Seems like there’s always lots going on for me both in my personal life, work life and blogging life.

Been learning alot about the “ins and outs” of blogging, internet marketing, writing and also time management which is another challenge at times.

There are 3 areas I’ve been putting alot of effort into recently.

1. Writing on “my favorite blog”

I’ve started a couple of different blogs with various subjects that both interest me and that I know something about. One blog in particular has been much “easier” to write.

Although I love and am passionate about the topics of each of my blogs this one in particular I started about a year ago and just got serious about writing on it through the summer when I decided to learn more about blogging and how to develop them (blogs).

Some interesting doors have opened with this blog resulting in some very neat exposure. That may be another reason why motivation is quite high to keep writing on this one….

2. Still spending time reading

Some of my spare time (which I really haven’t had alot of) has been spent on research. I’m still following many blogs of various topics relating to blogging. From affiliate marketing to writing skills, the blog topics I’ve been following have been very beneficial.

I had also signed up for ShoeMoney’s 12 week Extreme Internet Marketing Program. It’s packed with tons of great information for anyone who has interest in internet marketing.

3. Building relationships with people who share these interests

I’ve been spending some time with people who share my interests both online and in person.

Building relationships with people, I’ve been learning alot. And there may be some great partnerships ahead.

Had a couple of brainstorming sessions with 2 different people about creating a few different sites of topics that we share interest and knowledge in. In some cases 2 or 3 heads can be better then 1!

Ever want to keep up to do with what’s happening on websites or blogs about a certain subject?

I have and while running Google search has and continues to be a big part of what I do in my do to day functions I found that using Google Alerts is a great way to keep an eye on what’s being said or reported about something.

You don’t even need a Google account for this service.

Let’s look at how to set it up:

1. Go over to http://google.com/alerts
2. Enter the words you want to be used in “Search Terms”
3. In “Type” you can choose blogs, videos..etc. Comprehensive being a combination.
4. In “How often” you can the frequency. If once per day is enough, once a week or “as it happens”. The last option meaning you’ll likely receive many emails.
5. Enter your email.

And then you’ll receive updates right in your email. And in these emails you have 3 options at the bottom of each message.

1. Remove this alert
2. Create another alert
3. Manage your alerts

As I have a google account, I suspect number 3 may not be there if you do not. But I’m not %100 sure on that one.

And there you have it. A powerful tool to use if you need to keep informed on certain topics or are conducting market research on a certain subject.