| Finding People on the Internet |
Numerous resources
are available on the Internet for finding people -- i.e., for locating
addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses for individuals.
Many of these same resources can be used to locate addresses, telephone
numbers, and email addresses for businesses and organizations. This
guide identifies some of the more popular and unique people finder sites
available on the Internet. Sites are listed in the following categories.
General People Finder Resources Resources
in this category include online telephone and email directories.
These sites are considered general resources, because they are not limited
to a particular segment of the population or geographic area.
The term "white pages" is often used to describe such sources, because
they are similar in content to the white pages of the traditional telephone
directory. Similarly, the term "yellow pages" is often used to
describe online business directories. The following are a few
of the many general people finder sites on the Internet. They
are presented here without rating or endorsement.
Specialized People Finder Resources If the person for whom information
is sought has special interests, group affiliations, or a known profession,
he or she may be located on the Internet using a directory that specializes
in that subject area or profession. The following sites are representative
of the many specialized people finder resources on the Internet.
They are presented here without rating or endorsement. Additional
specialized directories can be located using a standard Internet search
engine. For example, a search using the terms "architects" and
"directory" will yield a list of numerous web sites that list addresses,
telephone numbers, and email addresses of architects and other design
professionals.
Standard Internet search engines are another means of finding information about individuals. A search of the Internet using a standard search engine may yield personal contact information as well as documents written by or referring to the individual. Information about an individual can be searched by typing the individual's name in the standard "search for" box. For the most effective searches enclose names in quotation marks and try searching several variations of the names. Some search engines have special forms to search for individuals. These forms are usually accessed from the search engine home page through hyperlinks with titles such as "People," "People Finder," or "People Search." For a list and description of the major search engines see Searching the Internet.
Genealogy guides are useful
for finding information about individuals and their relatives.
Numerous such guides are available today on the Internet. In addition,
more genealogical data -- such as birth and death records -- is added
to the Internet each year. Genealogy sites typically include general
information freely available to Internet users and more detailed genealogical
data restricted to site subscribers. Subscription rates associated
with these sites vary widely. The following is a list of representative
genealogy resources available on the Internet, presented here without
rating or endorsement.
Sources Sherman, Chris. "Finding People Worldwide." About.com Guide. 22 June 1999. About.com. 4 October 1999. (http://websearch.about.com/internet/sites/websearch/library/weekly/aa062299.htm) Sherman, Chris. "People Finders and White Pages." About.com Guide. n.d. About.com. 4 October 1999. (http://websearch.about.com/internet/sites/websearch/msub17.htm) Sherman, Chris.
"Sleuthing for People Online." About.com Guide. 9 June 1999.
About.com. 4 October 1999. (http://websearch.about.com/internet/sites/websearch/library/weekly/aa121498.htm)
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