It is fun to think about finding old friends with whom you may have lost touch. With today's technology, such a search doesn't have to be difficult. Searching for old friends or people you went to school with can often lead to a successful reunion if you know where to look. A great place to start your search is on the Internet. Here are a few easy ways to search for someone online successfully.

1

Search Engines

One of the best ways to find people you went to school with is to use search engines. There are many search engines on the Internet, so just because a person does not show up on one does not mean they won't be found on another. Try using many search engines to find information on the person of interest, such as Google, Yahoo and MSN.

Search for a certain name with quotes around the name. This will bring up different results and, in some cases, bring up information about a person that did not come up when searching for the same person without using the quotation marks. Searching using alternative spellings and/or maiden names also can help narrow the search.

  • One of the best ways to find people you went to school with is to use search engines.
  • This will bring up different results and, in some cases, bring up information about a person that did not come up when searching for the same person without using the quotation marks.
2

Networking

Try scouring the social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace. If you don't find the person you are looking for, there is a chance you may find someone who knows someone who will know who you are looking for. Whether it be a family member or an acquaintance, the odds are very good that your old friend can be found through someone who is on one of these networking sites.

3

Websites

If you are searching for a person that you went to school with, many of these schools now have websites for alumni. Try searching these sites using maiden names or alternative names if applicable. You may be able to leave a forum message at these sites that might end up in a lead of the person's whereabouts.

  • If you are searching for a person that you went to school with, many of these schools now have websites for alumni.

There also are many websites on the Internet that claim to help people find old friends and loved ones for a fee, such as My Life or Grad Finder. While some of these sites may be legitimate, there are many that are scams. These sites will take your money, claim they searched for the person you are looking for and never produce results. If you are tempted to use one of these sites, it is important that you thoroughly research the company before giving them money or personal information.