Six great browser extensions

https://getadblock.com

We have all experienced that frustration of having to watch or close advertisements that are distracting to look at while completing a task in a web browser. Have you ever wished for all of those intrusive ads to disappear? Others have definitely felt this way, because Adblock is the most popular Chrome extension, with over 40 million users [1].  

AdBlock is used to block ads all over the web, especially on sites like YouTube that have long advertisements before almost every video.

AdBlock can be set to allow non-instrusive advertisements to show. Allowing some ads means that a site you like can still receive advertising revenue. In other cases, where you might want to view certain pop-ups or ads, you can easily disable Adblock temporarily or on that web page.  

You should know that some argue against using AdBlock, because it stops sites from getting advertising revenue. The other side is that many existing advertisements are intrusive, can contain malware, and may track users inappropriately.  

AdBlock is available for Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Edge. 

Ghostery

https://www.ghostery.com

How many times have you heard that interested agencies are watching and tracking everything you do online? If you, like many others feel uncomfortable with this idea, or you notice that your browser might be slowing down due to this, get the Ghostery extension.

Ghostery detects and blocks tracking technologies in order to speed up page loads, eliminate clutter, and protect your data. To explain exactly what this means Ghostery says:

"We live in a connected world.  When you browse the internet, there are thousands of unseen tracking technologies that connect you and your browsing data to companies across the world so that they can target you with ads and communications, analyze your browsing behavior, and integrate their own third-party web technologies. These trackers slow down page load time as they transmit and download data, increase clutter on websites with ads and pop-ups, and put your information at risk as they share your browsing behavior with other companies…"

"Ghostery offers a free browser extension and mobile browser that make browsing the internet cleaner, faster, and safer.  Ghostery detects and blocks tracking technologies on the websites you visit to speed up page loads, eliminate clutter, and protect your data and privacy.  It also keeps you informed on what companies are tracking you and gives you the tools you need to determine what to block and when. [2]"

Google Dictionary (by Google)

What do you do when you are reading an article on a web page and you come across a word you do not understand? You might search for the definition on Google or dictionary.com. Maybe you open up a hard copy of a dictionary.

This process of searching for definitions of difficult words or phrases can be made much simpler by using the “Google Dictionary (by Google)”. Simply highlight a word, and a popup will appear with the pronunciation and definition of that word.

This can be particularly useful for language students and Arts students who have to read lots of e-books and articles. This browser extension can help many people be efficient while reading online.

​Google Similar Pages

http://www.extension.zone/utility/google-similar-pages

Google Similar Pages is an extension that helps users find web pages with similar topics to the one they are currently using.

For many Arts students who need to do extensive research, this could be a tremendous help in looking for multiple sources, or more information on a certain issue.

It makes researching much easier because it gives the user web pages with similar topics instantly without requiring a separate search query to locate them.

Honey

Another very useful browser extension is one that can help you save money every time you make an online purchase. Instead of cycling through coupons and deals on items you want, just download the Honey extension to do the work for you!

Whenever you are on a website used for purchasing goods or services, such as Amazon, Honey will instantly look for available coupons all over the web and apply them to the purchase.

Though this may not save you a large amount of money on a single transaction, using it over a period of time will help you in the long run. Honey makes every online purchase that much sweeter.

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/honey/bmnlcjabgnpnenekpadlanbbkooimhnj

Grammarly

https://mcgillespie.com/best-review-grammerly-find

​Communication skills can help you connect with employers as well as clients on a deeper level. One form of communication skills that are becoming increasingly useful are written communication skills.

Written communication has a strong influence on your credibility. Whether you are sending an email or submitting an assignment, being able to communicate effectively with others will improve your personal image.

Since Grammarly can extend to other applications such as Microsoft Word, this extension can ensure that you are not making any spelling or grammar mistakes with “everything you type [3]”. Grammarly saves you the trouble of having someone else edit your work to ensure that it is ready to publish.

http://riyria.blogspot.ca/2015/03

Conclusion

Each of the browser extensions mentioned above can be very useful in performing day-to-day tasks more efficiently.

There are no payments involved and all it takes is an initial search and download to get these extensions going. All of these extensions and more can be found at the Chrome web store [4].

The size of these extensions is also very minimal, in fact none of them are larger than half a megabyte. If you find them useful, share these browser extensions with your friends so they can use the same time-saving tools.

References

[1] AdBlock. (n.d.). AdBlock. Retrieved October 30, 2017, from https://getadblock.com/

[2] Ghostery. (n.d.). Ghostery Makes the Web Cleaner, Faster and Safer! Retrieved October 30, 2017, from https://www.ghostery.com/

[3] Grammarly. (n.d.). Write your best with Grammarly. Retrieved October 30, 2017, from https://www.grammarly.com/?q=brand&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=brand_f1&utm_content=76996511046&utm_term=grammarly&matchtype=e&placement=&network=g&gclid=EAIaIQobChMItMDC4LLu1gIVC4JpCh3-ggymEAAYASAAEgKuk_D_BwE

 [4] Google. (n.d.). Chrome Web Store. Retrieved October 30, 2017, from https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/extensions