A Firefox mobile product manager on her favorite corners of the internet
Here at Mozilla, we are the first to admit the internet isn’t perfect, but we are also quick to point out that the internet is pretty darn magical. The internet opens up doors and opportunities, allows for people to connect with others, and lets everyone find where they belong — their corners of the internet. We all have an internet story worth sharing. In My Corner Of The Internet, we talk with people about the online spaces they can’t get enough of, what we should save in Pocket to read later, and what sites and forums shaped them.
First up is Vesta Zare, a staff product manager at Firefox Mobile here at Mozilla on the parts of the internet she can’t stop talking about (and, yes, that includes Firefox).
What is your favorite corner of the internet?
I love exploring podcasts where I learn something new or feel inspired. I also enjoy browsing the instagram feed of talented photographers and local artists.
What is an internet deep dive that you can’t wait to jump back into?
I can’t wait to go back and finish this super long yet fascinating blogpost on “The history of us” on waitbutwhy.com
What is the one tab you always regret closing?
Just like most people, I sometimes keep tabs open as a way of remembering things I want to get back to and read, research, listen to, or buy. If I accidentally close any tab that I am not yet done with, then I experience momentarily regret until I remember that Firefox makes it super easy to access and open a recently closed tab.
What can you not stop talking about on the internet right now?
I love how the internet has made it so easy and accessible for anyone to learn about anything, connect with people globally, be entertained, or find a product. However, there is too much content competing for our attention, and so much noise to sort through, that we often end up just going back to the same apps or sites, prioritizing convenience and familiarity over variety and diversity of content, or even our own privacy. But what if it felt just as convenient and familiar to explore the whole web and not just a tiny slice of it? That’s what Firefox Mobile is set out to create and I am really excited about some of the initial steps we’ve taken to remove clutter and highlight content that people care about. I look forward to feedback from our users that will help us stay on track for building a personalized and joyful, yet private experience of the whole web.
What was the first online community you engaged with?
I used to write blog posts about film and photography and I remember how exciting it was to see people comment on my posts and engage with them. It was the first time that I experienced the global collective power of the web.
What articles and videos are in your Pocket waiting to be read/watched right now?
There are so many! I love exploring new ideas and perspectives and always found it difficult to keep track of all the articles I wanted to save and read later. Then I was introduced to Pocket, even before joining Mozilla, and it was just the perfect solution for me. Now when I open Pocket, there is usually a good mix of articles about Tech, Entertainment, and Food waiting for me.
If you could create your own corner of the internet what would it look like?
I’m passionate about creating experiences that help people stay in the moment and not feel like they need to multitask all the time, nurturing their creativity and long-term happiness.
Vesta Zare is a staff product manager at Firefox Mobile where she is currently focused on empowering mobile users to have joyful, diverse and private browsing journeys through the web. Since majoring in cognitive science in university, Vesta became passionate about creating human-technology interfaces that support people’s mental models and solve real everyday problems. She has worked on mobile apps that made financial planning less complicated, advocated for safe community engagement platforms, and built optimized workflows for film and media management. Vesta sees a lot of opportunities to innovate within the mobile space and she likes to stay closely connected with mobile consumers to anticipate their ever-changing needs and create experiences that support them.