Use the Space Bar to Advance in a Browser

You’re reading something on a website that’s longer than your browser window — perhaps a judgment, or the latest posts on Slaw. How do you scroll down the page? If you’ve got a scroll wheel on your mouse, you may be adept at rolling along with that, or you may have set the wheel to advance a screen at a time with a click. But you’d be surprised how many people I’ve seen who still fuss to get the cursor into the scroll bar at the right and to make sure it stays in the empty zone between the two arrows so a click there moves them ahead — or worse, who repeatedly stab at the down arrow, crawling along at one line at a time.

The simplest of all techniques for many is to use the space bar. Just tap it each time you want to jump ahead by exactly one window’s (i.e. screen’s) worth. There’s no dexterity or judgment required, leaving you free to focus on what you’re reading.