People Search by Name

Whether you are looking for a high school sweetheart or former colleague, conducting any people search effort online can help users find current contact information. Internet people search initiatives provide some of the easiest ways to reconnect with old friends and family members. All that is generally needed is some basic information and a computer with Internet access to begin any people search by name efforts.

Ways to Search

There are several search engines online that are devoted specifically to performing people searches by name. Yahoo! People Search is one example. By keying in the name of the person you are looking for, users can easily gather publically available information on the individual. This may include their address and phone number. Users may also be directed to any networks or directories with a listing of the person's contact information.

Another method is to simply use Google or any other search engine, where you can type the person's name in the search box. As with Yahoo! People Search, you will be given any publically available information about the person, and you will be directed to websites where their names appear. Users can alternately find a person's address by searching their phone number.

Facebook and MySpace

Online social networks are growing in popularity. As a consequence, many people have Facebook and MySpace web pages that tell you all about what they are doing, where they are located, and how to get in touch with them. You can go to either of these sites and key in the names of people you are researching. To search the databases, you typically need to create an account, but it is free to join each site. In addition, by listing your information in the social networks, old friends may contact you.

Reverse Phone Lookups

Another useful tool in searching for information on friends is to find a person by phone number. For example, by using Yahoo! People Search, you can find people by phone number, including their addresses and current locations. To find a person by phone number is easy, as long as their information is publically available.

Maximize Your Search

To optimize your search, it is important to gather as much upfront information as possible. For instance, if you are searching for a person with a common name, it is helpful to know the full name and middle initial of the person you are researching. Likewise, if you know the phone number of the person, it is helpful to have an idea of what city in which he or she lives. The more information you gather before searching, the more refined your results will be.