May

25

FireFox Basics – Part 2: Quickbar, Shortcuts, and Tabs

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Episode 2 -

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In Part-2 of the Firefox Browser Basics tutorial, we are covering some of Firefox’s most useful features. Using the functions explained below (and in my video) will save you a good deal of time while you are surfing the web.

Bookmark Pages Fast Using the Quick-bar -

Many people have used the bookmark sidebar to organize the plethora of websites they want to remember. While bookmarks are a great innovation for organization, let’s face it… it is just annoying to have to sift through all those bookmarks to access the sites we use every day. Enter: Quick-bar

The cool thing about the quick-bar is that you can add a bookmark (a link to a website to save for later) with just one click! It also makes it so you don’t have to have that big ol’ bookmark sidebar open all the time.

Here’s how you do it, as seen in my free tutorial video:

  1. Go to the website you wish to add to the quick-bar. (see the video)
  2. Drag the favicon (the little icon in front of the address) onto the quick-bar below it. (see the video)
  3. Done!

    Note: When you run out of room, Firefox will create a drop-down menu so you can continue to add items! (see the video)

You can also change the name or delete it by right-clicking the new quick-bar link and choosing the appropriate action. This is one of the best time-savers on Firefox!

Keyboard Shortcuts -

Most of us are mouse-a-holics :) . It’s ok to admit it. The fact is, the keyboard is hard-work and that is something we don’t like! But have you ever seen someone using a computer with seemingly inhuman speed? It seems like things are spontaneously happening on the screen with out them even moving the mouse? Chances are, they are using shortcuts! Shortcuts are keyboard combinations and they are FAST. This is a list of some of the most useful keyboard shortcuts… the most important ones are in bold and highlighted:

  • Backspace = “Back”
  • Ctrl-P = “Print”
  • Ctrl-R = “Refresh”
    • F5 also works
  • Ctrl-T = “New Tab”
  • Ctrl-C = “Copy”
  • Ctrl-V = “Paste”
  • Ctrl-J = “Downloads
  • Ctrl-B = “Bookmarks”
  • F11 = “Toggle Full-screen”
  • Ctrl-Z = “Undo” (see the video)

Using Tabs -

Once you get the hang of using tabs, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without them. They are a great multi-tasking tool. You can browse as many sites as you want at one time without having to open up another browser window! Here are the basics for using tabs, as seen in my free tutorial video:

  • To open a blank tab press “Ctrl-T“
  • If you want to open a link on your screen in a new tab (so you don’t get moved from your current page) “right-click” the link and select “Open in New Tab” (see the video)
  • Once you have several tabs on your browser, you can alternate between them simply by clicking each tab. The one that is “highlighted” is the one you are on.

    Note: You can also re-order the tabs by clicking and dragging them left and right.

  • Click the “x” on each tab to close them.

Stay tuned for the next episode: Mind-mapping and Brainstorming Online. For more tips and tricks sign up for the Official Tech-Bites.com Newsletter! You will be the first to know whenever I release new articles and videos and receive special subscriber only articles and product reviews.

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May

15

Firefox Browser Basics Part 1: Homepage, Theme, and Layout

Filed Under Firefox, episode, how-to, screencast, tutorial | Leave a Comment

Episode 1 -

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The Firefox browser from Mozilla is one the most useful browsers to come along in a long, long, time. More and more people are changing to Firefox from their previous browser (Internet Explorer, Safari, Netscape, etc) for the security, functionality, and speed that is found in the free browser, Firefox…

Note: If you have not yet downloaded Firefox, the web browser from Mozilla, I highly recommend you do so. This tutorial is intended only for this browser. You can download it here.

Video: To see visual examples of the steps in this article, see the video above.

Changing Your Homepage -

For many people, their most useful page is their homepage. The homepage is the website that first comes up when you open your browser each day. Unfortunately, most people do not even know that they can change their homepage (or “start page”)…

But now you will know!

Here are the steps for setting up your own homepage, as seen in my free tutorial video:

  1. Find, and navigate to, the website you want to use. Some people like to have Search Engines for their homepage while others prefer news sources or their favorite websites. In the video, I chose Google.com because it is fast to load and is the search engine I usually use when I begin to look things up each day in Firefox. Here are some great home page candidates for your Firefox:
  2. Go to “Tools” and click the “Options” menu at the top of your browser. (see the video)
  3. In the “General Tab“, click the “Use Current Page” button. (see the video)
  4. Click “Done“! (see the video)

From now on you will see this page every time you start up Firefox. You can also access your homepage by clicking the “Home” button (in the shape of a house) on your Firefox tool bar.

Change Your Theme -

Now this is the fun part! Firefox has the ability to change it’s appearance based on themes that were made by artists on the internet. Changing the look and feel of your Firefox helps give it that stamp of ownership that makes it feel like your browser.

Follow the steps below to change your theme, as seen in my free tutorial video:

  1. Click the “Tools” menu item at the top of your browser and click “Add-ons“. (see the video)
  2. Then click “Get themes“. (see the video)
  3. Surf the themes database for a theme that suits you. Here are some themes that I think are high-quality and stylish! In the video, I chose Blue Ice.
  4. Once you find the theme you want, click the “install now” button. (see the video)

    Note: Make SURE that theme supports Firefox 2.0 or higher! It will be displayed right above the “install now” button.

  5. Restart Firefox when the download is complete.
  6. Return to the “add-ons” area (step 1). Select your newly installed theme and click “Use Theme“. (see the video)
  7. Restart and Enjoy.

Customizing Your Layout -

What most Firefox users don’t know is that you can change the layout of all of the buttons and bars in your browser to suit you taste.

Make sure to watch the video for a visual-aid on this Firefox function. This is how you do it:

  1. Right-click any empty space on the top of Firefox and click “Customize“. (see the video)
  2. Drag buttons from the new “Customize Toolbar” box onto you Firefox bar (anywhere you like) to add buttons. (see the video)
  3. Drag buttons or items from the Firefox toolbars into the “Customize Toolbar” box to remove them from your interface (you can always add them again later). (see the video)
  4. Drag buttons on your Firefox toolbars in any direction on your interface to move them to the locations you prefer. (see the video)

Check out the video to see the “Slim-line” Firefox layout if you like to conserve space and keep things compact (like me!).

Stay tuned for the next Firefox Browser Basics Tutorial - Part 2 and for more tips and tricks for using your browser by signing up for the Official Tech-Bites.com Newsletter ! You will be the first to know whenever I release new articles and videos and receive special subscriber only articles and product reviews.

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