Tips on monitoring & namesakes
I set up Google Alerts on my own name because I feel it is important to know if what I create gets circulated and to learn about other mentions of me that may happen online. You never know when it may pay off! I do a couple of versions of these alerts: my name, my name and city, and close spellings.
I cast a broad net so I get a lot of alerts on other people. As a time-strapped career woman, I had been ignoring the ones that were obviously not relevant. However, my friend Amy changed my mind about this approach. She doesn't ignore the false positives. Instead, she e-mails her namesakes to maintain a friendly relationship in case someone tries to contact her through them. If there's ever a case of mistaken identity, she has opened the door to getting it corrected quickly. Of course, she returns the favor and sends along e-mail that wasn't meant for her. It never occurred to me to ask my online namesakes for help or to form a relationship, and I think it's a fabulous idea!
The other tip she shared was to set up Google Alerts on work colleagues. When she sees these folks get some online love, she sends an e-mail to congratulate them. It's a great networking idea!
If you haven't already done it, setting up a Google Alert for yourself and the important people in your life. It takes about 5 minutes.
I cast a broad net so I get a lot of alerts on other people. As a time-strapped career woman, I had been ignoring the ones that were obviously not relevant. However, my friend Amy changed my mind about this approach. She doesn't ignore the false positives. Instead, she e-mails her namesakes to maintain a friendly relationship in case someone tries to contact her through them. If there's ever a case of mistaken identity, she has opened the door to getting it corrected quickly. Of course, she returns the favor and sends along e-mail that wasn't meant for her. It never occurred to me to ask my online namesakes for help or to form a relationship, and I think it's a fabulous idea!
The other tip she shared was to set up Google Alerts on work colleagues. When she sees these folks get some online love, she sends an e-mail to congratulate them. It's a great networking idea!
If you haven't already done it, setting up a Google Alert for yourself and the important people in your life. It takes about 5 minutes.
Leave a comment