Meanwhile...back at the ranch....Google Alerts Continued.
Yesterday I told you about Google Alerts and what they are. I showed you how to set them up and how to mak changes and delete them if you so choose.
The idea of Google Alerts is fairly simple. You enter your keywords that you want to be notified about and Google sends them.
Here are a few ways you can use Google Alerts:
For instance, yesterday we set up your name. We used quotation marks around it to get only exact matches to your name...and of course, you do realize you are not the only Bob Smith or Suzy Que born so you understand that some results may be about a different Bob Smith, right?
Now, every time your name is mentioned in a blog post, on a news website or the website in general, Google will send you an alert. This is great because now you know if you are being talked about, who is doing it and where these conversations are happening. Now you can go and join in on those conversations and add your own comments and conversation.
Google Alerts allows you to be able to create an "Alert" to let you know when your city or area is mentioned in the news so you can stay on top of what happens in your area. By knowing this, you can be writing articles and blog posts way before your competition even knows there is a new laundromat in town! You can talk about one of the hottest new restaurants opening and you may even be able to scoop the competition be catching yourself an opening night seat!
Another popular use of Google Alerts is to keep an eye on your competition. Register their name for Google alerts. Now Google Alerts tracks the keywords that you requested about your competetion. What are they doing? What are they blogging about? Are they in the news and why? You can set the frequency on Alerts like these to be less often so you can concentrate on your own alerts!
One of the best things about Google Alerts is that it helps you maintain your reputation. When things are written about you or by you online, you can see the alert and make sure that the reference was not to sully your name but for a job well done. This is called reputation management. If someone should make mention of you in an unbusinesslike way, you can find out immediately and begin reactive activity.
If your name has been mentioned in a bad manner, there is not much you can do to fix it really. You can hire an attorney if you think there is cause for legal action, but once things are on the internet, they never really disappear. (remember that night at the ball game???? Hmmmm? That's still there somewhere!)
Alerts can come from a blog or a news resource, but it can also come from a response or comment someone has made about you or something you said. You know the saying, any publicity is good publicity? That is true only to a point. Don't get beyond that point by giving people cause to bad mouth you online.
Google alerts is very easy to use and you can create unlimited Alerts (not that you will look at all of them) but the important ones should be viewed. All you need to do is enter keywords and names in Google Alerts and Google will will send you an update every something specifical is mentioned in an article. Review these articles because it's can give you ideas as to what might be hot in the market right now, what your competition is doing, or maybe even give you insite into what they have to say about you.
Not only is this a great way to maintain your own reputation, but a great way to keep an eye on what's going on locally and what your competition may be up to.
Hoots & Giggles,
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