Toolbars are slick items to add to web browsers–they allow for quick access to some favored functionalities. If you’ve got a Norwegian buddy who writes messages to you on Facebook occasionally, you might be interested in installing a language translator toolbar. Simply browse the web for a language translator utility, and pick your favorite. Download and install it, a process that typically involves pressing the “forward” or “I accept” buttons a few times, and presto, you’ve got immediate access to a translator for the next time your pal decides not to write to you in English. The look of most toolbars is similar to what you’re used to finding with a typical web browser or office suite, and if you’re lucky, the application won’t take up much of your computer’s memory as it waits between translation sessions.
That leads to one of the most important aspects of toolbars that you should research. Unfortunately, they tend to be a bit buggy, attracting both malware and spyware. In the case of a language translator, you might get a bit more than just international understanding when you install the toolbar–you might also get a malicious program that watches your moves, tracking where you’ve been and gathering other marketing-related statistics. That, and you’ll also most likely get a brand placement of the toolbar maker’s choosing that you’ll see every single time you’re online. It might be subliminal, or it might be blatant, but it’s advertising, and installing an additional toolbar opened you up to the process.
However, not all toolbars include nasty side effects like these. Browser bookmark toolbars are an offshoot of your trusted browser’s functionality, and allow you to keep a permanent link to sites that you reference often. To create these toolbars, you’ll merely need to go to the site that you like, and then head to the “bookmarks” tab on your browser. This allows you to create a link by which to easily return anytime!