Stay Connected with Yahoo! Alerts

Stay Connected with Yahoo! Alerts

Yahoo! Alerts send information that's important to you, when and where you need it.

Alerts are small text messages sent from Yahoo! that can let you know everything from how much snow fell at your favorite ski resort last night, to how a particular stock is faring in the middle of the day, to who was the winner at the end of a ballgame. The key is that alerts keep you up-to-date with information whether you're sitting in front of your computer or out in the world.

To start receiving alerts, all you have to do is let Yahoo! know what you'd like to be alerted about and how you'd like to receive the alert: via email, instant message, or mobile device.

Setting up Alert Devices

The simplest way to start receiving alerts is via any email address, including your Yahoo! Mail address. When you create an alert, specify Email as the delivery method and choose one of the addresses associated with your Yahoo! ID.

Need to add or change an email address associated with your Yahoo! ID? Browse to http://edit.yahoo.com/config/eval_profile and log in to add or remove email addresses from your account.

With a bit more work, you can also receive Yahoo! Alerts on a cell phone or pager that supports SMS messages. Before you can set a mobile alert, you'll need to visit http://mobile.yahoo.com to associate a mobile device with your Yahoo! ID. From Yahoo! Mobile, you can find out if your device can accept alerts and verify your device so that Yahoo! knows you've authorized it to send alerts. Once set up, you can choose Mobile as the delivery method for an alert. Figure shows a weather alert for Corvallis, Oregon, sent to a mobile device.

A mobile weather alert for Corvallis, Oregon

You can also receive some alerts via Yahoo! Instant Messenger. Download Yahoo! Instant Messenger at http://messenger.yahoo.com, set up an account, and choose Messenger as the delivery method for an alert. Then, any Instant Messenger alerts will pop up on your screen while you're at the computer.

Many alerts also let you choose multiple delivery methods. So, if you have all three device types set up, you could set an alert to give you breaking news from the Associated Press via email, instant messenger, and your pager!

Setting Alerts

As you're browsing around Yahoo! sites such as Yahoo! Travel, Yahoo! Shopping, or Yahoo! Finance, you might see a ringing bell icon and a Set Alert link, as shown in Figure.

Set Alert link at Yahoo! Finance

Clicking this link is the fastest way to set an alert related to the content you're viewing. If you're browsing the San Francisco section of Yahoo! Travel, you can simply click Set Alert to be notified of the best travel fares to the city.

You can also set up alerts by browsing to http://alerts.yahoo.com and looking through the alerts directory. Here's a sampling of the available alerts:

Auctions

Select an alert based on the category of auction entry, the seller, or a keyword. Searches Yahoo! Auctions and can send updates immediately or summarize once or twice daily.

Avatars

Get updates on new clothes, backgrounds, or any new items for your Yahoo! Instant Messenger avatar.

Best Fares

Select your favorite route and be alerted when the fare drops or increases by $25 or more from the current fareor if the price goes below a selected amount.

Breaking News

Choose between standard Associated Press alerts with frequent updates or the AP Bulletin, which focuses on the biggest breaking news stories.

Health News

Use these alerts to get health news for words or phrases that you specify. For example, a diabetes alert will send summaries of new diabetes-related articles.

Horoscopes

Set your astrological sign and a time to receive your daily horoscope.

Yahoo! Mail

Receive an alert when new mail arrives at your Yahoo! Mail account (available for wireless devices only).

Missing Children

Enter your Zip Code, and you'll be notified of any Missing Children Alerts issued within your area. You might be able to help if you have any information.

News

Subscribe to breaking news alerts, keyword news alerts, and top news within selected categories.

Snowfall

Receive notification when snow levels at your favorite resorts across the world reach a specified minimum. You never know when you might need to take off and ski!

Sports

Set your favorite teams and get updates during games, or scores when the games end.

Stock Alerts

Receive daily updates of stock levels for your favorite stocks, or receive notice when they reach a specified numeric or percentage change.

Weather

Receive daily updates of weather within a specified Zip Code at a specified time.

Yahoo! 360

Receive an alert when someone sends you a message or adds you as a friend at Yahoo! 360.

Modifying Alerts

Once set, any alert can be modified, temporarily paused, or removed. You can see all of the alerts you've set by browsing to http://alerts.yahoo.com and clicking the My Alerts tab. Each alert will show the type, activated status, and delivery method, as shown in Figure.

My Alerts page at Yahoo! Alerts

To change any of the options you've set for an alert, click the pencil icon. To temporarily stop receiving an alert, click the On or Off status button to change the status. If an alert is listed as Off, you won't receive the alert. Clicking the trash icon and confirming the delete will completely remove an existing alert; you'll stop receiving the alert and you'll need to go through the alert setup process from the beginning if you change your mind and want to receive the deleted alert again in the future.