In recent years, the advancement of technology and the speed of information flow have increased even more.
Mechanical engineers also need to reconsider their methods of gathering information.
In this context, Google Alerts can be used as a powerful tool for information gathering.
This article explains the importance of utilizing Google Alerts for mechanical designers.
How to Use Google Alerts
Google Alerts is a free service that allows you to receive notifications when articles related to specified keywords are published.
Here's a basic guide on how to use Google Alerts:
Accessing Google Alerts
- First, sign in to your Google account.
- Search for "Google Alerts" in your browser and access the official site.
Setting Up Alerts
- Enter the keywords or phrases you want to monitor in the text box on the main page.
- By clicking on "Create Alert", you will receive notifications when new content related to that keyword is published.
Option Settings
- By clicking "Show Options" or "Alert Options", various setting items will be displayed. Here are the main options:
- Frequency: Choose whether to receive notifications in real-time, once a day, or in a weekly summary.
- Sources: Choose whether to target specific sources (e.g., news, blogs, the entire web) or all sources.
- Language: Select the language for information collection. For Japanese, only articles written in Japanese will be gathered.
If set to English, articles written in English will be collected. - Region: Choose whether to target a specific region or all regions.
- Number: Choose to receive all results or only the most relevant results.
- Address: Specify the email address to receive notifications.
By using Google Alerts, you can easily gather new information on topics of interest, competitors, and industry keywords.
Advantages of Google Alerts
Here are some benefits of using Google Alerts:
1. Catch Up with the Latest Tech Trends
Mechanical design is an evolving field that always aligns with the latest technological trends.
By setting up Google Alerts, you can receive real-time updates on relevant keywords and industry trends.
This allows you to quickly catch up with new technologies, materials, and manufacturing methods.
2. Understand Competitor Movements
Knowing competitor trends is crucial for maintaining market competitiveness.
With Google Alerts, you can instantly receive information about competitors' product announcements, technical details, and press releases.
This helps in understanding market fluctuations and competitors' strategies, enabling timely responses.
3. Gather Information About Customers
Using Google Alerts, you can also automatically collect customer information.
You can receive daily updates on new products or personnel changes, helping you understand new needs and information for better proposals.
4. Collect Articles from Overseas
While online and newspaper information mainly consists of articles in your region, setting the Google Alert language to other languages allows you to instantly gather information from around the world.
It enables free information collection from a global perspective.
It is also effective in conjunction with Chat GPT's summary feature.
5. Save Time and Effort
While information collection is crucial, it also consumes a significant amount of time and effort.
By using Google Alerts, you can efficiently gather only the necessary information, allowing you to focus on other tasks.
Moreover, you can input keywords related to hobbies, ensuring you obtain only the information you need without spending much time.
Conclusion
For mechanical designers, information gathering is an indispensable part of the job.
Google Alerts is a potent tool for efficiently carrying out this task.
Make sure to utilize this tool to gather various information in real-time, from the latest tech trends to competitors' movements.