过去，如果你想找到某人，你会聘请一名私家侦探，让他们“调查他们的消息来源”。当然你仍然可以这样做，但私家侦探很昂贵。如果您正在寻找某人，您通常可以使用Internet自行找到他们。
很多人都尽力避免上网，但说实话，不管你喜不喜欢，这些天你最终都会上网。因此，如果您正在寻找某人，您只需要知道正确的在线位置即可。
社交媒体(Social Media)
第一个明显的停靠港显然是社交媒体，例如Facebook、Twitter和LinkedIn。Twitter能告诉你一个人的信息非常有限（除了他们的照片和位置(photo and location)——如果他们输入了这些信息）。
但是Facebook 和 LinkedIn(Facebook and LinkedIn)呢？嗯(Well)，这是一个完全不同的球类游戏，因为它们是为人们设计的，可以揭示关于他们自己的一切(everything)——而且他们确实这样做了。
我读过参与证人保护计划的前(Witness Protection Program)美国法警(US Marshals)的书，他们说计划中的很多人最终被他们的敌人发现，因为他们不断更新他们的社交媒体页面！
你要找的人是否(Whether)在Facebook 上(Facebook)取决于他们的年龄以及他们对科技的“投入程度”。一般来说(Generally speaking)，50 岁以下的人最有可能拥有Facebook 帐户(Facebook account)。任何超过 50 岁的人......好吧，那就是一个折腾。
找到该人将取决于以下内容：
- 这个人的名字有多独特。Zachary Zucker比John Smith更有可能清楚地出现。
- 如果他们仍然住在你最后一次见到他们的地方。如果他们有一个共同的名字并且已经搬到世界的另一端，那么识别他们可能是一个问题。
- 如果他们的个人资料中有明显的信息，那就是他们——照片、以前的学校、以前的雇主等。
另一件要尝试的事情（如果你知道的话）是看看他们以前的学校是否有校友Facebook 小组(Facebook group)。大多数学校都有由以前的学生建立的Facebook群组，他们上传旧(Facebook group)班级照片(class photos)并谈论过去的日子。你可能会在那里找到那个人。
领英(LinkedIn)(LinkedIn)
如果你在Facebook 上(Facebook)三振，接下来试试LinkedIn。LinkedIn让我非常幸运，因为它已成为任何想要建立职业的人的一站式场所。这意味着会有人的照片，他们的整个工作经历(work history)，位置，学校等。
查找以前的学校恶霸并发现他们正在汉堡王(Burger King)翻转汉堡或打扫厕所也可以令人难以置信的满足！
搜索引擎(Search Engines)
如果这个人不在社交媒体上，下一步就是搜索引擎(search engine)，或多或少意味着谷歌。(Google.)
谷歌(Google)可以抛出大量关于人的信息。报纸文章可以在谷歌(Google)上被索引，所以也许这个人做了一些值得注意(something noteworthy)的事情让他们进入新闻？
或者也许他们犯罪并入狱，在这种情况下，审判会被覆盖？还有讣告告诉我，有一天他突然从雷达(radar one)上消失了，他已经死了。最后，看看这个人是否有自己的网站。
这里有一些您也可以尝试的专业搜索引擎。大多数会为您提供基本信息，并收取象征性费用以访问更高级的信息。但基本信息将包括姓名、地址、亲戚，也许还有电话号码。
不过(thing though)，有点烦人的是，这些网站中的许多仅涵盖美国。
电话簿(Phone Books)
许多国家现在在网上发布他们的电话簿，使购买大量印刷书籍的日子成为过去。谷歌搜索(Google search)“电话簿”+“你的国家”将显示目录。但是在查看这篇文章时，美国号码的网站(the site for US numbers)已关闭。英国的等价物是BT和192 Directory Enquiries。
监狱数据库(Prison Databases)
如果您从Google发现他们已经入狱，或者您只是想将监狱从列表中剔除，那么下一步就是查找正确的数据库。
在英国，没有实际的数据库。相反，您必须向监狱服务部门发送电子邮件(you must email the Prison Service)并要求他们寻找您。然后囚犯必须同意提供他们的位置
然而，在美国，忘记囚犯隐私(prisoner privacy)吧！联邦监狱(Prisons)局(Federal Bureau)为联邦囚犯维护一个数据库(maintains a database for federal inmates)。该网站(And this website)链接到美国每个州的囚犯定位工具。
地方报纸档案(Local Newspaper Archives)
您可以尝试的另一件事是本地报纸档案。一些报纸允许搜索引擎为他们的故事编制索引，但很多都不允许。相反，他们将档案放在付费墙后面。《纽约时报》(New York Times)和《华盛顿邮报(Washington Post)》等报纸以及许多较小的当地社区报纸都因此而臭名昭著。
所以看看该地区的报纸是否有档案，支付象征性的费用，然后四处寻找你要找的人。我以前有过成功，所以这是值得的。
如果一切都失败了——跟随朋友和亲戚(If All Else Fails – Follow The Friends & Relatives)
现在不要误会我的意思。我并不是说以一种令人毛骨悚然的跟踪者的方式，用远程相机镜头躲在灌木丛中。我的意思是，如果你要找的人没有出现——而且你认识他们的朋友和亲戚——找他们。如果他们与此人有联系，您可以通过这种方式找到他们。
如果某人因结婚而改名而您不知道新名字，这可能是最好的选择。在社交媒体上查看朋友和亲戚的朋友列表——看看这个人是否以新名字出现。
如果您不认识亲戚，请访问ancestry.com。输入您要找的人，然后它会告诉您他们亲属的详细信息。这都是公共记录，所以你没有做错任何事。
How To Track Someone Down Using Online Sources
It used to be thаt if you wanted sоmeone found, you would hire a private investigаtor аnd let them “work their soυrces”. Of course you сan still do that but private investigators are expensive. If you are lоoking for someone, yоu can quite often find them on your own using the Intеrnet.
