| Too many days I found myself constantly | | | | text such as my stock names and dollar amounts. |
| checking the same financial news web pages for | | | | I realized that this was probably a limited user |
| any news about the companies I was currently | | | | interface, but the fact that it got the job done |
| invested in. Between clicking on these web pages | | | | without wasting my energy on a learning curve |
| and constantly clicking on other financial web | | | | was all I cared about. |
| pages to obtain stock quotes, I was driving | | | | The program worked as advertised. I was alerted |
| myself crazy and wasting a lot of time that | | | | with an audible alarm when my stocks appeared |
| belonged to my employer. After all he does not | | | | in a press release at Yahoo's financial web site. I |
| pay me to surf the web. But if I didn't keep track | | | | soon discovered that the program could also email |
| of investment information, I could loose too much | | | | you these alerts. This was great because now I |
| money. I thought there had to be a solution other | | | | could run the program on my home PC using my |
| than taking Vallium. Why should I watch web | | | | full time broadband internet. My employer could |
| pages for stuff when my computer should be | | | | not accuse me in any way of constantly being on |
| able to do this for me? This is when I discovered | | | | the internet at work. |
| a software program called Gotta Know Now. | | | | Another one of those large toolbar buttons allows |
| As their home page explains, "Gotta Know Now | | | | you to change the watch mode to "Just Tell Me |
| watches HTML web pages for your information | | | | If The Web Pages I Specify Change". As their |
| by continuously downloading and inspecting each | | | | home page explains "Gotta Know Now can also |
| web page you specify for the text you specify. | | | | be set up to notify you when any changes or |
| A web page is just a file containing HTML text, | | | | updates occur on the web pages you specify. It |
| therefore Gotta Know Now is really downloading | | | | does this by continuously downloading and |
| and reading an HTML file looking for your text". | | | | comparing the HTML file with the initial HTML file |
| I came to understand that this program could | | | | recorded at the start of the watch session. If the |
| only detect changes that are part of the HTML | | | | HTML file changes Gotta Know Now notifys you". |
| text, but that was all I needed. Most of the web | | | | I soon had a use for this operating mode, I could |
| pages I wanted to watch were pure HTML pages | | | | now watch my Web Site's HTML log file for |
| (no Java etc. involved). | | | | visitors. I subscribe to one of those services that |
| After seeing a seal of approval from PC | | | | provide you with an HTML log file that updates |
| Magazine, I decided to try this software. The first | | | | with visitor information everytime someone clicks |
| pleasant surprise was that the program was | | | | on one of your web pages. Instead of constantly |
| immediately easy to use. A toolbar with eight | | | | checking this HTML log file with my internet |
| large buttons provided all the user interface I | | | | browser, I let Gotta Know Now watch it for |
| needed. One button allowed me to enter web | | | | updates. It is a lot of fun to know immediately |
| pages and another button allowed me to enter | | | | when someone visits your site. |