Five social media extensions for Google Chrome

Google Chrome is by far the fastest browser available for download according to tech reviews from ZDNet and CNet. However, can Google's browser compete with FireFox's add-on catalog? Over the past few weeks 140 Characters has collected five Chrome extensions that may even push FireFox into your second-string browser slot. Below is a list of five Chrome extensions which can greatly enhance your social media use and reduce time-spent tweeting and posting to Facebook.

Facebook for Google Chrome

Manage the essentials of your Facebook account from the top-right corner of your Chrome browser. Using the Chrome Facebook extension, users can view the news feed, wall and messages and receive Facebook notifications. If developers were to include a Facebook Chat feature, this extension would nearly replace the need to run Facebook in the browser. NOTE: Users cannot edit their fan pages nor groups or events.

Chromed Bird

This extension is just like the previous tool but for Twitter. Users can literally manage their entire account from this extension including tweets, @replies, direct messages, favorites and lists or hash tags. The downside to this extension is that you cannot manage multiple accounts and since you cannot install the same extension twice, users may revert back to their primary desktop app (Tweet Deck, Tweetie).

Goo.gl URL Shortener

It's hard to mention any URL shortener other than Bit.ly but here goes. Google's URL shortener goo.gl is probably the simplest shortener around. Unlike Bit.ly, no sidebar will pop-up and users definitely do not need to go to any Web page to shorten a link. Instead, just select the Goo.gl URL shortener extension in the Chrome browser and a small speech bubble will appear with the shortened link. Unfortunately, Google's shortener does not track clicks like Bit.ly does but if you're using SnipURL, I recommend using Goo.gl instead.

Autopen - Email Signatures

It seems Gmail will never have the ability to build social media icons into user signatures. Instead, the email service relies on WiseStamp in FireFox and now Autopen in Chrome. But while WiseStamp asks users to select a social network and add a profile link, Autopen allows users to use HTML to create buttons.

This is both good and bad. For users who have HTML experience, this allows greater freedom to customize your social media icons. However, for users who don't know HTML (or refuse to find the proper codes via Google), Autopen is almost useless.

UPDATE: You can copy and paste your WiseStamp signature into Autopen and link the social media icons to the proper Web addresses.

Speed Dial

This is just barely a social media tool but it's still worth mentioning. Remember the last time you pulled up a new tab in Chrome or Safari only for your co-workers and friends to see that you've visited an embarrassing site enough that it became one of your browser short cuts? Well this extension will put an end to the embarrassment.

Speed Dial allows users to assign up to 12 shortcuts in the Chrome browser once a blank, new tab is opened. The extension also offers a number of backgrounds to use in the Speed Dial tab.