A lot of people try their level best to avoid being online but truth be told, you end up online these days whether you like it or not. So if you are looking for someone, you just have to know the right online places to look.
Social Media
The first obvious port of call is obviously social media, in the form of Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Twitter is very limited in what they can tell you about a person (apart from their photo and location – if they enter that information).
But Facebook and LinkedIn? Well, that’s a whole different ball-game because they are designed for people to reveal everything about themselves – and they do.
I have read books by former US Marshals involved in the Witness Protection Program who said that a lot of people in the program were eventually found by their enemies because they kept updating their social media pages!
Whether or not the person you are looking for is on Facebook will depend on how old they are and how “into tech” they are. Generally speaking, those under 50 will most likely have a Facebook account. Anyone over 50….well, then it’s a tossup.
Finding the person will depend on things like :
- how unique the person’s name is. Zachary Zucker is more likely to show up clearly than John Smith.
- If they are still living in the same area where you saw them last. If they have a common name and have moved to the other side of the world, identifying them might be a problem.
- If they have information on their profile that makes it obvious it is them – photos, former schools, former employers, etc.
Another thing to try (if you know it) is to see if their former school has an alumni Facebook group. Most schools have Facebook groups set up by former students who upload old class photos and talk about the old days. You might find the person there.
If you strike out on Facebook, try LinkedIn next. I have had an incredible amount of luck with LinkedIn because it has become the one-stop place for anyone wanting to build a career. This means there will be photos of the person, their entire work history, location, schools, etc.
It can also be incredibly satisfying to look up the former school bullies and discover they are flipping burgers in Burger King or cleaning toilets!
Search Engines
If the person is not on social media, the next step is the search engine which more or less means Google.
Google can throw up a huge amount of information about people. Newspaper articles can be indexed on Google so maybe the person did something noteworthy that got them into the news?
Or maybe they committed a crime and went to prison, in which case the trial would have been covered? Then there are the obituaries which told me a friend was dead when he suddenly dropped off the radar one day. Finally, see if the person has their own website.
Here are some specialist search engines you could also try. Most will give you basic information with a nominal fee required to access more advanced information. But the basic information will cover things like names, addresses, relatives, and maybe phone numbers.
The slightly annoying thing though is that many of these websites cover the US only.
Phone Books
Many countries now publish their phone directories online, making the days of getting bulky print books a relic of the past. A Google search of “phone book” + “your country” will bring up the directories. But when checking for this article, the site for US numbers was down. The British equivalents are BT and 192 Directory Enquiries.
Prison Databases
If you discover from Google that they have gone to prison, or you just want to tick prison off the list, the next step is to look on the right databases.
In the UK, there is no actual database. Instead, you must email the Prison Service and request that they look for you. Then the prisoner has to consent to their location being given
However, in the US, forget about prisoner privacy! The Federal Bureau of Prisons maintains a database for federal inmates. And this website links to prisoner locator tools for every state in the US.
Local Newspaper Archives
One other thing you could try are local newspaper archives. Some newspapers allow search engines to index their stories, but many do not. Instead, they put their archives behind paywalls. Newspapers like the New York Times and Washington Post are notorious for this, as well as many smaller local community newspapers.
So see if newspapers in the region have archives, pay the nominal fee, and have a look around for the person you’re looking for. I have had success before so it’s worth it.
If All Else Fails – Follow The Friends & Relatives
Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t mean in a creepy stalker-ish way, hiding in the bushes with a long-range camera lens. What I mean is that if the person you seeking is not showing up – and you know their friends and relatives – look for them. If they are in touch with the person, you could find them that way.
This is probably the best bet if someone has changed their name due to marriage and you don’t know the new name. Look in the friends and relatives’ friends lists on social media – see if the person is there under a new name.
If you don’t know the relatives, go to ancestry.com . Enter the person you’re looking for then it will tell you their relatives’ details. It’s all public record so you’re not doing anything wrong.
