How do google alerts work?

I know the theory behind them. I have a few set up to notify me daily, and they work great, but do they keep pinging you to see if you are online? Do they have a scheduled time to try and see if you are on-line. They obviously have a staggered timetable to send them daily as they couldn't send them all at once. They must have huge setups to run google anyhow, but to keep on pinging your PC to see if you are online would take even more huge resources.

Just like to know, for another bit of info, to be stored in the old gray matter. Bazza

PS: Or do they just send them to your ISP provider and then the task is passed over to your ISP to sort out? Baz

 

Do google alerts have anything to do with you being online?It is mail right?

 

I am not sure what you mean. They notify you by an email with a further link to get the full article. You have to be online to receive them.

http://www.google.com/alerts/create sets up alerts.

I have them set up for Zone Alarm, malaria, Sierra Leone (west African country) and some others, for example.

"they", the elusive they, notify me by email on a daily basis. Bazza

Congrats on 1000 posts. Baz
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I have a few too, they all point to some website,not necessarly google news.

 

An example of the alert/email I receive for my topic/alert, on mosquito net (also reports on mosquito, and net, as I have not included mosquito net in brackets, "......."). Bazza

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Google Alert for: mosquito net




More evidence of West Nile virus found in Calcasieu Parish
[size=-1]Sulphur Southwest Daily News - Sulphur,LA,USA
... For more information on mosquitoes and their control call 721-3780 or visit the mosquito control web page at http://cpmc.cppj.net/.
[/size]

Scientists aim to mislead malaria mosquitoes with odours
[size=-1]News-Medical.net - World
... need for egg production. As the mosquito is drawing blood, parasites from the mosquito enter the human body. A small percentage ...
[/size]Several natural products now available as insect repellents
[size=-1]Billings Gazette - Billings,MT,USA
... For more information, visit www.innotek.net or call (800) 826-5527 ... the body and eliminated through urine, DEET works by affecting the mosquito's target sensors ...[/size]

 

Google bots scan these news sites and give you the link in the mail,google doesnt need to know if/when you read those links.

 

I'd still like to know a little about the hardware mechanics and timing schedules on how "they" notify you of an alert. Just out of curiousity, mainly. Bazza

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*edit*
Their algorithm is only known by them.

 

I guess that is why they are over USD$300, per share.
Hope y'all got in at the start of the float. Bazza
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http://www.google.com/technology/pigeonrank.html
Hint scroll down

 

http://www.google.com/intl/en/mentalplex/MP_faq.html

 

http://www.google.com/googlegulp/

 

http://www.google.com/jobs/lunar_job.html

 

http://www.uwtv.org/programs/displayevent.asp?rid=2459
Streaming Video-Google: A Behind-the-Scenes Look

*may also want to check out http://www.uwtv.org/programs/displayevent.asp?rid=1680

Some usefull sites:
http://www.iprcom.com/papers/pagerank/
http://cs.brown.edu/~avarotsi/SearchEngines.HTML

 

Read it, and read right down to the end. Bazza

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