Google on the Gridiron

This time of year is so meaningful to me because the NFL training camps open this week. When I lived in Albany the local papers and TV carried daily stories about my team, the New York Giants. But here in Syracuse most of the football fans root for the Buffalo Bills. How do I keep up with my team? Technology to the rescue! I went to the Giants web site and found links to their RSS feed and podcast. But I also like to read stories from the New York papers and other sports news outlets, so I created a Google alert. I get summary of stories about the Giants, taken from the news sources that Google monitors, along with links to the complete articles.

Here's how to create a Google alert for any topic you're interested in. Go to Google News and click News Alerts. (You'll need to create a free account with Google, which you can do by clicking the Sign In link in the upper right.) Next, type the words of your topic in the Search Terms box. Make a selection from the Type menu (for more info on the types, click the FAQ). Next select the frequency from the How Often menu. (During the off-season I have it set to weekly but once the season gets rolling I'll switch it to daily.) Finally, enter your e-mail address and click Create Alert. Your alert will be sent to your e-mail address.

Go G-men!