Let Google find stuff for you – Using Google Alerts

The LifeStyler is doing some work for a company at the moment and was trying to work out a away to get proactive alerts if a new piece of content appearing on the internet.  He was aware that a journalist peer had an elaborate system to do such a thing and then decided to explore the possibilities.

Boom! The first port of call was as far as I got.  I immediately found Google Alerts https://www.google.com.au/alerts. Such a simple idea that lets you choose a keyword, and then an email will be sent when a match occurs. 

If you have several search terms you are monitoring on the web, you can choose to have all your alerts grouped in one email.  You can select by keyword how often you receive an alert, what source, e.g. news, web, video etc., language, and region.

The way you can use this is unlimited, but I guess Google thinks we are all vein as for a new user they suggest a search of your own name.  You could use this to find news on upcoming tech or to follow your favourite brand.  You could use it to find discussions on your unique hobby or for work in news of your company or a competitor.

After a few days, I am delighted with the results. It means I now have relevant information pushed to me via email rather than having to do a manual search when I remember. Cheers!