# Google Alerts: Bring someone to the board!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-alerts-bring-someone-to-the-board/502287
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [July 8, 2009, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-alerts-bring-someone-to-the-board/502287 "2009-07-08T02:00:03Z")
**Posts on this page:** 18
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [July 8, 2009, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-alerts-bring-someone-to-the-board/502287/1 "2009-07-08T02:00:03Z")
Ever since the board got indexed by Google, I’ve noticed people stopping by to post in threads who have a direct relation to the topic.
For instance, someone bitches about a program called Automater in [this Pit thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=523717) and the software developer shows up to defend himself!
Someone muses about guitarist James Burton in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=520284) and the person who runs his official site drops by to give more info!
Someone goes off about her experiences with dentistry in Poland in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=514864) and a representative from one of the organizations she is unhappy with comes by to state their side.
So, who do you want to lure to the boards? Obviously you’re not going to get a big celebrity or the CEO of a megacorp. But how about a rep for a small brand? A scientist whose paper you’ve read? A local small business owner? An expert on a particular car or guitar?
People are out there - they’re watching us! Post some specific search terms here that may be set up as someone’s Google Alerts, and they just might come!
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### Author:  [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)
#### Post date: [July 8, 2009, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-alerts-bring-someone-to-the-board/502287/2 "2009-07-08T02:06:10Z")
I’m of two minds about this sort of thing.
On the one hand, i guess it’s good if the people concerned respond to topics like this. On the other, if their only contribution to the board is a self-interested defense of their own product (like the software guy), then i don’t think it’s very much different from spam.
While info from the horse’s mouth, so to speak, might be handy on occasion, i’m not sure it would be a good thing for the board to turn into a sort of consumer forum where companies and website owners try to defuse or divert bad reviews or negative publicity.
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### Author:  [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)
#### Post date: [July 8, 2009, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-alerts-bring-someone-to-the-board/502287/3 "2009-07-08T16:21:13Z")
I once made reference to a podcast I’d enjoyed - and the podcaster found it and registered so he could drop me a thank-you. There are a couple of other podcasts where I’ve enjoyed the commentators so much I wish they’d also join up (Star Ship Sofa / StarShipSofa, Escape Pod / EscapePod, are you listening???) - I suspect they’d fit in pretty well as Dopers.
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### Author:  [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)
#### Post date: [July 8, 2009, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-alerts-bring-someone-to-the-board/502287/4 "2009-07-08T16:32:33Z")
I few months ago I asked a question about a book I was reading and the author showed up to give me an answer. He hadn’t googled it, someone had emailed him. But it was pretty cool that he took the time to answer me.
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### Author:  [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)
#### Post date: [July 8, 2009, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-alerts-bring-someone-to-the-board/502287/5 "2009-07-08T16:55:13Z")
> [@mhendo](#):
>
> On the one hand, i guess it’s good if the people concerned respond to topics like this. On the other, if their only contribution to the board is a self-interested defense of their own product (like the software guy), then i don’t think it’s very much different from spam.
Well, about five people in that other thread have specifically said that they think the software guy’s post was awesome, so i guess i’m in the minority on that one.
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### Author:  [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)
#### Post date: [July 8, 2009, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-alerts-bring-someone-to-the-board/502287/6 "2009-07-08T16:56:16Z")
::frantically searches to see if I posted any criticisms of particularly vindictive people::
Hey, let’s start a particularly name-naming bashing of Scientology and bait some clams!
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### Author:  [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)
#### Post date: [July 8, 2009, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-alerts-bring-someone-to-the-board/502287/7 "2009-07-08T17:38:53Z")
> [@Khadaji](#):
>
> I few months ago I asked a question about a book I was reading and the author showed up to give me an answer. He hadn’t googled it, someone had emailed him. But it was pretty cool that he took the time to answer me.
Well, his name is pretty common. If he did have a Google alert, it would more likely have been for the book title or characters than for his name. There are thousands of people named Will Thomas out there.
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### Author:  [@Claire\_Beauchamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claire_Beauchamp)
#### Post date: [July 8, 2009, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-alerts-bring-someone-to-the-board/502287/8 "2009-07-08T19:17:38Z")
There’s another board I participate in that’s cooking-related. A new, somewhat revolutionary cookbook popped up on the scene a couple of years ago, and there was a long thread discussing it and reviewing recipes, etc. A few of us had questions about various techniques, specific recipes, proposed variations, etc. Lo and behold, the cookbook author popped in to discuss with us for about a week. I don’t know how he found out about the thread, but that was pretty cool. Of course, he was a first-time cookbook author and obviously wanted to encourage discussion / sales of the book, but he didn’t “sell” and stuck to the topics at hand, and it was a lot of fun to get that level of participation from him.
