People Search News | Covering People Search on the Web for Consumershttp://www.peoplesearchnews.com/Copyright People Search News | Covering People Search on the Web for ConsumerssNewsThough not deliberate, MySpace.com seeded an idea that was to change Web based people search forever. Before MySpace, many people used companies like US Search and Infospace to purchase public records information as a means to locate people from their past, for a fee. A typical public records profile will include a list of known mailing addresses and possible phone number. Public records reports can cost from $7.95 to $100 depending on the source and complexity of the source. Though not deliberate, MySpace.com seeded an idea that was to change Web based people search forever. Before MySpace, many people used companies like US Search and Infospace to purchase public records information as a means to locate people from their past, for a fee. A typical public records profile will include a list of known mailing addresses and possible phone number. Public records reports can cost from $7.95 to $100 depending on the source and complexity of the source. Now, social network sites like MySpace, Facebook, Linkedin and others allow you to find people and contact them-FREE! Sure, social networks have made people searching free, but it takes more time. Further, the results from these sites are often not as concise as those from traditional public records sources as many of these social sites allow users to use aliases. Many social sites also allow users to make their profiles private and not display any contact information. Perhaps you do not have a lot of time to search the many social networks currently available. Maybe you do not even know where to start. Thankfully, there are sites that allow the searching of many social networks in on place. Pipl.com, Wink.com, Spock.com and others allow you to search any name across many of the most-popular social networks. Results often include the name of the network the person you are searching for with a link to their profile. But, social networks are by no means the end all and be all of free people searches. Though widely popular, not everyone joins a social network site and creates a profile. Now, it is time to go back to people searching’s roots. Where social networks fail, traditional public records searches augment. But not just any people search site will work. For this article, we recommend a site like PeopleFinders.com. Along with possible cities, PeopleFinders.com also lists relatives and roommates for each subject searched, every time. Finally, this part takes a little more time, but may be worth it. Take the list of relatives and roommates found at PeopleFinders.com and go back to Wink.com. Chances are you will likely get a “hit” on one the people on your list. If your search does indeed return results, check the profile and see if the person you are searching for is listed in the “friends” section of their profile. If not, try e-mailing the friend or relative of the person through their profile explaining that you are trying to contact your old friend. Sure it is time consuming, but it may result in a really free people search. If all else fails, free up some time and fork over the cash. Public records searches are far from free, but the results are instant! Good luck and happy people searching! Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:20:24 +0000http://www.peoplesearchnews.com/search-tips/reallyfree-people-search/http://www.peoplesearchnews.com/search-tips/reallyfree-people-search/ Don't let the article title fool you, we have not decided to convert our office to run on solar power (though you know Dubleche wants that to go down). When we say we are "going green", we are referring to our new MySpace page designed in a lovely shade of light green. The new PSN page features an RSS feed widget, article directory and more photos than ever before. Check it out here. Mon, 31 Dec 2007 16:19:38 +0000http://www.peoplesearchnews.com/psn-news/psn-goes-green/http://www.peoplesearchnews.com/psn-news/psn-goes-green/ At People Search News, we like to look at safety from every angle. Therefore, PSN is urging homeowners looking to have their homes painted this winter to help keep their families safe by screening potential painters through online background checks. Whether they are expecting friends or family members to stop by for the holidays, or just feel its time for a new look for their home, many homeowners opt to have their homes painted during the winter. However, for numerous reasons, most painters are not properly screened by homeowners for past criminal behavior. The most common reasons that homeowners don’t perform background checks on their painters are: Quick Results: When most homeowners decided to get their homes painted, they want the process completed as quickly as possible (No one wants to have scaffolding and tarps laying around in the front yard!). Therefore, if a homeowner finds a painter with a great turnaround time and good price, he or she will usually hire that painter immediately. Informal Job Postings: Painters are also often hired informally through free classified services like Craig’s List, neighborhood flyers, or door-to-door solicitation, which further exacerbates a lack of safety because most people think background checks should only be conducted on white collar workers. Cash Transactions or “Under the table” Payment: Regardless of whose fault it is, most painters are paid in cash and the payment for their services is often not reported to the IRS. Therefore, most painters won’t ask for W-2 forms, don’t need benefits, or require much paper work to start, thus running a background check may seem out of place for homeowners. The above list shows just a few of the ways that a sex offender can end up painting your home. However, you may ask, “Could we be making a mountain out of a mole hill here in regards to hiring a painter with a criminal past?” Sadly, the answer is a resounding “no.” First off, painters have access to your home and may come inside your home several times during the course of their day. Secondly, because they often spend long hours at your home, painters often know your family’s schedule, the