If you’ve read past the title of this blog post, you’ll know that there’s a theme since the last post (5 Myths About Getting Involved with Mozilla) and that theme is the relative of how to do some cool Mozilla-related project.

One of the easiest way to get involved is through Mozilla Webmaker, an initiative that “wants to help you make something amazing with the web.”

In essence, Mozilla Webmaker provides the tools and means to create web apps and sites to ordinary folks and eventually empower a more web-literate planet. Yeah, it sounds lofty, but wouldn’t be neat trick to show your buddies if you could “hack” popular sites like Facebook and Amazon?

So what are the three steps I promised? Here they are:

Step #1: Go to the Mozilla Webmaker website

DUH! It may sound obvious, but visiting the site is the BEST way to know what’s the most appropriate path for you.

Once you reach the current homepage, there a nice little set of badges that rests below the shifting image. And these badges would bring you to…

Step #2: Choose your tool

BTW, Mozilla Webmaker has a wide array of stuff for folks with varying skills– there is a simple and fun tool for tinkering and there’s a powerful media component as well.

There are three tools currently at the would-be Webmaker’s disposal:

• Thimble – This lets users create and edit HTML and CSS files in an insanely easy fashion. The starting templates have very good documentation and the app itself has a very responsive error-handling feature.
• X-Ray Goggles – One of my favorite tools, this lets users edit a live site and publish the edited or “hacked” version on its own URL. Imagine the possiblities…
• Popcorn – Not for the faint of heart, this is perhaps the most advanced tool of the lot as this makes the processing of web videos possible.

Step #3: Do stuff!

After you select the most appropriate tool for you, you just go and do (or in this case, webmake) stuff. The projects have very comprehensive and easy to follow instructions. I assure you that you’ll be able to publish something within 10-15 minutes of selecting the best tool for you.

There you go, three easy steps to be a Webmaker.

But don’t stop there: There are the Mozilla Summer Code Party events where you can start your own Webmaker event and even teach your family and friends to be Webmakers themselves.

Happy webmaking!