Monday, April 08, 2013

A to Z Challenge - Google Alerts

For the A to Z Challenge, I’m posting promo and other tips for writers, along with a daily photo. (All Photos taken by me.)


Are you using Google Alerts?

Google Alerts keep you on top of topics important to you - or about you! Alerts arrive via email with links to sites mentioning the words or phrases you requested.

To set up these Alerts, go to your Google account (or create one) and click on Alerts. Enter your words or phrase and select how often (daily, weekly, etc.) you wish to receive them. Google will search the web for you and deliver all related posts to your inbox.

What’s on your Google Alerts list?

Visit other participants in the A to Z Challenge HERE

And your daily photo - "Going Down!" 


And I completely missed it - March 22 marked 7 years of blogging for me! I was thinking it was April. Wow!



$14.95 Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-9827139-5-2
$4.99 Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-9-0

Purchase at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Kindle UK, and Powell’s.

48 comments:

Annalisa Crawford said...

I use Google Alerts, but it doesn't have much to alert me to usually :-)

Congratulations on 7 years - that's awesome!!

Anonymous said...

Great advice... I must admit I am still pretty much a point and click internet user, I'll be trying this out. Also love the photo!

Anonymous said...

Good advice, and congratulations on your 7 years blogging.

Yvonne.

Yvonne Osborne said...

First off, congrats on 7 years! That's amazing. I haven't used Alerts but I just signed up for "New Agents Actively Looking" and I'll see how it goes. Thanks for another timely tip!

DayDreamer said...

Whooo, my tummy did a flip looking at your photo. And congrats on your 7 years blogging, that's pretty good!

Karen Baldwin said...

Congrats on 7 years. And not using Google Alerts. I'm going to start though now. Thanks.

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Scary photo!

I use Google Alerts for my pen name, name, and a couple of book titles.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

DayDreamer, it's actually a small drop, less than 100 feet.

Elizabeth, that's what mine are set for.

Jo said...

Don't need Google Alerts, but see several people react when I write something about them so assume that's what they are using.

I guess 100 ft is a small drop, don't go on roller coasters any more, used to when I was younger but now I am too chicken.


JO ON FOOD, MY TRAVELS AND A SCENT OF CHOCOLATE

Unknown said...

7 years-congratulations. I haven't gotten into using Google alerts yet, but probably will sometime here in the future.

Hart Johnson said...

I get google alerts... and a lot of strange notifications, but it's worth it to catch the stuff I wouldn't otherwise. I am always shocked though, just how many assaults occur on Azalea street, court, way and circle...

Laura Eno said...

Happy blogversary! Seven years...wow!
I like Google alerts but sometimes they let me know days later, instead of present time like I asked for. *shrug*

Michelle Wallace said...

Great photo!
I never knew that something called Google Alerts even existed! Thanks for sharing.
Congrats on 7 years of blogging!

Writer In Transit

Stina said...

Wow, 7 years. That seems like forever.

I have google alerts for my name but it occasionally tells me when I've put up a post (and I already know that) but that's it. People have mentioned my name in posts, but google alerts never tells me. It's pretty useless as far as I can tell. :( I've heard the same complaint from other people.

~Sia McKye~ said...

Congratulations on seven years!

I do have google alerts and their interesting to receive. I've been surprised a time or three. :-)

Nick Wilford said...

I've never heard of Google Alerts. Where have I been?

That was a well-timed photo!

Misha Gerrick said...

I used to use alerts, but for some reason, I stopped. Hmm... :-/

Misha Gerrick said...

P.S. Congrats on your bloggerversary!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I have Google Alerts set up. Need to do a new one for the next book.
Congratulations on seven years!

Barbara White Daille said...

Whoa, that photo woke me up. ;)

Congrats on your blogging anniversary!

I have a few Google Alerts set.

Barbara
Goals, Glinda, and the Great and Powerful Oz
The Daille-y News

Michael Di Gesu said...

Thanks for the info, L. Diane...

Never knew we could do ALERTS on google... COOL!

DON'T FORGET TOMORROW....

Jennifer Shirk said...

I use Google alerts too. I love it because it let me know of a lot of pirate sites.

Bish Denham said...

I do use Google alerts. Currently it lets me know when the Dalai Lama is in the news.

Anonymous said...

Google Alerts is a wonderful tool. I do not get hits often, but when I do I am relieved to have the information pushed to me rather than having to go out and search for items daily. ~~Emmly Jane

Unknown said...

