Most Popular Firefox Add-ons and Posts of 2015 | Dramel Notes

At the end of each year, most people enjoy reviewing notable events for the previous 12 months. With that in mind, we are taking a look back at Firefox for 2015.

Which new browser features were added? Which MakeUseOf posts for Firefox stood out? Which helpful add-ons were recommended? Here is a wrap-up of these noteworthy items as we say good-bye to another year.

New Firefox Features in 2015

Every year users hope and look forward to new browser features. This year Firefox incorporated several changes and here is a list of just some of them along with the month they were released:

• Firefox Hello was introduced for real-time video chatting with friends and coworkers (January)
• New sharing features were added making it easier to connect and stay connected (July)
• A fresh look for Windows 10 and safer add-ons were implemented (August)
• Firefox for iOS was released worldwide for mobile users (November)
• The new Tracking Protection feature was added for more private browsing (November)

3 Must-Read Firefox Posts

Switching From Chrome: How to Make Firefox Feel Like Home – For those who decide to make the full change from Chrome to Firefox, Joel Lee takes you through helpful ways to feel comfortable with your decision.

The piece begins with reasons for making the switch that include privacy, performance, and personalization. It then goes on to assist you with how to transfer your data from Chrome to Firefox. If you are interested in a different theme and would like to change the tab scrolling, this helpful article has you covered there as well.

Update Firefox Now! Or a Security Flaw Can Steal Your Local Files – Back in August when Mozilla issued a critical update to address a security flaw, Mihir Patkar jumped in to help users through it. This article describes the steps that need to be taken, how to perform them, and why it is so important.

The piece then goes on to explain why other browsers might be safer. For those who might believe they should stop using Firefox all together, the article explains that Mozilla took steps immediately to remedy the issue.

How Easy Is It for a Chrome User to Switch to Firefox Today? – For users who are still on the fence regarding the change from Chrome to Firefox, Mihir Patkar provides a useful piece. Using his own experience with the two popular browsers, you can easily see what you would miss with Chrome by making the switch.

From extensions to Chromecast support, the value of add-ons is discussed. Then, with a wrap-up, mention of the browsers on mobile devices, and a challenge to readers to try the switch for one week, the article prompted many opinions in the comments from users.

Standout Firefox Extensions in 2015

As with other browsers, MakeUseOf checks out many add-ons throughout the year to find the best ones. From productivity to social networking to security and more, here are some of the best Firefox add-ons we used in 2015.

13 Essential Firefox Addons To Begin 2015 – To get your year started right, Mihir Patkar provided a terrific list covering various categories of add-ons. Here are some of those helpful tools:

• Privacy Badger for improving privacy and security
• Tab Grenade for turning tabs into a list on one page
• Fokus for highlighting text on a page
• Download Plan for scheduling links to be downloaded later
• Profilist for switching profiles quickly

7 Great Customization Add-ons for Firefox – For those who love to customize their browsing experience, I put together this list with a nice selection to spruce up Firefox and here are just a few:

• Personas Plus for adding an fun theme or attractive skin
• ColorfulTabs for turning tabs into different colors, manually or by domain
• Classic Theme Restorer for bringing back features of previous Firefox versions

6 Great Social Sharing Extensions for Firefox – Social sharing is simple with this list of Firefox add-ons that I created to help keep users stay connected which includes:

• AddThis for sharing to social media sites as well as Gmail, WordPress, and more
• Buffer for sharing to Facebook or Twitter using a scheduler
• Pinterest Pin Button for quick uploading of images to Pinterest boards

Completely Secure: 11 Must-Have Firefox Addons For Security – When it comes to security, having reliable tools is key to keeping you safe and Joel Lee has a great list to help, including these five items:

• HTTPS Everywhere for secure browsing by forcing HTTPS all the time
• Ghostery for blocking Web trackers
• Blur for data collection blocking and management of passwords and payment details
• BetterPrivacy for protection of long-term super-cookies
• Bloody Vikings! for using temporary email addresses for miscellaneous signups

The Best Firefox Add-ons of 2015

From security and productivity add-ons to articles that assist you with the switch from Chrome to Firefox, MakeUseOf is here to help. These popular posts and useful extensions are the ones that really stood out for Firefox in 2015 and there will certainly be more to come in the new year.

What are your favorite new add-ons for Firefox? And which of our Firefox articles did you enjoy the most this year?

