From NEHGS eNews of 5/3/06 Letting the Internet Come to You by Michael J. Leclerc Even after a short time, many researchers can end up pursuing dozens of individuals in their research. Internet searches are now a standard part of research. The problem is that more and more pages are added each day. How can anyone keep up with all of this new information? Two resources should be in every genealogist's toolkit: RSS and Google Alert. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. Very popular on weblogs and news sites, this tool allows users to subscribe to a service that will notify them when new information is posted on the site. Instead of having to constantly visit a website or blog to see what new information may have been posted, subscribers get an email in their inbox whenever new information is available. Some sites offer tailored RSS subscriptions, allowing you to receive notification about specific topics only instead of general changes to the site. Google Alert offers two levels of service. In both instances you enter search terms and your email address. Google will notify you when its search engine has discovered new pages with those search terms. You can be notified daily, weekly, or as the new postings are discovered. There are four levels of subscription service for Google Alerts, ranging in price from $4.95/month to $39.95/month. Each level increases the number of searches you are allowed to run concurrently, and the number of results that will be returned. Visit www.google.com/alerts for more information. John In loving memory of our son, Brennan. 11/10/88-5/31/01. http://john-slaughter.rootsweb.com/Brennan.html MA-Bay-Colony list moderator USGenWeb County Coordinator Essex County, MA - http://www.rootsweb.com/~maessex Middlesex County, MA - http://www.rootsweb.com/~mamiddle USGenWeb Town Coordinator Ipswich, Essex, MA - http://www.rootsweb.com/~macipswi _________________________________________________________________ Dont just search. Find. Check out the new MSN Search! http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/