Blogging is fun but sometimes it can be hard work. If you use Firefox for browsing, you will be amazed at how your tool for browsing can be transformed into a tool that supercharges your blogging experience!

Here are some Firefox extensions (in no particular order) that can give you that extra oomph in blogging. I have included a few tips on how you can leverage these extensions in various aspects of blogging so that this post doesn’t end up being another list of Firefox extensions.

1. Clippings - If you find yourself typing information over and over again in web page forms or forums or in your email, you will absolutely love this extension. Just type once and save it to access it in 2 clicks from your context menu or status bar. Clippings Manager offers folders to organize your Clippings and an option to export and import your clippings between computers.
   Tip: I use Clippings to store my frequently used blog post urls that I refer to or link to in comments. The bottom meta text in this post is from my Clippings.
2. Copy Plain Text - When you are trying to copy text to quote someone or provide an excerpt from another blog post, it can be annoying to paste the text with all the original formatting. This simple extension adds an option to your right click menu to copy plain text.
3. FireFTP - An excellent ftp client that will open right in your browser. Upload/download pictures or files to your blog host from within your browser. Features like directory comparison, directory sync, SSL encryption, search and filtering makes this a valuable tool for your blogging arsenal.
4. InformEnter - Clippings is great for big blurbs of repetitive text that would like to copy. But, aren’t you tired of typing your information in web forms over and over again? InformEnter adds a small clickable icon next to each field and you can click on it to enter the information you need. You can toggle it on and off with a single click on an icon in the status bar.
   Tip: Create different profiles and switch easily. I have one for commenting in blogs - with the usual Name, email & web address. I have another for registering for user accounts in various web sites. I have one for shopping with my home address. You can also store your frequently used blog post URLs with your comment profile.
5. Screengrab - I love adding pictures/screenshots to my blog posts. A picture is worth thousand words indeed. Gone are the days when you would have to printscreen the whole page and then use Microsoft Paint to crop the image you want. Use ScreenGrab to snipe just a portion of the page you are looking at save it to your computer or clipboard. You have option to grab just your mouse selection or complete page or just the visible part. You can set the option beforehand to save it to either jpg or png.
   Tip: If you’d like to resize, edit, crop some more or add some effects to the picture right after taking it, try a portable freeware called FastStone Capture. It is fast and offers more screen capture options like freehand selection and comes with a really capable image editor. The image you capture automaticall opens in the fast editor and you save it as it is or resize/work on it before saving it. With FastStone, you are not limited to screenshots of stuff in your browser.
6. ScribeFire - Previously named Performancing, it is a blog editor for Firefox. It is a love and hate relationship for a lot of bloggers with this extension. It is very capable and has a lot of options and would be great for anyone who would like to write from within the browser. Also, it could be very handy if you are trying to write on your laptop with no internet connection. You could just Publish it to your blog from the editor as soon as you have an internet connection.
7. SearchStatus - This extension is mostly known and used for SEO. You don’t have to be an SEO expert to use this. In its very basic form, while surfing other blogs quickly see their Google Pagerank, Alexa rank and Compete rank with this extension. When you are looking at blogs with dofollow enabled for comments, this can be of great assistance to help determine where to concentrate your commenting to gain backlinks.
   It also features other SEO features such as keyword density analyzer, keyword/nofollow highlighting, backward/related links and more.
   Tip: By commenting in ShanKri-la (after 2 comments), you start getting free PR3 backlinks! A lot of blogs have top commentator plugin enabled and it could be easy way to getting a prominent link for free.
8. ScrapBook - I could write a whole post about ScrapBook. Its Google Notebook in steroids. Better yet, it resides in your browser and requires no signing in!
   Instead of reiterating all its features, I have Screengrab-ed the list of features for your reference. It’s so feature-rich that you would want to cry when you start using it. The options are mind blowing, so take your time setting it up as you go and as you get familiar with all its capabilities.
9. StumbleUpon - Facing blogger’s block? Some might suggest taking a break. But, if you are trying to make money blogging, taking a break might not be an option. Get a StumbleUpon account and start stumbling your favorite topics. Inspiration comes standard with this extension.
   Note: Even though it is available as an add-on, you are actually installing a toolbar.
10. OneClick Installer for WordPress - This a WordPress Plugin + Firefox extension combo. Once you have this installed in your WordPress blog, installing plugins and themes are just a click away in your right click menu in Firefox. A real time saver. No more FTP for installing themes & plugins.

