# Would LOVE a keyword notification feature
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-love-a-keyword-notification-feature/560946
**Category:** About This Message Board
**Created:** [November 17, 2010, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-love-a-keyword-notification-feature/560946 "2010-11-17T04:44:58Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2010, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-love-a-keyword-notification-feature/560946/1 "2010-11-17T04:44:58Z")
Can’t you add a feature that scans for subscribed keywords and emails me when there is a post or at least a thread-starter containing those words? I would love to know about all threads that mention certain topics that I might have a fighting chance of answering questions, or participating in discussion.
---
### Author:  [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2010, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-love-a-keyword-notification-feature/560946/2 "2010-11-17T05:04:18Z")
[Google Alert.](http://www.google.com/alerts)
---
### Author:  [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2010, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-love-a-keyword-notification-feature/560946/3 "2010-11-17T05:08:49Z")
Thank you immensely. I have never heard of that. 🆒
---
### Author:  [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2010, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-love-a-keyword-notification-feature/560946/4 "2010-11-17T05:27:02Z")
I didn’t think it would work for websites - I’ve only used it for Google News.
---
### Author:  [@NineToTheSky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NineToTheSky)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2010, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-love-a-keyword-notification-feature/560946/5 "2010-11-17T10:47:15Z")
> [@Munch](#):
>
> I didn’t think it would work for websites - I’ve only used it for Google News.
On the page it says:
> [@](#):
>
> Google Alerts are email updates of the latest relevant Google results ( **web** , news, etc.) based on your choice of query or topic.
---
### Author:  [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2010, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-love-a-keyword-notification-feature/560946/6 "2010-11-17T12:32:10Z")
I set it for “jazz guitar site:straightdope.com” as a trial run and the sample results were right on the money. So, yes, it works for specific sites just like regular Google does.
---
### Author:  [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2010, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-love-a-keyword-notification-feature/560946/7 "2010-11-17T16:03:44Z")
> [@NineToTheSky](#):
>
> On the page it says:
Right - that’s why I linked to it in my first post. I was just expressing surprise because I hadn’t used that feature of it in the past, as I’d always accessed it via Google News.
---
### Author:  [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)
#### Post date: [November 17, 2010, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-love-a-keyword-notification-feature/560946/8 "2010-11-17T16:28:15Z")
Understand that’s there’s going to be a lag between someone posting and Google knowing about that post. I don’t know how often Google scans [straightdope.com](http://straightdope.com) but it might be several days before an alert is sent out.
---
### Author:  [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)
#### Post date: [November 18, 2010, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-love-a-keyword-notification-feature/560946/9 "2010-11-18T02:03:16Z")
The thread “New airport search method change” in GQ was started at 7:45 PM Chicago time. It’s now showing up in Google search, about 15 minutes later. To find out if you can get a Google alert that fast, set one up for some unique phrase and start a thread with that phrase in ATMB.
---
### Author:  [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)
#### Post date: [November 18, 2010, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-love-a-keyword-notification-feature/560946/10 "2010-11-18T04:51:58Z")
> [@davidm](#):
>
> Understand that’s there’s going to be a lag between someone posting and Google knowing about that post. I don’t know how often Google scans [straightdope.com](http://straightdope.com) but it might be several days before an alert is sent out.
> [@rowrrbazzle](#):
>
> The thread “New airport search method change” in GQ was started at 7:45 PM Chicago time. It’s now showing up in Google search, about 15 minutes later. To find out if you can get a Google alert that fast, set one up for some unique phrase and start a thread with that phrase in ATMB.
There was a related thread last month. See it [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=582005).
---
### Author:  [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)
#### Post date: [November 19, 2010, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-love-a-keyword-notification-feature/560946/11 "2010-11-19T23:55:27Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#):
>
> I set it for “jazz guitar site:straightdope.com” as a trial run and the sample results were right on the money. So, yes, it works for specific sites just like regular Google does.
Not so fast. The sample results were correct, but I never actually got the alert email.
---
### Author:  [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2010, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-love-a-keyword-notification-feature/560946/12 "2010-11-21T13:45:14Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#):
>
> I set it for “jazz guitar site:straightdope.com” as a trial run and the sample results were right on the money. So, yes, it works for specific sites just like regular Google does.
I posted that at 11-17-2010, 07:32 AM. Received the alert at Sun 11/21/2010 12:31 AM, almost four days later.
Would STILL love to have a keyword notification feature.
---
### Author:  [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2010, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-love-a-keyword-notification-feature/560946/13 "2010-11-21T16:19:08Z")
As she lay between the lilywhite sheets with nothing on at all.
---
### Author:  [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2010, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-love-a-keyword-notification-feature/560946/14 "2010-11-22T14:45:14Z")
The alert for the above phrase just came in - 22 hours after I posted it.