Author Topic: Software to watch the Web for specific words to appear (Read 10,303 times)

cyberdiva · « **on:** January 16, 2012, 03:15 AM »

I'm wondering whether anyone knows of free or moderately inexpensive software that will watch the Web and let me know whenever a specific word or name or title appears. I don't want to specify a specific web site; rather, I'd want the software to search the Web and let me know whenever it finds what I've asked for. I can imagine a number of uses for such a program: watching for mention of a particular piece of software, or a forthcoming film, or anything involving my favorite actor or author. Or me.

I thought such programs would be easy to find, but a very quick Google search turned up only Orbiscope, and from what I can tell, I'd have to tell it what web pages to watch. That's not what I want. I already own an old copy of Website Watcher, which is fine for monitoring a specific page or pages. But my problem is that I don't know where the mention will appear. Does anyone know of software that will do what I want?

KynloStephen66515 · « **Reply #1 on:** January 16, 2012, 03:18 AM »

What about Google Alerts? That monitors for specific words and then e-mails you.

cyberdiva · « **Reply #2 on:** January 16, 2012, 05:28 AM »

Thanks very much, Stephen! I'm a little reluctant to become even more involved with and dependent on Google, but Google Alerts does seem to be the sort of thing I'm looking for. Unless there is free or inexpensive software that will do as good a job, I think I'll go with Google Alerts.

barney · « **Reply #3 on:** January 16, 2012, 05:32 AM »

You might also search for copyright software. It searches for content, in order to notify of sites stealing/copying [your] Web pages, with a focus on marketing content. But it should work just as well for randomly specified text, e.g., names, phrases. Have no idea how efficacious it might be $:-\$ , but I see, at least every two (2) or three (3) months, offers for some version or other of it.

Ath · « **Reply #4 on:** January 16, 2012, 07:41 AM »

And how about mouser's Web Link Captor?

cyberdiva · « **Reply #5 on:** January 16, 2012, 03:57 PM »

Thanks, barney and Ath, for your suggestions. I have the feeling that copyright software may be aimed at a different market--one that is willing to spend bigger bucks than I am. But I guess it doesn't hurt to take a look. As for Web Link Captor, that's an intriguing idea. When Mouser discussed it earlier, I followed the discussion for a while, but apparently I had an incorrect idea of what it could do. I might indeed give it a try, though Google Alerts sounds a lot easier to set up (and thus probably a lot less flexible

)

Again, many thanks!