Tag: google

What Do I Do?

A lot of people ask about my job. I usually don’t go into a lot of detail, because it can be hard to understand if you’re not familiar with what ‘the cloud’ really is. But I’m happy to tell anyone who wants to listen, so if you’re interested and know cloud concepts I’ll gladly talk to you about it all day.

I am a Certified Solutions Architect in Amazon Web Services. In VERY short and minimalist terms I architect and implement solutions in Amazon’s cloud for clients. Many people know the retail side of Amazon – amazon.com – where we all buy tooooo much stuff, me included. I can’t help it – I love free shipping, same day delivery on some things, and discounts at Whole Foods and other places. I’ve been an Amazon girl for decades. But Amazon also has a whole separate “backside,” as I call it, that’s the engine behind all that retail magic, as well as their music, video, books (Kindle), and many other arms. All the programs, computers, databases, etc. that run basically EVERYTHING Amazon does is powered by its own computer ecosystem called Amazon Web Services. It’s a massive network that spans the globe and runs Amazon, along with many other huge companies you know like Netflix, Kellogg’s, GE, and Samsung.

Amazon isn’t the only company out there providing cloud technology. There are many other cloud providers out there and some of the bigger ones that you may have heard of are Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, and others. I can get around those, but I’m definitely most familiar with and skilled in AWS. Thankfully, that’s what I’m certified in so that works out well. 😉

In a nutshell, that’s what I do. If you’re ever thinking of moving to the cloud and don’t know where or how to start just let me know and I’ll be glad to point you in the right direction. And I work for an amazing company so you know you’ll be in great hands with me.

#TechTuesdays: Getting Alerted When You or Your Blog is on Google

#TechTuesdays

Tech Tuesdays with YouGotRossed

Time for #TechTuesdays with yours truly!

A few years ago I heard about a neat little tool that has helped me stay on top of my blog showing up anywhere online. The tool is a Google Alert and if you’re not using it yet, you likely will be the end of this post.

Alerts are online, FREE tools that Google created to allow you to get emails for any keyword(s) you like. I have Google Alerts set up for my blog name (YouGotRossed), my personal name (Sherri Ross), my organizations (Birmingham Girls Club, Birmingham Dance Walk), and many other things. I get an email in my Inbox each time those search terms show up in a result somewhere, along with the link to the source, and I can see if someone has mentioned me or is sharing my blog.

To set up your own Google Alerts:

  1. Go to http://www.google.com/alerts in any web browser (Internet Explorer, Safari, Chrome, etc.).
  2. In the “Create Alert About” box type in your keyword or words that you want Google to search for.
  3. Once you’ve typed in your criteria, you will see options underneath the search box that say “Create Alert” and “Show Options”.
  4. Click the “Show Options” arrow to customize the alert for you and then click “Create Alert.” “Show Options” is where you can set the frequency of alerts you receive, where you received them and more.
  5. You’re all done! Now when Google finds something matching your keywords, you will get an email.

Google offers some helpful tips for setting up your searches here. Feel free to reach out to me at sherri (at) yougotrossed (dot) com if you have any questions about this or any tech queries. Happy Teching, Blogloves!