IE 8 makes it simple to create great add on experiences for users. Specifically, a site can provide web slices, accelerators and visual search. If you want to learn more about these features look here.

I have heard a number of stories where people have written an add ons for IE 8 but then they have trouble posting them to the site http://ieaddons.com. In this post I will step you through the process so you can quickly make your add on available for download.

Joining the Site

After navigating to http://ieaddons.com you need to create a user ID on the site. If you have not signed in before you click the Join link in the upper right corner. On this page you fill out the form entering the Username, password and email address. Of course you need to agree to the Terms of Use then you just click the sign up button. It’s that easy and you don’t even need to use a Windows Live account. : )

Logging In

If you already have an account created you can just click the Sign In link in the upper right corner and enter your credentials.

Posting Your Add On

Once you are logged in you will see your login ID in the upper right corner. Click that link and you will go to a page with an Upload Now button. Click that button and it will bring up a form. You need to fill out each of the fields so that your add on will be displayed in the gallery and available for download from the site. In the following section I will try to map each field to how it is displayed when the add on is displayed on the site and also provide some guidance on the kind of information expected. Once you submit your add on it goes through a review with some Microsoft personnel. If they find any of the fields lacking they will go to your homepage and look for more information.

 

Name              This is the name of your add on. The name needs to be 40 characters or less and it is the title that is displayed. The name should have your site name and a few words that describe its function. Examples, Weather from Bing, MSN Headlines, AOL Mail Web Slice…
Tagline           This is a short sentence that tells the users what function the add on provides. Examples; Get weather updates from Bing with this Slice, Preview you AOL Mail.
Description     If the user clicks on the Name or Image for your add on they go to a details page. The description is displayed on that page. Your description should build on your tagline and provide more detail. It is important that after reading your description a user knows what your add on does and what value they would get from using it. If it is specialized you should provide background to further clarify its use. For example, if my accelerator provides a search for aglets I should make a note that an aglet is the little tip on the ends of a shoe lace.
Homepage URL This is the URL for your homepage. They user should be able to click on this page and see the site that will be serving the content and services for the add on.
Upload a screenshot   Just like on the online dating sites, providing a picture gets you a lot more responses. The screenshot can be a shot of the add on in action or your sites logo or any other image you think best illustrates your add on.
Language                    This is the (spoken, not programming) language that your add on uses.
Type                            In order to be displayed in the correct part of the gallery you need to specify the type of add on.

 

The following screenshots show you how the fields you entered are displayed.

clip_image002

clip_image004

I hope this provides clarity for those that need it. Take care and start uploading!