I Spy (or how to know when somebody has blogged about you)

Cultivating a successful online business is an aim for everyone on Etsy. And we know it - fabulous products and proper photographs are merely the base from which we start building our business. We need to make our works visible and easily accessible. But once we have done this, how do we know when our brand name has been mentioned on the web?

The easiest way is to set a Google Alert.

How it works: Once you have specified your search word, Google will start checking regularly for new results that match your query. Then every time Google finds a new result (blog, web page, newspaper/magazine article), an email will be automatically generated and sent over to you. By the way, you can use Google Alerts to monitor anything you think of.

Here is how to do it:

1. Go to: http://www.google.com/alerts

2. Type in your search term (f.ex. my brand name is kanelstrand, and I want to know when and who mentions me on the web). Then decide on the Type (i.e. where you are mentioned - in a blog, a discussion, etc.; for best results choose "Everything").

3. Specify how often you want to receive the email alert.

4. If you are signed in your Google Account, you will have to choose where you want the results to be delivered - in your email inbox or as an RSS Feed in your Google Reader.

5. If you are not signed in, after you type in your email address a verification email will be sent. (it is not compulsory to have a gmail)

6. And now you know!

Are you using Google Alert? Share your experiences and suggestions!