In the last edition of the Alumni BasiCs, we talked about reading for growth and ideas. Today, we’re going to flip that coin and offer some ideas on ways to see what people are saying about you or your brand.

Because we are often so busy promoting our message, we sometimes forget to listen to hear what comes back. One of the easiest ways to see how you are doing is to set up a Google Alert for each of the topics relevant to you and your brand.

A Google Alert can be as specific as your name or the title of your product or broader, representing an industry or general area of interest. With an alert, you can specify the sources you want searched (news, blogs, video, discussion, or all of the above), and how many returns you want (20 or 50). Depending on how much time you have, you can receive news as it is published or in a daily or weekly digest.

To see what people are saying – or see if people are sharing your conversations – use tools like HootSuite and TweetDeck. In each of these services, you can set up permanent “searches” that will feed traffic that meets your criteria, whether it is a hashtag (#momschoice), your ID (e.g., @momschoicaward), or a subject (e.g., literacy).

It is important to remember, though, that these tools are ways to monitor the “ripple effect” of your own marketing efforts. They are opportunities to stay in contact with your friends or make new ones. The conversations can provide insight and observations and may give you ideas on ways to refine your message. Feel free to comment or add to the conversation … just remember that each person is entitled to their views and be professional.