Have information come to you

Now that we have easy access to so much information through the Internet and social networking, many of us feel the pressure of time more acutely. Do you find yourself sitting at the computer too much, just trying to keep up?

Then let the technology do more of the work! Rather than looking for information, have it come to you. Last November I described RSS feeds and how to use them (What is that RSS orange box for?). In March I told you how to get RSS feeds and email updates from a number of federal government sites (Stay ahead of your patients).

Now here’s another suggestion. What topic do you care about? Diabetes? Heart disease? Health literacy? Patient education? The use of social networking in health care delivery? You can have Google search the Internet on that topic for you automatically, and send you regular updates.
— Go to www.google.com/alerts
— Enter your search term
— Choose the types of sites you want searched, such as just “news” or “everything.”
— Choose how often you want updates.
— Choose the length of the email you want to receive.
— Enter the email address where you want the updates to be sent.

Then all you have to do is check your email when you get a chance, scan it for something that suits your needs, and click on the link for details. If you find many of the sites it pulls are not appropriate, redefine your search terms. And, if you find your interests change, just discontinue that alert. Another free, easy, helpful, effective, and efficient use of technology.