Firefox ponders marketing overhaul

[BGonaSTICK]

The Mozilla Corporation is preparing a number of changes to the marketing of the open source Firefox browser in a bid to further grow market share.

"To date, Mozilla has done a reasonably good job getting people to download Firefox, but our data shows that a very high percentage of those people do not become long term, active Firefox users. We need to figure out how we overcome the default behaviour of 'clicking on the blue e'," JT Batson from Mozilla's marketing team wrote in a blog posting earlier this year.

Approximately half of those who download Firefox never actually install the application. Another 50 per cent of those who do install the software are counted as active users, according to data posted on a Firefox wiki.

The group plans an abundance of changes. The Firefox icon, for instance, could be accompanied by a text that more clearly indicates its purpose, and the developers will attempt to place it more prominently on the user's desktop, the Windows quick launch bar or the dock in OS X.

The group also plans to change the way it prompts users to set Firefox as their default browser. The change is supposed to make the prompt look "nicer".

Other suggested enhancements include a support website, the introduction of a feature that allows users to scroll through browser tabs with previews, resembling how applications switch in modern operating systems.

According to a Mozilla Wiki, the group aims for a 10 per cent monthly growth rate for Firefox and a 30 per cent market share by June 2008. The application is currently gaining users are a rate of 3.7 per cent per month.

Source: VNUnet

[BGonaSTICK]

Come on people - Firefox is a much better browser - so why aren't you using it? :clap:

The only reason to still be using IE is for Windows updates

[Jimdefruit]

Firefox is a very good browser but that is all. Opera is a complete package including email.

Unfortunately whilst Firefox is as fast as Opera for browsing, the separate Thunderbird email client slows everything down.

[BGonaSTICK]

Anything but IE! :clap:

[nanochickin]

Come on people - Firefox is a much better browser - so why aren't you using it?

I am using it I have tried Opera and its not bad at all apart from the fact that i can't use it for internet banking as its not supported where as firefox is

I stoped using Internet explorer years ago, before Firefox it I used Netscape



Nano

[Jimdefruit]

Opera works fine for internet banking. At least, I dont have any problems with it.

[nanochickin]

This is copied from the web page when using opera

I'm not putting the whole page up for obvious reasons

I'm guessing my bank hasn't set it up for opera. probably something to do with security :?

Still a cracking piece of software though



Nano

[wod]

i've used firefox for ages and love it not used internet explorer for a few years

not had any issue with websites or banking as of yet

[BGonaSTICK]

One of my banks online systems says that Firefox isn't supported, and then lets me log on anyway :

[Mship]

Used Firefox for the last 12 months or so and am well pleased with it. Works fine with internet banking too

The average Joe probably thinks IE is the internet, and as such won't know any difference. Unless you were computer savvy or had been shown Firefox, or any other browser for that matter, then you probably wouldn't even know Firefox existed, let alone what it was for :?

And folk are resistant to change, especially if they're not entirely sure what they're doing in the first place

I think Firefox is up against it to achieve those targets, but fingers crossed it can make more of an impact

Kev