I hadn't used this but I will now. Thanks!

Mark Means said...

Wow congrats on seven years...that's quite the achievement!

I've never used Google Alerts, but sounds like something I should look into.

Great post!

Left and Write

David T List said...

This is excellent to know. I'm heading to google alerts now.
Thank you!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Hart - LOL!

Laura, they aren't always accurate, but better than nothing I guess.

Stina, some things just don't show up. No idea why. But I have caught things I would've missed otherwise.

Michael, I won't!

LD Masterson said...

Congratulations on the seven year anniversary. I haven't started using Google Alerts - probably another one of those online things I need to do.

Ella said...

Congrats! Seven is a lucky number :D
This is amazing-tossing virtual confetti at you!

OMG on that pic! lol I can feel my stomach flip-flop when I think about it! ;D

Great G post!

Chancelet said...

That's a lot of blogging about. I don't think I even knew what blogging was 7 years ago! Actually, I'm pretty sure I didn't ;)

I do get alerts of emails, but cut out the alerts from google+ because it can be a bit much.

Gwen Gardner said...

I didn't know about Google Alerts! Thanks for the tip. And yikes, that's a scary photo. I'm not a big roller coaster fan, lol!

Congrats on 7 years of blogging!

Carol Kilgore said...

Happy Blogaversary! I do use Google Alerts. And just looking at that picture makes my tummy drop. Yikes.

Golden Eagle said...

Congratulations on 7 years of blogging! :)

I set up a Google Alert for my other website, the Eagle Directory. I've only found a couple of legitimate links through the service, but not many people link to it by title so that was expected.

Kristen said...

My editor told me to try Google Alerts, but I never actually did. I should take another look at it. I love the photo too, that's awesome! Looks way fun. :)

From A to Z, Kristen's blog: kristenhead.blogspot.com

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Wow, seven years! That picture made me alittle ill. I don't do well with heights.
I need to update my google alerts to include some of my more recent publications.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Kristen, it's not perfect, but you will find things through Google Alerts you wouldn't find otherwise.

klahanie said...

Hi Diane,

I occasionally get a Google Alert. Life is a roller coaster.

Wow, congrats on realising you have just gone past your seventh anniversary of blogging.

Now then, back to the alternate alphabet.

Gary

VR Barkowski said...

I'm afraid of heights—that is one scary picture.

Yay! Finally, I'm doing something right—I do use Google Alerts. I also joined the Google Authorship Program. Now instead of my Google+ account (which I rarely use) coming up first in a name search, my Webpage and photo come up. That's a plus, I think.

Happy blogversary!

~VR Barkowski

Tina said...

Congrats on 7 years. I hit my 400th post the week before the Challenge, and am 2 followers away from 500...but will have to celebrate after April...

Tina @ Life is Good
Co-host, April 2013 A-Z Challenge Blog
@TinaLifeisGood, #atozchallenge

Rhonda Albom said...

I use google alerts to watch for mentions of my kids on line. Happy Bloggy birthday!

Rhonda @Laugh-Quotes.com
Visiting from AtoZ #41

Unknown said...

Seven years!? Wow. Also, cool photo. I didn't know there was such a thing as Google Alerts. I'm going to try it.

Lyre said...

I don't know that there's much that Google can tell me yet, but I will definitely be employing this down the road.

Also, congrats on 7 years blogging!

Lyre at Lyre's Musings

Unknown said...

Congrats on 7 years of blogging!!! I've used Google alerts quite a bit, very cool:)

Blessings!

Erick @ A Brief Sinfonia: Loving You're Wife From A-Z

Ida Thought said...

I use google alerts for Reflexology, setting it up for a weekly message is good too.

A lot of people don't know about it, but I'm sure every celebrity does. Another informative post Chief Spunky Soldier :)


Reflex Reactions

Elise Fallson said...

Thanks for the Google tip alert, Diane. I've never tried it but sounds like it can be pretty useful. And congrats on your 7 years blogging! That is quite mile stone! :D

randi lee said...

I love Google Alerts! I manage my company's blog, intranet news and web news and it's GREAT to find articles out there that pertain to my company that I can pass on to our readers.

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Diane .. and Randi (comment above me) gives an excellent article on their application ..

I don't use them .. but one day I can see they'd come in handy .. cheers Hilary