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Really-Free People Search

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.

Though not deliberate, MySpace.com seeded an idea that was to change Web based people search forever.

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!

Jan 22, 2008

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