Who is Talking About You on the Internet?
September 12, 2007 by Tracy
Filed under Moms in Business
Do you know about Google Alerts? This is a very useful tool that allows you to keep tabs on anything on the internet such as a developing news story, a competitor, or what people are saying about you!
For example, I submit articles to different article sites, write guest posts on blogs, and frequently comment on blogs belonging to other writers. I use my maiden and married name, “Suzanne Arant Wells.” I have my Google alerts set up to notify me whenever my full name appears as a new item on the internet. I can see when my articles were published, when other writers are using my material and giving me credit, or even when someone is talking about me! What is funny is that since I used my name in this post, I am going to get a Google Alert about it! You will get an email that looks like this:
Here are a couple of bloggers who used some of my articles and I might not have known about without Google Alerts (and I thank them for giving me credit and not just stealing my material):
Making Money on eBay – Where do I Start?
How to Make Money on eBay – Selling Internationally
I also use Google Alerts to monitor my book, “The Stay at Home Mom’s Guide to Successful eBay Selling.” I can see when it has shown up in an on-line bookstore, when someone has referenced it, or if an article has been written about it.
You can use this tool to check on the competition. If you have a competitor that you are want to keep an eye on, just set up a Google Alert and any new internet posts will be sent to your email box. I actually learned about this tool from a business associate who is a very high profile software engineer / entrepreneur. He likes to keep tabs on what people are saying about him and his company.
So, check out Google Alerts. It is a free service and you can add, delete, or revise your alerts any time you want. I find it very handy in tracking information I have put out on the internet.
Be sure to visit the TwoMoms home page as we have several fun contests coming up this month.
Suzanne Wells is an eBay power seller, consultant, and WAHM mom of 2.
More From Tracy
Google Alerts is a great service. I have alerts for all my editing clients and their books, just as you do for your own book. Then I send an e-mail to the client letting them know a review has been posted or they have been mentioned somewhere. That contact is good PR for me with the client as well.
I love this! I just signed up, and I set my outlook to automatically put all the alert emails into one folder so that I can go in once a week or so and see what’s new:)
I stumbled upon this service last week while working on an Adwords campaign and I wasn’t exactly sure what it did. Thanks for the explanation! Sounds very helpful!
Thanks, Angie. Google Alerts gets kind of addicting after a while – it is nice to be spoonfed all that information. Thanks for visiting!