benefits of using one, and look at some content management systems that can be used for personal or business.

What is a Content Management System?

A Content Management Systems is a way to create, manage, distribute, publish, and update your website information.

Benefits to a Content Management System

Even though there are other ways of updating your website, you might decide to choose and use a content management system. What are the benefits of using a content management system? Below are the following benefits to using a content management system:

• Changes can be updated any time when needed (day or night).
• If you choose to do so and have staff, they can update the section(s) that they are responsible for.
• Design and content is separate. This means that you can update or make changes to the design without affecting the content.
• Use Cascading Style Sheets to maintain the appearance. I really like CSS as it allows you to change the design and color of the CMS site.
• Create RSS Feeds. Every time you create a post or make a comment, it creates a feed for it.
• Schedule your content updates. You can set a time to schedule when your articles or post actually can be updated.

Content Management Systems to Use

Where can you find a content management system to use? For starters, most web hosting providers will have a content management system for you to use. For example, the web hosting provider I have has Drupal, Mambo, and Joomla as part of my content management systems. Of course, these are some popular ones to use to make updates as I find anyone of these to be a great tool to use.

On another note, if you would like to use a hosted content management system just to simply update content and do the minimum for other things, I find that CushyCMS which can be found at www.cushycms.com (You can watch the demo on the site and Sign up for free), will allow web designers or content editors to edit content as well as not to install software on their machine. With CushyCMS, there is a free version which I have used and there is one where you can pay which provides more services.

Conclusion

A content management system can be a great tool to use for either personal or business use. A content management system allows you to capability to update your site and have multiple authors take authorship of sections of your site as your site continues to grow.

A Netbook can be useful for your business for the sole purpose for web browsing, checking email, and do a little word processing (Netbooks can hold some applications) while on the go or traveling. They are portable, easy to carry in a backpack or a bag as I have experienced. 

Netbooks also has its disadvantages. The disadvantage of owning and using a Netbook is the Netbook has a small keyboard which makes it difficult to type at times, difficulty in installing programs such as games that require lots of space, and of course the small screen making it difficult to see a few view of your applications or sometimes the Internet.

 The Netbook may not be for every business but it can have its practical use for your business. How so? There are questions that you can consider when purchasing a Netbook. These questions are:

• Does your business require you to store a large amount of data onto your computer?
• Does your business run software applications such as games, databases (SQL Server or Oracle) that might require a large amount of space?
• Will this be the primary use for your business staff? Will using the Internet and checking their email be enough for your business staff to use?
• Will the small screen be efficient enough for you to use or do you need a larger screen to view, like that of a laptop?
• Will owning a Netbook for as part of your business help your bottom line in the long run?

These are some questions that one can consider when assessing the needs of your business before purchasing a Netbook. You might also want to consider giving a few of the Netbooks a test run to see which Netbook will be useful for your business. This might be identifying areas of how much space you need for your Netbook or software applications to use on the Netbook.