Loading...I’m a long time book nerd as well as a magazine junkie, so naturally I’m obsessed with reading the news despite not always wanting to know what is going on in the world. That being said, for business purposes, knowing what is going on is essentially important.
I own Web sites in several niches. That means there are several streams I monitor on a daily basis so that I know what is going on as it happens.
I’m a long time BlackBerry user and the only way to successfully monitor news sources and the like at all times is to get emails on my cell phone but not just any email, specifically email alerts. Thankfully, T-Mobile phone plans make it super easy to accomplish this task. This basically means I am constantly checking my phone and often sifting through several emails.
To explain further, one of my Web sites happens to be in the health industry and one of the main categories that I cover is “recalls;” which again, leads back to keeping up with important news. For instance, ground beef recalled in 10 states for sickening consumers or Motrin recalled in several states for making users ill is newsworthy and I would want to know about that immediately so I could do a write up and inform my readers.
You can also use alerts for keeping current on a competitor or industry news, your favorite celebrity or even your favorite sports team. It’s simply a matter of what information you want to monitor.
Mobile Broadband Plans
First and most importantly pick a plan that works for you. Take into consideration how and where you will be using your cell phone so that you don’t go over your allotted data plan.
A broadband plan will help you to surf the Internet at fast speeds while away from home or your desk.
Email Alerts
One of the main tools I use is the Gmail App for BlackBerry. There is also an app available for the iPhone or Droid. Once the Gmail app is installed, setting up a “Google Alert” is the next step and it’s incredibly easy. You basically monitor keywords of your choosing. You will then receive an email regarding those keywords alerting you that there is an article or several on your given keywords/topic.
This may sound easy and obvious but you would be surprised to know how many bloggers simply don’t take the extra step to stay ahead of the game so that when big news stories break they can be one of the first to post and share the news. Often times going back to the simple steps of blogging are the most important from a practical standpoint but also to make it easy for you to keep up with news while also helping you to find topics and news to write about. I don’t know about you, but anything that makes my job and work easier is always good.