Speed is always an issue, of course. But for me, and many others who use Firefox, its advantage is that it’s really more than just a browser. With the judicious addition of some well-designed add-ons, it can be a tool for managing multiple email accounts, testing and troubleshooting web pages, managing passwords, synchronizing data, and much more.

Other browsers offer add-ons, too, but as far as I know, no other browser has all of the add-ons that I use. Some I’ve written about before, but others are relatively new additions to my toolbox.

• Gmail Manager. I use this add-on constantly. It allows me to manage multiple Gmail and Google Apps Mail accounts without opening multiple tabs or a separate email program.
• Google Shortcuts. I also use a lot of other Google products (like Reader and Webmaster Tools, for example), but find that their URLs aren’t necessarily memorable. This add-on lets me create simple shortcuts to the Google pages that I often visit.
• Firebug and Web Developer. These add-ons are tools that no web developer should be without. They provide a huge range of functions for testing and troubleshooting HTML, CSS and much more.
• 1Password and LastPass. These add-ons manage password data and sync it with other computers, as well as mobile devices like the iPhone and iPod touch. Yes, I probably don’t need two password managers, but each has its advantages, and I really can’t afford to lose the huge number of passwords I have. So I use both; they co-exist surprisingly well.
• XMarks. In addition to passwords, it’s handy to be able to sync browsing history and bookmarks between computers, which XMarks does well. It can also sync passwords, although I don’t use it for that.
• Screengrab and NoSquint. These add-ons make minor, but very useful, improvements to the built-in features of Firefox. Screengrab allows one to take screenshots within the browser, and NoSquint lets one adjust zoom levels on a site-by-site basis.
• All-in-One Sidebar (AIOS). I do like one feature of Opera — the ability for one’s history, add-ons and downloads to show up in a sidebar rather than popup windows. AIOS is a very configurable Firefox add-on that makes for a much cleaner browser display.
• Finally, Adblock Plus.

Of course, as a web developer, I do need to make sure that the sites my company makes are compatible with many different browsers and operating systems. But frankly, I spend most of the day in a browser, and so far, that browser is still Firefox.

What is your preferred web browser?

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But when I upgraded from Firefox 3.5.7 to 3.6 the other day, I discovered that a few of the add-ons that weren’t yet compatible were important to me. In fact, they had become such an integral part of my daily workflow that I was significantly slowed down without them. Luckily, almost all of the add-ons were updated within a couple of days so I’m back up to speed now, but I realized how much I missed them when they weren’t available. In this post I’m going to share the add-ons that I find it hard to be without.

Some of us at WWD have ditched Firefox in favor of the faster Chrome, but until these add-ons are also available in Chrome for Mac, I won’t switch. In the meantime, I’m sticking with Firefox, and hoping that 3.6, the newest version, lives up to its claims of increased speed.

Mozilla Prism. This add-on allows me to create a site-specific browser for locations I visit frequently. I’ve used it to create a “Google Reader” application that appears in my dock, can be placed in a separate Space, and operates separately from Firefox. I’m not sure why Mozilla hasn’t updated this yet; I’m using Chrome to view Google Reader for now.

LastPass. This password manager not only keeps track of my passwords, it syncs them between browsers and computers. I imagine most web workers have as many passwords as I do — they’d be impossible to keep track of without a program like LastPass. I also use 1Password for the Mac, and sync its data using Dropbox, figuring that it doesn’t hurt to keep such important data in multiple places.

Xmarks. This handy extension syncs my bookmarks between browsers and computers.

Adblock Plus. I appreciate all of the content that is available on the web, including WebWorkerDaily, thanks to the support of advertisers. But some sites have such obtrusive advertising that they are unusable. Google (which makes most of its money from advertising) is allowing ad blockers in its Chrome browser in the hope that advertisers will make “useful” ads that no one will want to block. Until then, Adblock Plus is a necessity for me.

Gmail Manager. This is the Firefox add-on that I use the most. It’s the best way I know to manage multiple Gmail and Google Apps mail accounts.

I’ll also add two tools that are incredibly helpful to web developers: Firebug and Web Developer. Both help me and my colleagues to test and debug web sites.

…and finally, Cards. Well, OK, I guess I can live without this one, but I’ll have find something else to do while I’m on the phone.

What browser add-ons do you rely on?

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Sitemasher

I wasn’t sure what to make of Sitemasher when I first heard of it. With Sitemasher, you can build a web site, manage the content, get analytics, implement basic SEO, and you get managed hosting to boot.

But at $99/month, I felt the kerpow of sticker shock. I knew that I had to think about Sitemasher differently to fully appreciate its value.

So after a demo with the company, here is what I’ve learned.

Web Developers Rule at Sitemasher

Sitemasher is really meant to be a tool for Web developers to help them provide integrated Web services to clients and either hand over the finished site to the client or continue to easily manage the site for the client. There are two views to Sitemasher:

Dashboard View: This is more for the marketer or business owner who wants to have some admin controls such as viewing site analytics, adding some basic SEO code into the site like easy-to-construct meta tags, and set user levels. Depending on a person’s role on the Web site development and maintenance process, their user access can be set up with limitations. The user roles tool allows admin to specify exactly what each person is allowed to do on the site – from edit to approve to publish. Tasks can be created and assigned.

Basically, Sitemasher lets the site admin turn features on and off based on the client’s needs and the workflow everyone wants.

