:: Magic Alerts

Well, not actually magic alerts.. more like Google alerts. I'm not sure how many folks use Google Alerts, but I use them every single day...

What are they? Google will let you sign up for a number of different search terms, and then request that anything related to your search terms that shows up in Google each day be emailed to you.

For instance, if you choose the keyword(s)- street magic -, anything appearing in news sources and/or new entries on the web will be emailed to you, in encapsulated form, with a link for you to access that source.

Newspapers, magazines, newsletters, web sites, anything that is indexed by Google, will return results on a daily basis. Actually, you can request an 'as appears' option, and receive emails in real time, based on your search terms. As soon as a newspaper in Los Angeles publishes an article about David Blaine and uses the words 'street magic', you will receive an email with a link to that article.

Google Alerts should be a very useful tool for anyone keeping up with magic related news, an ideal way to stay a step ahead of your competitors.

Think of some of the terms you can earmark for notification.. David Copperfield, sleight of hand, card magic, houdini, mentalism, antique magic apparatus for sale, magic auctions, and on and on...

You absolutely will receive many keyword-related notifications that have nothing what-so-ever to do with your requested search term. You know how unrelated search terms show up. But, all the related links are sent in one email, so you can quickly browse them and determine the relevant from the not so... ( That's ONE email per search term)

Oh, and don't forget to include your name among your search terms. I can tell at a glance when Google's been to one of my web sites, as I will often receive a notification like - "Magic Roadshow, copyright 2005, Rick Carruth, All rights reserved..", and I will instantly know Google has been sneaking around my website.. which is a good thing..

It's Amazingly Simple to set up alerts, all you need is an email account..

http://www.google.com/alerts