Anytime an article hits the Web about "email overload," I get an email alert. I signed up for Google Alerts, which are email updates of the latest, relevant Google results (Web, news, etc.) based on your choice of query or topic.
As stated on their site, some handy uses of Google Alerts include:
- Monitoring a developing news story.
- Keeping current on a competitor or industry.
- Getting the latest on a celebrity or event.
To sign up:
- Go to www.Google.com.
- Click the News link at the top of the page.
- On the left side of the News page, you'll see News Alerts in red with an email symbol to the left of it. Click the link.
- In the box to the right, create the type of alert you want.
To ensure I only receive alerts for articles that have the words, email overload, written together, I put the term in quotation marks, as in "email overload." And since some people write email with a hyphen, I added another alert for "e-mail overload."
I also wanted to make sure I receive alerts any time something hits the Web with my name, so I created another alert, and wrote it as "Peggy Duncan". I didn't want articles about another Peggy Duncan, but I don't think my name is that common (if you have a common name, you may want to add a term(s) to your alert that usually accompany your name, such as "attorney". (You would write your alert as "Your Name" attorney.)
Now you'll choose the type of alert you want (I chose "News & Web"), and how often you want to be notified (I chose "as it happens").
I've already been quoted in a follow up article on MiamiHerald.com because I sent comments and tips for an article they had published online that day. My tips showed up the next day! I knew I was on the site because of the alert I'd created for articles with my name. I rarely read the Miami Herald, and never would have known that an article about my topic was on their site.
Google News Alerts will streamline how you manage information overload or help you get media mentions that build your credibility. It only takes a minute or two to sign up, and just imagine all the time you'll save looking for specific data going forward. Or your next big break could come from being so media savvy.