Image Credit: Gustavo Frazao via Shutterstock.com

[Read more]

SEJ Wrap-Up: Get Ready for Google Accelerated Mobile Pages & 2016 Social Media Cheat Sheet by @megcabrera | Dramel Notes

This is the wrap-up of the most popular posts and announcements on SEJ over the previous week. Newsletter subscribers are the first to receive this and other updates.

Google Rolling Out Accelerated Mobile Pages, Get Your Site Ready Now

Google announced its plans to roll out accelerated mobile pages in February 2016, following successful testing of the new technology.

Initially, this technology was tested with a select few publishers. Now, by late February, everyone will be able to take advantage of the new technology.

Learn how to get your site ready for next year’s “hottest new website technology” in this week’s top post.

2016 Social Media Image Sizes Cheat Sheet

Social networks change the dimensions and formats of images frequently, and it can be difficult to stay updated with the latest image size.

As you start to plan out your social media campaigns for 2016, it’s imperative that you optimize your personal and business’ social media profiles with the right image sizes.

Here’s a handy cheat sheet with us that shows all the social media image dimensions in one infographic. See the post here.

Popular Search Marketing Posts

Here is a rundown of the most popular posts on SEJ from last week:

1. Google to Roll Out Accelerated Mobile Pages to Everyone, Get Your Content Ready Now, by Matt Southern 
2. 2016 Social Media Image Sizes Cheat Sheet, by Aki Libo-on
3. Content Marketing 101: What Kind of Content Actually Gets Links, by David Farkas
4. 6 Soft Skills That Doay’s SEOs Should Possess, by Neil Patel
5. 5 Mobile PPC Techniques Veterans Use to Win, by Dusty Vegas
6. YouTube Introduces a Trending Tab, Surfacing Viral Videos in Real Time, by Matt Southern
7. 27 Resources to Help Get Found in Search, by Ryan Hanley
8. What’s the Problem With YouTube Ad Keyword Targeting, by Isaac Rudansky
9. How to Get Ahead With Your Content in 2016, by Julia McCoy
10. Four SEO Strategies Every Digital Marketing Needs to Understand, by Bernadette Coleman

Download This Week’s Episode of Marketing Nerds

In this week’s episode of the Marketing Nerds podcast, we are joined by Robert ‘Snake’ Hansen, who is VP of WhiteHat Security Labs, well-respected DefCon speaker, world renown hacker, writer of Slowloris, and creator of Ha.ckers org. We talk about a number of really important topics related to website security. Listen to the full episode, or download the MP3 here.

Subscribe to Marketing Nerds: iTunes | Android | RSS

Image Credits

Featured Image: Image by Paulo Bobita
In-post Photo #1: Ilin Sergey / Shutterstock.com
In-post Photo #2: Image by Paulo Bobita
In-post Photo #3: Image by Jamie Spencer. Used with permission.

[Read more]

12 Star Wars Mistakes You Have Never Spotted Before | Dramel Notes

Star Wars is back, and in spectacular style. But while The Force Awakens stands out on its own as the start of a new era, there are six previous Star Wars movies for fans, new and old alike, to watch on repeat ad infinitum.

Doing so means you start to see things you had missed on the first viewing, and even the second or third viewing. Crew members where they shouldn’t be, anachronistic technology, and continuity errors galore.

We have compiled the biggest and best Star Wars mistakes into one article to ensure you spot them for yourself the next time you watch these magnificent movies.

Major Malfunction

Some would say that probing a movie for mistakes is a way of ruining the whole experience of movies. Others call it a harmless amusement, and have devoted whole websites to spotting such mistakes. To some, it can be a peak behind Oz’s curtain, a glimpse into how our favorite movies are made.

The mistakes listed here are not the only ones you’ll find in the Star Wars movies… far from it. All you have to do is go to the IMDb page of any single one of the films, or search the Interwebs for “Star Wars mistakes” and you’ll find dozens of examples. However, these are some of the biggest, most noticeable errors in the films you really should have spotted but probably didn’t.

Note that this is not in any way a denigration of the franchise. The writers of MakeUseOf are as much into Star Wars as the next group of geeks. Just a cursory search of this site will bring you to articles about celebrating Star Wars Day, the impossibility of lightsabers, the Star Wars canon, and even reading Star Wars fan fiction.

However, no movie is flawless, no matter how many airbrushed “remastered special edition” versions are released to the masses. These are some of the mistakes you won’t believe you missed in the Star Wars movies… and which you will now never be able to unsee. You’re welcome!

