How to Use Firefox Add-Ons and Greasemonkey to Make Google+ Perfect

Although +Google Chrome has been getting many deserved kudos for its innovations and speed, many people still prefer to use +Mozilla Firefox as their primary browser. If you're a dedicated Google+ user, you know that there are many Google+ Chrome browserextensions available to modify your Google+ experience. What you may not know is that there are also Firefox extensions you can use for Google+.

Since Google+ changes so quickly, some of the Firefox add-ons I originally collected have quickly become outdated, or disappeared altogether. There aren't as many as in Chrome, and what is there isn't updated as frequently.

10 Firefox Add-Ons to Use With Google+

For overall Google+ management, you can't go wrong with the Google+ Manager add-on, which does everything from providing keyboard shortcuts to translating posts and cross-posting to other social networks.

If you're using Google+, chances are you still have other social media accounts you can quite seem to let go of. With SGPlus.me, and G++, you can cross-post your updates to Facebook and Twitter. As a bonus, you can use these extensions to get your Facebook and Twitter streams inside your Google+ account, so theoretically you won't ever have to leave the comfort of Google+.

If what bothers you about Google+ is the notification bar in all the Google products, OnlyPlusOnPlus will remove the notification bar from all Google products except for Google+.

Want some more flexibility with your photos in Google+? The Fullsize Image Viewer, by +Nick Smith, will let you open just about any image in Google+ in full size in a new tab. Thumbnail Zoom Plus lets you view images in their full sizes when you hover over them, and it also works for other sites besides Google+, including Reddit, Facebook, Flickr, and more.

Are you having fun with the +1 button? To +1 just about anything, try the Plus one Any, the Plus One Button, or the Google +1 Button by +Oliver Shlobe. If you're a grump, though, and you'd like to show your disapproval, install the gminus extension.

Greasemonkey + Userscripts = Perfect Google+ Experience

One of the most popular ways to modify your browsing experience on Firefox is to install the Greasemonkey extension, and then install the userscripts of your choice. There are a lot of userscripts available for Google+. Try out the following and let us know what you think.

• Google+ Tweaks: Get image previews, toggle comments, a mute button, and more.
• Static Share for Google+: This extension will keep the Google+ share box in a fixed space on your browser window.
• Go Away! Google Plus: If you want to keep Google+ separate from your other Google products, this script hides the Google+ notification and share buttons on all Google sites except for Google+.
• Google Plus Right Side Bar Remover: Want more room? Hide the right side bar, and give yourself more space for content.
• Google Plus Star: This script lets you star content you want to remember, similar to the function in Google Reader.
• Google+ Fxxking Filter: If you're sick of all the swearing, you con use this script to filter out words you don't care to see.  
• Google Plus Auto Pager: This extension lets you automatically load more posts when you reach the end of your stream.
• Google+ Expander+: Automatically load more posts at the end of your stream, and view enlarged images when you hover over them.
• Unofficial Google+ Dense Theme: This theme condenses posts so you can see twice as much content.
• Google+ Notifications Blocker: This script hides Google+ notifications in all Google products except for Google+.
• Google+ Hover Zoom: Use this script to enlarge thumbnails, batch download photos, and more.

Warning

• I didn't test out most of the Greasemonkey scripts; proceed with caution. The majority of extensions and scripts were created close after the initial launch of Google+, so some of them may not work as well now. Because Google+ ships new features just about every day, it's impossible for the creators to be on top of all the changes. If an extension you installed isn't working properly, don't forget to provide feedback to the creator so they can make the appropriate improvements.

Photo by ~Thanh