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### Author:  [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)
#### Post date: [July 8, 2009, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-alerts-bring-someone-to-the-board/502287/9 "2009-07-08T21:07:46Z")
> [@Claire\_Beauchamp](#):
>
> There’s another board I participate in that’s cooking-related. A new, somewhat revolutionary cookbook popped up on the scene a couple of years ago, and there was a long thread discussing it and reviewing recipes, etc. A few of us had questions about various techniques, specific recipes, proposed variations, etc. Lo and behold, the cookbook author popped in to discuss with us for about a week. I don’t know how he found out about the thread, but that was pretty cool. Of course, he was a first-time cookbook author and obviously wanted to encourage discussion / sales of the book, but he didn’t “sell” and stuck to the topics at hand, and it was a lot of fun to get that level of participation from him.
Yeah, I saw that before on a cooking board about a cookbook called Charcuterie. I was about to cure meat for the first time and I really wanted to read about the experience of others. Lo and behold, one of the authors was a participant on one of the boards and had some very useful pointers on technique.
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### Author:  [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2009, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-alerts-bring-someone-to-the-board/502287/10 "2009-07-09T00:01:11Z")
> [@mhendo](#):
>
> Well, about five people in that other thread have specifically said that they think the software guy’s post was awesome, so i guess i’m in the minority on that one.
I think it depends on the actual response. If it’s completely self-serving and dismissive, then it’s spam. But almost every time I’ve seen an outsider come in, they leave quite thoughtful and informative posts. Clearly not spam, even if they are promoting their whatever.
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### Author:  [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2009, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-alerts-bring-someone-to-the-board/502287/11 "2009-07-09T02:28:23Z")
We got lucky even before Google indexing, when actor [Jim Beaver](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=380703&highlight=superman+beaver) stopped in to comment on the death of the tv actor who played Superman, George Reeves(post #8).
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### Author:  [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2009, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-alerts-bring-someone-to-the-board/502287/12 "2009-07-09T03:24:48Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#):
>
> I think it depends on the actual response. If it’s completely self-serving and dismissive, then it’s spam. But almost every time I’ve seen an outsider come in, they leave quite thoughtful and informative posts. Clearly not spam, even if they are promoting their whatever.
Yes. We aren’t exactly pussies. Someone who drops in with a bland, illogical, counter-factual defence of something is just going to get their arse handed to them. And the upside is that if they have something substantial to say, then we learn something substantial, which is great. I think overall this is an excellent development.
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### Author:  [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2009, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-alerts-bring-someone-to-the-board/502287/13 "2009-07-09T19:35:07Z")
Weird Al is rumored to lurk here. I live for the day when he posts to a thread here.
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### Author:  [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)
#### Post date: [July 9, 2009, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-alerts-bring-someone-to-the-board/502287/14 "2009-07-09T20:30:26Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#):
>
> Weird Al is rumored to lurk here. I live for the day when he posts to a thread here.
My guess is that that’s wishful thinking.
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### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2009, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-alerts-bring-someone-to-the-board/502287/15 "2009-07-10T09:05:37Z")
> [@twickster](#):
>
> My guess is that that’s wishful thinking.
If he did, would we know? Would he use a username that we’d recognize, or would he go all incognito?
I do remember reading somewhere official that Weird Al has been on this board.
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### Author:  [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2009, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-alerts-bring-someone-to-the-board/502287/16 "2009-07-10T11:31:31Z")
“Has been on” is one thing – “lurks” (which I would take to mean “reads regularly”) is another. Seriously, I’d be surprised if he didn’t have way better things to do with his time.
twicks, who only wishes she had better things to do with her time 😉
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### Author:  [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2009, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-alerts-bring-someone-to-the-board/502287/17 "2009-07-10T21:12:19Z")
> [@twickster](#):
>
> Seriously, I’d be surprised if he didn’t have way better things to do with his time.
I’m given to understand that he edits Wikipedia, and shops online for rewriteable media.
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### Author:  [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2009, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-alerts-bring-someone-to-the-board/502287/18 "2009-07-11T17:17:15Z")
> [@Larry\_Mudd](#):
>
> I’m given to understand that he edits Wikipedia, and shops online for rewriteable media.
Also he wants to go bowling with the gangstas