Headup – The Firefox Extension That Expands The Web Via Your Interests And Your Friends

I was surprised the other day to find Headup putting a link on my own website.  That's mostly because I don't actually go to my own site with Firefox that often.  Headup is a wonderful little plugin I ran into a few months ago, and it opens up the web in a variety of ways by showing up on websites you visit.  I was surprised, because I didn't realize Headup searched through links on any website.  

Headup is actually a little hard to describe.  It's really one of those things that seeing demonstrated for a minute takes the place of thousands of words.  Basically, it is a Firefox plugin that analyzes websites, and their links, in order to provide you with more information.  The little Headup logo will appear, and when you click on it a new Headup window will open which will give you access to all kinds of information about that subject.  Better yet, you can highlight any text on any website, and the logo will appear again, giving you the ability to find more information on whatever might interest you.

Here's an example shot from my site.

Here's one of my reviews with the yellow underline which tells you Headup has found things for that topic.  Click on the logo, and there's the Headup window that opens.  As you can see, you can then go down the tabs on the left for related news and blog posts, reviews, photos, etc.  You'll get different results depending on what you've got at the time.  For example, note the 'Films by the Same Director' tab.

Now, at certain sites Headup is strongly integrated into the whole website.  Go to IMDb.com, for example, and your going to get the Headup underline on just about every link.  But, you don't even need the underline.  Go to a movie's page, and "headup recommends" will show up next to the logo in the botttom right of your browser.

Headup also works to "turbo charge" your online social networks.  Headup recognizes names, and underlines Twitter accounts, and a variety of other social media connections.  Go to someplace like wefollow.com, and all the Twitter users you see will have the Headup underline just waiting to give you information about them.  It also serves to better connect you with your friends/followers/whoever through these social media outlets by suggesting materials that your network is discussing or creating.

It's really a wonderful tool, and like most of the really great web enhancements, what makes it special is the combination of simplicity and power.

Here's an introduction video.

Are You Screening?

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• Interview with Mike Darnell of Headup - More semantic investigations (digital-constructions.com)

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About Marc Eastman

Marc Eastman is the owner and operator of Are You Screening? and has been writing film reviews for over a decade, and several branches of the internet's film review world have seen his name. His reviews have brought him personal praise from the director of a major motion picture, and have been used as required reading in a course at a major University. These priceless rewards, along with just bags of cash, keep him from straying from freelance writing. He is also a member of The Broadcast Film Critics Association and The Broadcast Television Journalists Association.

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