Just the other day I was at Ricardo Bueno’s blog and he posted this great article on personal brand management – you can read it HERE.
In it he talks about keeping track of what’s being found on Google that’s got your name or branding attached to it.
Is someone talking negatively about you? Did a client do a positive blog post about you?
Google Alert will help you keep track of these things and send you updates by e-mail.
I’ve been trying it for the past couple of days and it’s been interesting to see what it’s come up with.
When you have a moment, give it a run – you might find the exercise to be well worth the time.
Soul Writer 
Google alerts is precisely how I found you talking about REBarcamp Los Angeles!
I have been using Google Alerts for over a year now and they come in great for finding out who is linking to you and from where. I also use them to notify me when something is published that I am interested in such as Boise Idaho.
I recommend setting it to once a day or weekly or you may get a lot of notifications!