This article was published on September 23, 2012

This Chrome extension tells you more about key people in articles as you read the news


This Chrome extension tells you more about key people in articles as you read the news

Here’s a pro tip for Chrome power users: Check out Summer, an extension that highlights key people while you read the news. Currently supporting 60+ sites, including The Next Web, Summer lets you avoid having to search for noteworthy people by showing you detailed snapshots on the side of compatible sites.

Summer works quite similarly to Rapportive, the Gmail tool that shares useful details about the people you’re emailing with. The difference here is Summer brings that feature to other areas of the Web.

If you’re on a supported site (like this one or this one), important names will be linked and highlighted in subtle blue brackets. You can click a name to learn more through bios, social links, related videos and more. Alternatively, you can click the small “[S]” tab, which pops up when key people have been discovered. Browse the relevant people Summer has discovered and click each one to learn more.

The video below shows the tool in action.

This oddly named extension is useful, but could be even more helpful if it also provided related people and company details. We’re crossing our fingers that future functionality like that will be added over time, but we’re still big fans.

At the very least, Summer is great for staying informed and for doing research. If you’re enticed, grab it for free via the link below and then tell us what you think in the comments.

➤ Summer

Image Credit: LEON NEAL / Getty Images

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