layout of your home and even if your children are home alone. Finally, it is extremely easier to let a sex offender into your home, than it would be a park or school, if he or she is working as a painter. Rightfully so, there would be public outrage if a registered sex offender spent his day near children playing in a park. However, no one ever stops to think about the possibility of a sex offender working near children in a child’s own home. So what can you do to make sure that a painter you are considering doesn’t have a criminal past? PSN recommends an online background check. A comprehensive background check can provide information on an individual’s business, marital and criminal history, including whether a particular individual is a registered sex offender. Background checks vary in price but most range from around $19.95 to $75.00. Additionally, most sites can provide you with a background check report on your subject in under a half hour. Finally, when you are ready to perform your background check, we recommend that you visit an established people search site like PeopleFinders.com instead of opting for a fly-by-night web site with a lower price. For more information on people search web sites, check out PSN’s reviews. Mon, 17 Dec 2007 19:29:10 +0000http://www.peoplesearchnews.com/child-safety/the-easiest-way-for-registered-sex-offenders-to-get-close-to-children-may-be-through-a-paint-can/http://www.peoplesearchnews.com/child-safety/the-easiest-way-for-registered-sex-offenders-to-get-close-to-children-may-be-through-a-paint-can/ Last week, I was searching online for an item that I have always wanted, an authentic Japanese baseball hat. I began my search in the same manner that millions do each day as I typed into a search box and then hit the Google search button. My search yielded 1.5 million results, so of course, I began my purchasing journey with the companies on the first result page. After spending about twenty minutes viewing outrageous hat prices from Japanese companies, I decided to try something completely insane in the world of internet searching: I ventured off the first page to find the item I wanted. Now I know this seems like a completely ludicrous thing to do, but I was feeling like taking a chance. I choose results page #7, in tribute to New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes, and began to shop the hat vendors on that page. Much to my surprise, I found not one, but two great Japanese baseball hats for only $15 a piece! As a result of my efforts, I am now the proud owner of a Fukuoka Daiei Hawks hat and a Yokohama Bay Stars hat. Life couldn’t be better. After basking in the glow of my victory over traditional internet searching, I began to realize the extremely significant impact that Google search results play on one’s purchases. Consumers trust websites that show up in the first page of search results because Google tells us that these websites are the closest matches to what we are looking for. Thus, because Google (the world’s most popular search engine) says it, we must believe. However, let’s not forget that search results are based on weird search engine factors like keyword density, domain age and link strength. Factors that are considered important by consumers when making a purchase, such as customer satisfaction, product selection and price, are not considered a priority by Google and most other search engines. Sadly, consumers are often left with poor choices on the top of the list of search results. People search web sites are not immune to this “first page phenomenon.” In fact, most “people search” web sites listed early in search results are often of little help to the people who need them to run a background checks, find lost relatives, etc. In fact, if you search for “people search” on Google right now, you will mostly find college student roster searches, social networks and random pages with the word “people search” sprinkled somewhere in them. Though these sites may be relevant to the search term itself, they can’t help you check into a business, find childhood friends or perform any of the functions of a typical people search web site. The question now becomes, how do you find a good people search company? To find a quality people search company, PSN recommends doing your research. First off, check out people search review sites like PSN or People Search Portal to see user reviews. Chances are if a particular site was helpful, users are going to let people know about it. Next, go deep in search results to find the right price and type of search that you are looking for. People search sites vary by price and service, so make sure the search selected will give you exactly the results that you were looking for before you make your purchase. Finally, we always recommend checking how long a company has been in business before we give them our business. Sites such as http://www.free-tools.org/domain-age-check.php can show you if a people search company has been around for years or is just some new “fly-by-night” operation. Got any more search tips on how to find a good people search company? Send them to PSN at peoplesearchnews@gmail.com Mon, 03 Dec 2007 17:06:38 +0000http://www.peoplesearchnews.com/search-tips/dont-let-google-tell-you-how-to-people-search/http://www.peoplesearchnews.com/search-tips/dont-let-google-tell-you-how-to-people-search/ At People Search News, we are always striving to bring people search companies together. Therefore, PSN is working on creating a global map of people search websites to help show the steady international growth of the people search industry. So PSN readers, please send us your favorite people search web sites and we will list them on the map. Additionally, we also will welcome submissions from people search company employees as well. To submit your favorite people search web sites for inclusion in our people search map, please send the following to peoplesearchnews@gmail.com: Web Site Name Web Site Address Location of People Search Company Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:54:58 +0000http://www.peoplesearchnews.com/psn-news/help-create-the-psn-people-search-map/http://www.peoplesearchnews.com/psn-news/help-create-the-psn-people-search-map/