Episode I: The Phantom Menace

The first of the prequels, and probably the worst Star Wars movie of all time.

Maybe It Transmits Midi-Chlorians?

During the invasion of the capital city of Naboo, Queen Amidala stands gazing at the enemy forces out of a window, helpless to stop them from harming her people. She is in full costume and make-up, and her ceremonial gown has glowing orange globes near the hem.

While one would think these required no more than a few batteries, apparently the costume needed some extra power, as you can see a power cord snaking around a column towards her dress at the bottom of the shot.

The Birth of C-3P0

When nine-year-old Anakin Skywalker wants to show off for his new friend Padme, he takes her to his room to show her the robot he’s been building. He tells her he’s been building what would become the series’ resident comic relief, protocol droid C-3P0 (though why such a droid would help his slave mother, who works for a mechanic, remains unsaid).

When he turns on C-3P0, he quickly remembers to put in the droid’s other eye. In the shot where he picks up the eye, he raises it to 3P0’s face with his left hand. In the next shot, he’s putting the eye in with his right hand.

Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Arguably a better film than the previous one, but still a long way from being good.

Padme’s Magical Wardrobe

We have all heard the jokes about Padme’s exaggerated costumes. When she was queen, the elaborate makeup and outfits could be rationalized as ceremonial garb or attempts to conceal her decoy, but even as a politician the woman wears some snazzy fashion and demonstrates apparent magic with clothes.

In the scene where she’s packing for a trip with Anakin, she is seen in one shot holding a folded pink garment. In the very next shot, and without ever once being off-camera, she has swapped it for a crumpled, dark blue garment.

Who Uses a Knife and Fork to Eat a Pear?

During their lengthy stay on Naboo, Padme and Anakin enjoy a fruit snack together. Attempting to show off, Anakin levitates Padme’s pear over to his plate, cuts it with his utensils, then levitates it back to her.

Leaving aside the fact that the CGI is so poor that a piece of the fruit disappears into Padme’s mouth before her teeth close on it, the piece which Anakin returns to her isn’t even half the size of the piece he cut two shots previously.

Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

The best of the prequels, but still not good enough to set up the originals.

That’s Not How Gravity Works

In the middle of the battle at the beginning of the film, the ship the heroes are on is hit and sent into freefall by the gravity of the planet it’s orbiting. The ship’s artificial gravity somehow redirects to the nose of the ship, meaning the orientation of gravity shifts ninety degrees.

However, artificial gravity is not an hourglass: If it was still active, the floor would still be the floor no matter how the ship was oriented. If it’s deactivated, everyone and everything inside the ship would be freefalling.

How to Hold a Lightsaber

During the big fight on Mustafar between Anakin and Obi-Wan, Anakin almost wins during a clash. He grabs Obi-Wan’s wrist and pushes his mentor’s own lightsaber towards his throat.

In a continuity error all the more glaring due to being in the foreground of two close-up shots, Obi-Wan not only manages to slide his hand up the hilt of the lightsaber, but in the second shot he appears to be holding a different lightsaber altogether.

Episode IV: A New Hope

The movie that kicked it all off, and changed a cinematic genre forever.

Obvious Still is Obvious

The morning after R2-D2 escapes from the Lars homestead, Luke departs to look for him before his Uncle Owen awakes. There’s an establishing shot of the homestead bathed in morning light, just before Owen calls Luke’s name.

Ordinarily you wouldn’t be able to tell that this is a still image, but there’s a blurred Luke in the far right of the screen. Either this is some kind of double exposure or Mark Hamill was in the shot when it was taken. Either way, it’s obvious that it’s a still image.

Extra Crew Member on the Falcon?

Just as the Millennium Falcon escapes Mos Eisley, there is a close-up shot of Han Solo in the cockpit. Just over his right shoulder, you can see the shoulder of a person in a light-colored, possibly green, shirt standing just outside the door, who slides out of the shot within a couple of seconds.

It’s possible that it was supposed to be Obi-Wan or Luke, both of whom are shown to be wearing light robes. But they were buckling up elsewhere on the ship seconds before, so it can’t be either one. So who is that?

Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

The film most fans consider to be the best of them all. But it’s hardly flawless.

Felling Goliath

The unorthodox solution of using tow cables to bring down the massive and implacable Imperial Walkers during the Rebel’s fight to defend their Hoth base was impressive in and of itself. But Luke takes it one step further by using nothing but his lightsaber and a grenade.

