Module 4 Internet Tools Task

I didn't download any of these tools. Reason being I already have all the tools I need from the ones mentioned. (i.e. pretty much all the ones mentioned in the reading). I did go to download Copernic about a month ago but thanks to the discussion boards I did not waste my time with it. I do however use some tools that are not mentioned that I have found to be quite useful over the course of the SP that I thought I might share with you.

Firefox extensions
ChatZilla
ChatZilla is an IRC chat client that is built on the Mozilla framework. I downloaded this so that I could turn my old Xbox into a media center........Yeah I know a little risky but it's a long story. The long and the short of it though is that it was a really easy to use chat client and free and got the job done for me.

ColorZilla
I have been using this extensively to aid in developing themes for wordpress and moodle for work. It is a simple add-on that allows you to work out what the colour codes are on any web page. Very handy and time saving. It means you don't have to go looking at the source code to work out what colours a site is using if you want to duplicate them.

Web Developer
This add-on adds a toolbar with a plethora of handy web developer tools. If you haven't got this already and you want to build some websites, GET IT NOW!!! This saved me hours of time when I was building my themes for moodle and wordpress and I used it in Net11 a little when doing the HTML task. (if I had more time, I would redo the HTML task because my abilities in this area have increased hugely since doing that task) The tools I use the most are "View Style Information", "Display Ruler", "View Image Information". I think that I will use this add on more and more as my web developer skills increase.

Delicious Bookmarks


Ok I had this on my computer a long time ago but I use it so much I thought I would give it an honourable mention. Delicious has been such a useful tool for me over the last couple of years, but during Net11 it has been invaluable. This add on is a must if you want to get any value out of Delicious. It allows you to quickly and easily tag sites without having to go to Delicious to do it.

Zotero
To be fair I haven't used this to it's full potential yet but I can really see it changing the way I research if I was to fully grasp it's potential. Zotero is an add-on which is designed for researchers. It allows bookmarking of sites but also gives you the ability to put in useful information for citations. This is widely used by researchers who all drool over it's usability. I think over time it may replace (or certainly supplement) Delicious for me when it comes to research.

Other Tools
There are a couple of other tools I use on a daily basis. Again, I had these already but they have proved so useful during this SP I thought I would jot down a few lines.

Tweetdeck
It is no secret that I love Twitter but if it wasn't for Tweetdeck I would hardly ever use it. Having a Twitter desktop client is a must and I have had awesome connections with my Net11 tweeps using Tweetdeck over the last few months. I love the ability to group people but the search feature is a research tool that has led me on many adventures.



Gimp
This image manipulation program is free and powerful. I use it often and I think it is irreplaceable. I can't afford to buy Adobe products do I use this. GNU FTW.

There are a heap of other cool bits and bobs I use but time is precious so I will speak of them anon. ;)