record browser history

I browse a lot. I often come across really awesome sites and even don't have the time to properly save the reference. Then time comes when I recall those findings and want to refer back to them but the only way to do that is through FireFox's built-in browsing history feature which sadly has rather a limited search capacity.

I've been searching for ways to enhance FireFox's browsing history feature and have come up with a few extensions that also adds some fun to the process of checking back on your past findings.

Infoaxe

Infoaxe will ask you to create an account with them to record browsing history.

Your web memory is stored on the Infoaxe servers. This allows you to access your web memory from any computer. You don't need the toolbar to search your web memory (although only if you have the toolbar will pages get added to your web memory).

Your memory is private to you and protected by your Infoaxe account and password. This ensures that your web memory is private to you even when you share a computer with another user.

They offer both FireFox and Internet Explorer toolbars. The toolbar will show you the extension status ("Record is on/off") and will give you a quick access to the browser history search.

Infoaxe - record browser activity

Infoaxe also integrates with Delicious allowing you to import all your bookmarks from there. Besides, it is integrated into Google search results showing your visited pages based on the Google search term.

WebMynd

WebMynd lets you play back and search your browsing history. The extension inserts a small tab in the FireFox status bar showing you the current status ("WebMynd Blocked", "WebMynd Recording", "WebMynd Stopped") and a tiny icon linking to your web surfing history.

The browsing history can be played back in a grid or a reel. The interface is really clear but you can also look through the help pages for more information.

WebMynd - search browser history

History Submenus

History Submenus is meant to improve the history menu and make it more useful. With it you will be able to view your history via History menu - the extension adds a submenu "Today" and lists all sites visited on the current day there:

History Submenu

ThumbStrips

ThumbStrips (update: no longer online) is a Firefox extension that creates a filmstrip of thumbnails so you can see your history and stop guessing at page names in the history sidebar. The addon can be accessed via the icon in the status bar. You can stop recording your history using the same icon.

The extension allows you to insert comments for any thumbnail to record your ideas for future reference. It also has a very handy search feature that works surprisingly well.

ThumbStripts

Unfortunately, all the above addons are far from being perfect. Both the searching and organizing abilities have been enhanced but still remain limited. Do you use any hacks to make the most of your browsing history?

Post image by Lordcolus