We’ll overlook the fact that throwing a grenade into the undercarriage of the Walker somehow caused the cockpit to explode. Luke apparently had help toppling this giant, since you can clearly see a stick pushing up the foot of the Walker, causing it to fall over.

Han’s Vanishing Restraints

This one technically goes across two movies, but begins in Episode V. When Han is encased in carbonite in order to be delivered to Jabba the Hutt by Boba Fett, he is initially held captive with wrist restraints.

When he is about to be lowered into the carbonite chamber, they are removed, presumably because he wouldn’t have attempted escape and risked the lives of Leia and Chewbacca. He does, however, still have a restraining harness on his upper arms and back. This is not on him when he is defrosted in the next movie.

Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

The last film in the original trilogy, when Darth Vader’s story comes to an end.

Lando’s Black Gloves

During the battle over the Sarlacc pit, poor Lando gets thrown out of the skiff used to transport the heroes. For a few tense moments, he dangles precariously over the beast’s maw and nearly tumbles in.

Some of the shots were very obviously done with Billy Dee Williams’s stunt double, and you can usually tell by looking at the hands. Lando wears black gloves in some shots, but not in others, and all of the barehanded shots are close-ups of the actor’s face.

Shoulder Swapping

Lando can’t seem to stop with the between-shot wardrobe changes. In the Rebel hanger just before the mission on and over the moon of Endor, Han and Lando have a long conversation about the Millennium Falcon.

Initially Lando’s bandolier holster is fastened from his right shoulder to his left hip. When Han walks away and then turns back, there is a shot of Lando saying, “Would you get going, you pirate?” This shot is reversed, as Lando’s holster is fastened left shoulder to right hip, and the insignia is on the other side of his chest.

What’s Your Favorite Star Wars Mistake?

As we made clear at the start of this piece these are by no means the only mistakes in the Star Wars movies. So, the floor is now yours to tell us which ones you noticed that we haven’t mentioned here? Please let us know in the comments section below!

[Read more]

SEJ Wrap-Up: Google Kills Off Google+ Local, SEO Audit Tips by @megcabrera | Dramel Notes

This is the wrap-up of the most popular posts and announcements on SEJ over the previous week. Newsletter subscribers are the first to receive this and other updates.

Google Kills off Google+ Local, Still Committed to Local Search

Google has changed the way they show local results. Again. The latest change with very little warning, which has created plenty of confusion and frustration among many business owners.

In this week’s top post, SEJ contributor Myles Anderson, explains explain what has changed, why it has changed, and why Google Local is still a huge opportunity for local businesses to attract new customers. Read the full post here.

 7 Simple But Overlooked SEO Audit Tips

Whether you love or hate SEO audits, you can’t deny the satisfaction of finding that one things that has been holding back your site, or a client site, from doing well.

In another of this week’s top SEO posts, contributor Joe Balestrino shares the top 7 issues he routinely helps businesses with following an SEO audit. Not finding what you need with your current auditing techniques? Read Joe’s full list of tips here.

Popular Search Marketing Posts

Here is a rundown of the most popular posts on SEJ from last week:

1. Google Kills Off Google+ Local, Still Committed to Local Search, by Myles Anderson
2. Instagram Test Multiple Account Feature, by Danielle Antosz
3. 7 Simple but Overlooked SEO Audit Tips, by Joe Balestrino
4. Google Permanently Removes “Change Location” Search Feature, by Danielle Antosz
5. 7 Brands Who Are Keeping it Real on Facebook and Twitter, by Danielle Antosz/ [AD] How to Enhance Your Blog’s Engagement With Embedly
6. 5 Ways to Improve Your Organic Reach on YouTube, by Aleh Barysevich
7. New #MarketingNerds Podcast: When is it Worth Investing in Yourself?, by Aki Libo-on
8. Google AdWords Doubles Amount of Structured Information Shown in Text Ads, by Matt Southern
9. Google Releases ‘Trial Runs’ Streaming App Ads, by Danielle Antosz
10. 5 Ways to Build a Listening Culture to Boost Reputation, by Jean Dion

Download This Week’s Episode of Marketing Nerds

In this week’s episode of Marketing Nerds, WordStream CTO and Founder, Larry Kim, joins SEJ Executive Editor Kelsey Jones to talk about Google AdWords’ Customer Match. Larry gave an overview of AdWords’ new feature, how businesses can use it, and why it’s better to choose niche PPC audiences over widespread ones. Listen to the full episode, or download the MP3 here.