I hope this list brings atleast a couple of new ones to your attention. If you find atleast one of these extensions that is going to supercharge your blogging, then my time spent writing this post is well worth it.

Let me know if it did and please share your favorite Firefox extensions that help you blog efficiently.

To read more technology related topics, visit ShanKri-la - where technology meets daily life!. My goal is to make your life on the Internet a little bit easier, a little bit manageable and a little bit more enjoyable.

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16 Responses to “10 Firefox Add-ons to Supercharge your Blogging”

1. Jamaipanese Says:
   September 25th, 2007 at 5:58 am

   thanks man, number 2 is just what I needed

2. K-IntheHouse Says:
   September 25th, 2007 at 7:23 am

   Hey Jamaipanese.. you are welcome! That is a must have extension for me.. and I think should be a native option in Firefox.

3. Mark Says:
   September 26th, 2007 at 9:19 pm

   I love Copy Plain Text, use it all the time at work at home. What a time saver. And Clipping? Yep, another great one I use a lot. Haven’t used ScreenGrab, but very pleased with Faststone Capture for my “screen-shotting”. They started charging for it earlier this year, but you can still find previous versions that don’t have the price tag attached.

4. Missy Says:
   September 27th, 2007 at 9:39 pm

   I swear by ScribeFire and ScreenGrab sounds interesting, i will have to take a look at it. There needs to be a quick and easy way to do screenshots.

5. K-IntheHouse Says:
   September 28th, 2007 at 5:46 am

   Mark.. it really is a great time saver! I use ScreenGrab & FS Capture depending on my needs. For simple snipping with no alterations ScreenGrab does its job.

   Missy.. ScreenGrab is the easiest way to do screenshots of whole page or a frame or your selection. FastStone capture’s older version is an excellent portable app (no install) and very lightweight. It also comes with a built in image editor to tweak your shots, as Mark has mentioned above.

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7. AzGun Says:
   November 11th, 2007 at 10:28 am

   Good and really useful post for all readers and specially for me, thanks!
   

8. 10 Firefox Plugins to Help Your Blogging - Bloggeries Blog Forum Says:
   February 9th, 2008 at 11:34 am

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9. Troy Says:
   February 12th, 2008 at 6:05 pm

   Classic K post, a great list of extensions, and so true about the stumbling for inspiration. I found this post through SU for example :).

   I’d add ColorZilla, CSSview and Mozile as well, but they’re more design related.

10. K-IntheHouse Says:
    February 13th, 2008 at 11:22 am

    Troy.. thank you very much! I am going to try out the Mozile & CssView and may be feature them in this week’s picks.

11. Matthew Henrickson Says:
    February 13th, 2008 at 1:38 pm

    this is definitely a great post and Im glad its getting some new life

12. Syed Balkhi Says:
    February 20th, 2008 at 5:47 pm

    Nice list of ff plugins. I use some of these already including the stumble upon and informenter

13. Marc Says:
    March 13th, 2008 at 10:45 am

    thanks for this list really helpful ^_^ cheers

14. Phoenix2Life Says:
    May 1st, 2008 at 2:17 pm

    Thanks, these are all cool tools for blogging. My favorite is ScribeFire. Also I like RankQuest - FireFox plugin, it has all the SEO related tools as a part of firefox tool bar and easy to access.

    Keep it up.

15. gamer Says:
    May 9th, 2008 at 11:30 am

    Thanks man. All this info is great. I am going to try all of them.

16. David Leonhardt - SEO Says:
    May 12th, 2008 at 6:39 am

    This is a great list…more utilitarian than a typical “great plugins” might be expected. I already have most of these functionalities (RoboForm for form filling, for example) including my discovery just the other day of the Snipping Tool in Windows Vista (Finally something good to say about Vista!), but I might try a couple of the other plugins you mention.

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