Even though I'm a recent Mac convert, I still keep up with all of the trends in the PC world. One of the magazines that I pick up religiously is MaximumPC which always has great articles on the PC world. Another cool thing about the magazine is that they always include a CD full of sweet software.

When I got this month's issue, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the CD was chock full of Firefox add-ons! Check out the pics:

It included many of the add-ons currently on the AMO Recommended list such as PicLens (now called Cooliris) & FoxyProxy as well as some other cool add-ons such as Panic & GSpace.

In addition, they included a bunch of Firefox themes (e.g. Aero Fox & PimpZilla) for good measure.

I've been getting this magazine for quite some time and haven't seen them publish add-ons before so this is a pretty good indication of how important add-ons are to making the browser your own custom experience.

Now, MaximumPC is really a bit of a techie magazine but I do hope that this helps to introduce Mozilla add-ons to the more mainstream user. When I chat with non-techie folks about Firefox, the majority still don't know what add-ons are. This is something that I'm working to fix and so I'd like to hear your suggestions for spreading the word about add-ons to the mainstream crowd that has absolutely no interest in Firebug, TamperData or ColorZilla.

So I ask, how can I better reach the average Firefox user to educate them about Mozilla's add-on ecosystem?

1. Take a picture of yourself right now.
2. Don't change your clothes, don't fix your hair... just take a picture.
3. Post that picture with NO editing.
4. Post these instructions with your picture.

I really want to reach out to the web and share some of the awesome things that are happening within the Mozilla add-ons community and in looking at tools that I've used successfully in the past, I'd really have to single out Twitter as being the top medium for getting the word out.

So taking a cue from my work with the jQuery project, I've created a new Twitter account called @mozamo which will allow me to reach out to new and existing add-on users and developers in the hopes of providing as much useful information as possible. The hard part about using Twitter though is that getting a following tends to be driven mainly by word-of-mouth, hence the reason that I wanted to blog about it and make sure that the readers of my blog knew about this new resource.

I really do find that most people truly underestimate the Mozilla add-ons ecosystem and don't understand the breadth of investment that goes into making a successful add-ons. While many are developed by hobbyist, there's also a growing number of companies that are relying heavily on the Mozilla platform for the success of their business. It's been a real eye-opening experience interacting with these developers and I'm hoping that by broadcasting lots of information out, I can help to motivate more developers to participate in creating extensions that will make the Mozilla experience that much better.

So couple this with our Mozilla about:addons newsletter and I think we're providing some very good methods of getting the word out.

If you have other suggestions for reaching the add-ons audience, I'm all ears and would love to hear your suggestions.

Since coming onboard the Mozilla train, I have to say that I've had nothing but a great experience. They truly treat their Mozillians well which is why this open source project continues to be hugely successful.

This will be the space on my blog where I'll start posting more details about my experience with the AMO (addons.mozilla.org) community and my path to understanding how add-ons play such a pivotal role in Mozilla software.

This is the type of challenge I've been looking for for quite some time. I want to thank John Resig for being my supporter all of the way and getting my foot in the door. I truly appreciate it man and I can't thank you enough. And I want to thank Basil Hashem, my mentor at Mozilla, for being so patient during this upramp period. Last but not least, I want to thank Dylan Schiemann of Sitepen for putting in a good word for me with John Lilly, CEO of Mozilla. :)

This is going to be a great experience.

My buddy Todd Sharp had a really cool blog post today that proves that Mozilla Firefox improves not only your Internet experience but also your quality of life.

I mean, imagine how a simple browser switch can make the bonds of matrimony so much stronger!