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Alerts add a new dimension to the file storage process, and they allow the files to essentially talk to the users, letting them know when something has changed. This is a dramatic advantage that SharePoint brings to the table when compared to a standard file storage system, such as a network file server or a traditional database. These systems are passive by nature and require the user to go and find, or try to find, the information they need. Most users have probably experienced the situation where they look in a shared folder on a shared directory to try to find the Word document they worked on several weeks ago. For example, this might be a policy document called "New Policy for Human Resources." When they arrive at the folder, they find 10 different versions of the document, the newest of which is only days old. The dismayed user then needs to open the newest document to try to figure out what, if anything, has changed and who made the changes. SharePoint adds a feature called alerting that enables a user to tag files, libraries, or lists so that an email is sent out when a certain change condition is met, such as when the item is changed or when new items are added to the list or library. Alerts can also be created on the portal if SharePoint Portal Server 2003 is in use, but these alerts will not be covered in this lesson. This lesson covers alerts generated within site collections in Windows SharePoint Services. NOTE
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