Firefox Extension: Read It Later

I found something to add to Firefox that addresses a problem I’ve been having and it might help you too.

When I browse the Web and find something worth reading, but just don’t have the time to read it right then, I drop the bookmark in a folder in my browser bar called, “Holding”. This method works fine, but not only have I taken up valuable screen real estate in my toolbar, but when I’m done reading the link I now have to manually delete it.

But when I found Read It Later, a Firefox add-on, I saw how it could replace my method of saving.

When you come across something on the Web that you just want to read later, not bookmark it, click on the “read it later” button in the upper-right corner of your Firefox browser or right-click on the link itself and choose the “read it later” option. It will save that page to a list, which you can return to by clicking on it to get a drop-down display of all your saved items.

Another cool feature is that you can “stumble” your list, in the sense that you can be shown a page-by-page view of the items you’ve saved by clicking on the reading list button. When through reading, you can either save it to a ton of well-known bookmarking services, or simply mark it as read and the link disappears from the list — no more manual deletions.

[tags]firefox,add-ons,extensions[/tags]

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14 Comments

#1 K-IntheHouse (49 comments.) says:
November 13, 2007 at 12:54 pm

Nice write-up, Mark! I am loving this extension.. especially the stumble feature!

K-IntheHouse’s last blog post is: Firefox Extensions: Picks of the Week 07-11-13

#2 Lee (1 comments.) says:
November 13, 2007 at 3:50 pm

Thanks for the great tip. It’s getting so that there are some many extensions out there I can’t keep up with them on my own. I definitely would have missed this one.

#3 Brown Baron (192 comments.) says:
November 13, 2007 at 5:24 pm

Very Nice!!! This is what I’ve been looking for! Thanks buddy, you just saved me a lot of time. Now I have more time to allot to my time wasting pursuits

Brown Baron’s last blog post is: A Sneak Peek At Windows 7’s Suggested Features

#4 Mark (844 comments.) says:
November 13, 2007 at 5:40 pm

@K
That’s gotta be one of my favorites as well.

@Lee
I know what you mean. There are quite a few and all too easy to stuff my browser with them. Thanks for commenting!

@Baron
That’s what I’m here for buddy!

#5 Barbara (1 comments.) says:
November 13, 2007 at 8:56 pm

WOW! I LOVE your site and linked it in two places on my blog (that’s a first for me). This add on sounds so cool, I am going to get it now.

I have to spend some time here checking out all your good stuff!

Barbara’s last blog post is: Happy Birthday, Malcolm

#6 Mark (844 comments.) says:
November 13, 2007 at 9:11 pm

@Barbara
Wow, you can drop by my blog anytime!! Thank you.

(I deleted your second comment because you didn’t know first-time commenters are held in moderation.)

#7 Tay (58 comments.) says:
November 14, 2007 at 2:30 am

That is AWESOME. When I get my new computer, first thing I’m doing is adding Firefox and then this. And blogging some more, of course.

Tay’s last blog post is: Do You Want Your Blog’s Traffic ZOOMING Through The Roof?

#8 Mark (844 comments.) says:
November 14, 2007 at 7:56 am

@Tay
Glad to have made this find for you. New computer? Ooo…Christmas came early for you.

#9 Johann (1 comments.) says:
November 16, 2007 at 4:08 pm

Hey, this sounds great! We’re gonna check it out, thanks for sharing the info, and for stopping by my blog! Woofs, Johann

#10 Mark (844 comments.) says:
November 16, 2007 at 4:47 pm

@Johann
Glad you like it. It is pretty neat so far. And thanks for stopping by my blog, too.

#11 Danielle Blogging for Balance (1 comments.) says:
November 19, 2007 at 6:26 am

Thanks for writing about this…my bookmarks are getting way to crowded with just stuff I want to ‘read later’. I just love Firefox! I’m off to get this extension. Thanks.

#12 Mark (844 comments.) says:
November 19, 2007 at 7:27 am

@Danielle
You’re very welcome. Thanks so much for dropping by my blog.

#13 Garry Conn (49 comments.) says:
November 19, 2007 at 4:08 pm

I need more tools like this. Being disorganized is my main weakness. If I was better organized I would be far more productive day to day. There is so much I want to read and because I know that if I don’t do it then and now, I’ll never do it. So maybe with Read it Later, it will allow me to successfully do just that and not forget.

Garry Conn’s last blog post is: RadioBlogTalk Episode #4 | Dynamic WordPress Pages and The Power of Guest Blogging

#14 Mark (844 comments.) says:
November 19, 2007 at 6:40 pm

@Garry
Thanks, buddy. I’m trying not to get into the habit of just saving things and letting the list grow and grow. Otherwise, I’m back where I started.