diff --git a/src/bitcoinrpc.cpp b/src/bitcoinrpc.cpp
index 4a6cc42ef..b6d8de4a1 100644
--- a/src/bitcoinrpc.cpp
+++ b/src/bitcoinrpc.cpp
@@ -769,7 +769,9 @@ void ThreadRPCServer2(void* parg)
               "rpcpassword=%s\n"
               "(you do not need to remember this password)\n"
               "The username and password MUST NOT be the same.\n"
-              "If the file does not exist, create it with owner-readable-only file permissions.\n"),
+              "If the file does not exist, create it with owner-readable-only file permissions.\n"
+              "It is also recommended to set alertnotify so you are notified of problems;\n"
+              "for example: alertnotify=echo %%s | mail -s \"Bitcoin Alert\" admin@foo.com\n"),
                 strWhatAmI.c_str(),
                 GetConfigFile().string().c_str(),
                 EncodeBase58(&rand_pwd[0],&rand_pwd[0]+32).c_str()),