Subscribe to Marketing Nerds: iTunes | Android | RSS

Image Credits

Featured Image: Image by Paulo Bobita
In-post Photo #1: rvlsoft / Shutterstock.com
In-post Photo #2: Image by Paulo Bobita
In-post Photo #3: nerucci/Shutterstock.com

[Read more]

SEJ Wrap-Up: Surprising SEO Tips You Need to Know & Get Your New Site Indexed in Google by @megcabrera | Dramel Notes

This is the wrap-up of the most popular posts and announcements on SEJ over the previous week. Newsletter subscribers are the first to receive this and other updates.

10 SEO Tips You’d Be Surprised You Didn’t Know

When it comes to SEO, there’s a lot of fluctuation in the industry — and it’s not just Google update, it’s also in the way people use and interact with search engines.

In this week’s top article, SEJ contributor Erin Robbins O’Brien shares a variety of surprising new SEO tips — covering analytics, organization, and productivity practices.

These are practices O’Brien personally uses and believes marketers should be more aware of. View the full article here. 

How to Get Your New Website Indexed in Google

Launching a new website is not just about getting it up and running, you need to get it indexed and ranking high too. Can this be accomplished in just a few weeks? VIP Contributor Neil Patel believe it is.

These days you can’t guarantee or get first-page rankings using the same methods as before. In another of this week’s top articles, Patel explains that there’s a new content-driven, user-focused approach to SEO.

The process is different, but Patel says still possible to get your website ranked quickly. Read his full article here.

Popular Search Marketing Posts

Here is a rundown of the most popular posts on SEJ from last week:

1. 10 SEO Tips You’d Be Surprised You Didn’t Know, by Erin Robbins O’Brien
2. How to Help Your New Website Get Indexed in Google, by Neil Patel
3. 3 Facebook Ad Features You’re Not Using (But Should Be), by Scott Cohen
4. 9 Roadblocks Harming Your Google Rankings, by Barrie Smith
5. 12 Content Marketing Tools That Will Rapidly Improve Your Productivity, by Anna Francis / [AD] 3 Overlooked Keys to Success With Influencer Marketing
6. More About Google’s Search Quality Guidelines, by Marc Purtell
7. Google Permanently Removes ‘Change Location’ Feature in Search Results, by Danielle Antosz
8. 2015 UK Search Awards Winners Announced, by Matt Southern
9. Misconceptions About Facebook Ads: Interview with Rocco Baldassarre, by Kelsey Jones
10. How Alt Tags Can Hurt Your Business, by Eli Schwartz

Download This Week’s Episode of Marketing Nerds

[Read more]

SEJ Wrap-Up: SEO in 2015 Compiled in Infographic, Advanced Facebook Targeting by @megcabrera | Dramel Notes

This is the wrap-up of the most popular posts and announcements on SEJ over the previous week. Newsletter subscribers are the first to receive this and other updates.

A Snapshot of SEO in 2015 and Beyond

How well do you actually know SEO at the end of 2015? it can be easy to forget the fundamentals and navigate your way through the multiple updates thrown at you from the big G.

Keeping up is paramount, or you’re just going to get lost in the jungle. Contributor Richard Paul has created an infographic compiling all the data related to SEO in 2015.

Get ready to kick back and brush up on what you need to know about this field going into next year. See the infographic here.

Facebook’s Detailed Targeting: What You Need to Know

Are you running Facebook ads for your business? If so, Facebook is rolling out something that will help you narrow your targeting down to the exact customers you wish to reach.

Popular Search Marketing Posts

Here is a rundown of the most popular posts on SEJ from last week:

1. A Snapshot of SEO in 2015 and Beyond, by Richard Paul
2. Facebook’s Detailed Targeting: What You Need to Know, by Kyler Patterson
3. How to Make an Effective About Us Page, by Amanda DiSilvestro
4. 15 Tips to Help You Write Better Social Media Content, by Julia McCoy
5. Maximize Your Reach Using Google’s Knowledge Graph, by Aleh Barysevich / [AD] Top Search Ranking Factors of 2015, According to Moz Study
6. Social Media Reputation Management Do’s and Don’ts, by Jean Dion
7. 10 Steps to Effective Website Content and Copy, by Chandal Nolasco da Silva
8. How to Choose the Best Domain Name, by Travin Keith
9. #MarketingNerds, How to Succeed in Local SEO, by Aki Libo-on
10. The Complete Guide to Content Marketing Through Comments, by Brent Csutoras

Download This Week’s Episode of Marketing Nerds

[Read more]