How to Stay Informed With Little Effort - Google Alerts

Google Alerts are automatic email updates you can receive on the latest relevant Google results you may be interested in keeping up with without having to search for it yourself. Topics may be in Blogs, Videos, groups, News or the Internet in general. You can choose to receive these updates weekly, daily or as-it-happens. You can subscribe to alerts in multiple languages and Google will not sell or share your email address.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Email Address
• Google Account
• Google Alerts Sign Up
• Topics Want to Stay Informed in
• Determine How Often You Want to be Informed
• Set Some Time Aside to Review Your Updates

1. 
   Create Google Account

   With 24 hours in a day it can be challenging staying on top of our game. Whether you are on a job hunt, or keep current on a competitor or industry, or need to follow a developing story. This is the way to do it with little effort.
   - Create a Google account. You will be asked for your email address, a password and you will be asked to read the "Terms of Service", of course it is your choice to accept and move on or not.
   
   Reference links can be found below in the "Resource" section

2. 
   Google Alerts Home

   - Create a Google Alert by going to the Google Alerts Home Page.
   
   - Enter your search, for example: "Monsanto" or "Luis Inacio Lula da Silva" or "DaughterNature"

3. 
   Google Alerts Search Type

   - Select the alert you'd like, for example: Blog, News, Video etc... I usually select "Comprehensive"

4. 
   Google Alerts Frequency

   - Select how often you'd like Google to check results and send them to you. Whether you choose as-it-happens or daily, depends on how much information you want to receive. I may select as-it-happens if I need to really be on top of something, as-it-happens...

5. 
   Confirm Google Alerts

   - When satisfied with your selections, click on "Create Alert" button. An email confirmation will be sent to you, which you will need to click on included link to activate your alert. You can also create and confirm your alerts via your "Manager Your Alerts Page" from your Google account.

6. 
   Google Alerts

   In my case, I use it to keep up with public figures, such as what is the president of Brazil, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva is up to, or keep tabs on when and where my business, DaughterNature.com is mentioned, to name a few. Google Alerts is the answer. You can also choose to have your alerts delivered via feed to the feedreader of your choice (e.g., Google Reader or add the feed to your iGoogle page).

Tips & Warnings

• Putting quotes around searches with multiple words helps getting more accurate search results
• You can always update your search term and frequency you receive updates when needed
• You can subscribe to alerts in multiple languages
• Be as specific as you can with your search term, so you can get the intended relevant results.

Resources

• Create Google Account
• Set Up Alerts
• Advanced Search
• Google Alerts FAQs
• Google Preferences

[MotherDove]

on 1/3/2009 This is great info! This will definitely simplify and enrich my time on the internet. Thank you!

[NoeticNotes]

on 12/29/2008 Very interesting. Thanks for the info.

[miasavc]

on 12/27/2008 Helpful tips! 5 *****