Studio View: This is the heart of the Web developer’s domain. In Studio view, the developer can build the site from the ground up and tweak their development environment to their preferences. There is also a Style Sheet manager and a Database creator. So when a developer creates a form, for example, Sitemasher’s system automatically ties it to a contact database to manage the contact information.

Not being a Web designer myself, I didn’t grasp all the designer speak, however, I got the impression that even someone with my 1990s HTML and Web design skills would be right at home with the easy-to-use site building tools.

Back to the Price

After seeing how robust and feature rich Sitemasher was, I began to think again about the price. Would I, as a site developer, have to pay $99/month to build a site for my client?

The answer is NO. Web developers can use Sitemasher for free as their development tool for multiple clients. Each client gets private access into their site during all stages of development. Then, when the site is ready for debut, the developer triggers the site to publish it live.

Sitemasher analytics

At that point, the $99/month kicks in and this is a cost that the developer can pass on to the client. They could then choose to be done with the project as the CMS, analytics and SEO tools are easy enough for a non-programmer to use so a client could handle the site from then on. Or they can remain on hand – if the client has a capacity issue – and use Sitemasher to manage the site for the client. The client still pays $99/month for their site and all the features while the developer can charge for their time as webmaster.

Breaking down $99/month, I needed to remember that we’re talking about:

• a really powerful site builder (ex: Dreamweaver $399US);
• a detailed analytics tool (ex: Google Analytics which is FREE but something like WebTrends isn’t free);
• basic SEO (this could entail hiring an SEO expert for hundreds of dollars);
• simple CMS (this could be pricey – $1200/year); and
• managed hosting (this could range from $25/month to hundreds of dollars per month).

Frankly, just the CMS alone could make Sitemasher worthwhile to the business owner who doesn’t want to mess with code and also wants a good degree of autonomy from their Web developer.

$99/month is the Basic level where only 2 people can be users (Web developer and customer and then later could be switched to two customer staff members). The next levels, $249/month allows 5 users (with the ability to add), approvals, different user roles, and versioning while the $699/month gives you unlimited users on top of all the features.

NOTE: On October 8, Sitemasher announced the Sitemasher Website Design Contest which runs through March 1, 2009. Find out more about how you can enter. First Prize: $1,000; Second Prize: $500; Third Prize: $250 as well as a one-year subscription to Sitemasher Basic and a few other bennies.

Have you tried Sitemasher yet? What do you think of it? What other multi-featured Web development tool are you using and do you pay for it?

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Every time I want to open my mouth and put in my $2.50, I bite my tongue. I know that my Web design skills are so…1996. That is the year I began hiring other designers to work for me at my Internet company, finally loosening the iron-fisted grip on the creative, so my HTML and design skills are frozen in time. Still, I’ve always redesigned my own web sites – not because I think I’m a good designer, but because I can.

At this stage of my business, I can no longer afford not to outsource this work. Even though I do small design projects for some clients, most of my time is spent doing strategy, content development and e-marketing. Frankly, like so many marketers and developers, I don’t have time for my own site and without an overhaul, it is no longer working for me or communicating what I do.

The site redesign will be up in a few weeks, and I must admit the process has been easier than I thought it would be because I’ve been conscious of all the things that I could do to mess things up. Here’s how I’ve been getting through the last month with my new Web designer.

1. Shut Mouth. There is nothing worse than a client who thinks they know everything, right? I keep reminding myself that I am outsourcing this job for sound business reasons and that maybe, just maybe, I don’t know everything there is to know. I admit my possible ignorance, then shut my mouth and listen to my Web developer.

2. Open Mind. A closed mouth does no good without an open mind. I know I must be open to new ideas and perspectives. Even I admit there is no way one person can keep up on all the latest Web design and development techniques and tools. Maybe, just maybe, my Web developer has some great ideas, and I must be open-minded to accept them or at least consider them carefully.

3. Hire Wisely. I hired a young woman in town who I’ve worked with on smaller Web projects. During those times, I got to know how she thinks and works and felt she was not only talented and creative but smart. I appreciate intelligence. I hired her because I respected her and her work. Without that initial respect, I don’t think a positive working relationship could form.

4. Trust. I have had to let go and trust my Web developer to do a good job. I’ve been known to micro-manage in the past, and I paid close attention to this tendency. The idea that “nobody can do it as good as I can” doesn’t hold up. It takes trust not only in my Web developer but trust in myself that I made the right choice.

5. Respond. I really am trying to be the perfect client. I respond quickly to any request from my Web developer and try to be thoughtful and thorough. I want her to know how important this project is to me, and that her time is important, too.

6. Toss the Box. Most of us tell our clients they need to “think out of the box,” and we pride ourselves in doing just that. But truth be told, we are in a box of our own creation, our own comfort zone. I just had to admit that, step out of the safety of that box, and toss it aside. Once I did that, I felt all my knee-jerk reactions and irrational resistance to someone else’s ideas subside.

We’ve just passed the mock up stage, and she is now building the prototype. I’m absolutely thrilled. She has come up with solutions to all my design quandaries and has addressed all – and I mean all – of my business goals in the design. Her fresh perspective brought solutions that I didn’t even know were possible.

Any downsides, you ask? Other than the fact that I want it up right now (I’m not known for my patience), I can’t see any negatives. I think being aware of the potential pitfalls of a Web development relationship when you’ve been a Web developer is the first step to making things work.

And biting your tongue a lot helps, too.

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