I plan on getting together with Melanie again to give another demonstration of the resources where I located Jennifer. I will also show her my completed blog. We plan on going to her town library to do this, so Melanie finds out where the computers are at her library. This will also give Melanie more practice in computer literacy.
I am also going to give Melanie printouts of the pages from different Web sites detailing how I searched for Jennifer. I think she will especially like the Web page from MySpace, which has her daughter's picture on it. This will help her recognize Jennifer at the airport when she goes to visit her in June.
Monday, May 7, 2007
Sunday, May 6, 2007
In closing...
This was a fun project to work on. I hope anyone reading the blog has gained valuable information about the most efficient, accurate, low-cost ways to locate someone.
Happy reunions!
Happy reunions!
What have I learned?
I have learned about numerous low-cost resources for locating someone on the Internet.
I have learned that there are shortcomings to many of the people-search sites.
I have also learned that simple, "unprofessional" resources--such as MySpace--can work better than some people-search sites that advertise themselves as being a high-tech way to find anyone, anywhere.
Yahoo's free e-mail finder and MySpace were the resources that would have enabled me to contact Jennifer completely for free. However, the venue through which I did actually find her, Classmates.com, did not cost that much (about $9 total for a 3-month "gold membership" that lets me send messages through the site).
I have also learned that you have to be wary of using your credit card on these sites (as well as other types of sites) if you do not want your address (your billing address, anyway) to appear on people-finder sites.
Also, people should know that if they are listed in the phonebook, their address and phone number will be not only in the phone directory, but all over the Internet.
I have learned that there are shortcomings to many of the people-search sites.
I have also learned that simple, "unprofessional" resources--such as MySpace--can work better than some people-search sites that advertise themselves as being a high-tech way to find anyone, anywhere.
Yahoo's free e-mail finder and MySpace were the resources that would have enabled me to contact Jennifer completely for free. However, the venue through which I did actually find her, Classmates.com, did not cost that much (about $9 total for a 3-month "gold membership" that lets me send messages through the site).
I have also learned that you have to be wary of using your credit card on these sites (as well as other types of sites) if you do not want your address (your billing address, anyway) to appear on people-finder sites.
Also, people should know that if they are listed in the phonebook, their address and phone number will be not only in the phone directory, but all over the Internet.
What would I have done differently?
The only thing I would have done differently would be to search totally free resources first, before I went to the ones you had to pay for.
In this case, MySpace and Yahoo People Search e-mail finder would have worked and been a completely free way to contact Jennifer.
In this case, MySpace and Yahoo People Search e-mail finder would have worked and been a completely free way to contact Jennifer.
What works? What doesn't?
Most of the resources I examined worked to some degree.
However, all the sites I checked out that were dedicated to finding someone did not have Jennifer's most recent address, as she moved within the past six months and is not listed. The information on these sites may not be current if the person is unlisted, has not been involved in a court case or civil matter, and their current information has not been "leaked" to the site's database through their credit card or some other way.
I will take the consumer guide's recommendation for their top three people-finding sites, as their testers found far more current, accurate results through these sites : Net Detective; Reverse-Records; and CourtRecords.
I also learned that common Web gathering sites such as Classmates.com and MySpace work, in this case, more effectively than the people-search sites I did searches on.
Another simple search technique that worked was searching for Jennifer's e-mail address on Yahoo's People Search e-mail finder. This would have been a totally free way to get in touch with Jennifer and is also a direct piece of contact information (unlike with Classmates or MySpace, which, although allowing you to send messages through their systems, do not reveal the person's e-mail address).
However, all the sites I checked out that were dedicated to finding someone did not have Jennifer's most recent address, as she moved within the past six months and is not listed. The information on these sites may not be current if the person is unlisted, has not been involved in a court case or civil matter, and their current information has not been "leaked" to the site's database through their credit card or some other way.
I will take the consumer guide's recommendation for their top three people-finding sites, as their testers found far more current, accurate results through these sites : Net Detective; Reverse-Records; and CourtRecords.
I also learned that common Web gathering sites such as Classmates.com and MySpace work, in this case, more effectively than the people-search sites I did searches on.
Another simple search technique that worked was searching for Jennifer's e-mail address on Yahoo's People Search e-mail finder. This would have been a totally free way to get in touch with Jennifer and is also a direct piece of contact information (unlike with Classmates or MySpace, which, although allowing you to send messages through their systems, do not reveal the person's e-mail address).
Other Web gathering spots: MySpace, FaceBook
Other Web "gathering spots":
Since I found Jennifer not through a people-search site, but through a Web "gathering place," I wanted to mention a couple of other such gathering places. These sites, like Classmates.com, allow you to communicate through their system but do not reveal people's e-mail addresses or other direct contact information (unless, of course, the person posts it on their site themselves). Unlike Classmates.com, you can communicate for free through these sites:
My Space (www.myspace.com): Anyone can join MySpace and set up a homepage on it. Both people and "organizations" (mainly bands) have pages. You can search for someone by name and location.
I searched for Jennifer's name within a hundred mile radius of Tampa (since this is the original location we had for her), and it looks like I found her again! Her last name is not on the Web page, but this person is the same age as Melanie's daughter and lives in Sarasota, where we found out Jennifer lives now. She has a picture on the site and looks a little like Melanie, so I'm pretty sure it's her.
I wish I had tried to contact her through MySpace first, since it would have been totally free to do so.
FaceBook (www.facebook.com): This site is similar to MySpace, except it consists of a variety of networks grouped by high school, college, workplace, or religion. It is also free to communicate with people through FaceBook, unlike Classmates.com. However, I was unable to locate Jennifer on this site.
Since I found Jennifer not through a people-search site, but through a Web "gathering place," I wanted to mention a couple of other such gathering places. These sites, like Classmates.com, allow you to communicate through their system but do not reveal people's e-mail addresses or other direct contact information (unless, of course, the person posts it on their site themselves). Unlike Classmates.com, you can communicate for free through these sites:
My Space (www.myspace.com): Anyone can join MySpace and set up a homepage on it. Both people and "organizations" (mainly bands) have pages. You can search for someone by name and location.
I searched for Jennifer's name within a hundred mile radius of Tampa (since this is the original location we had for her), and it looks like I found her again! Her last name is not on the Web page, but this person is the same age as Melanie's daughter and lives in Sarasota, where we found out Jennifer lives now. She has a picture on the site and looks a little like Melanie, so I'm pretty sure it's her.
I wish I had tried to contact her through MySpace first, since it would have been totally free to do so.
FaceBook (www.facebook.com): This site is similar to MySpace, except it consists of a variety of networks grouped by high school, college, workplace, or religion. It is also free to communicate with people through FaceBook, unlike Classmates.com. However, I was unable to locate Jennifer on this site.
What were student experiences and evaluations during the whole process?
I learned that it is quite easy to find information about people on the Internet. However, I learned that if the person is not currently listed in the phone book, it is harder to get their current address. I was somewhat alarmed by some of the information that is available online. Some things I was alarmed about were:
- Many of these sites also brought up the person's relatives and neighbors
- At least one site advertised that they retrieved social security numbers and adoption records
- These sites will take your credit card number when you pay to search for someone and then add your billing address to their database and sell it to other people-search sites. However, this does help keep their databases accurate and might help you locate someone, so I guess I have mixed feelings about this practice
- Many people-search sites will often not bring up the person's current contact information if they are not listed in the phone book, haven't used their credit card to purchase anything on the Web recently (see bullet above), and have not recently been involved in a court case or legal transaction. According to the consumer guide, this is the case even if you have paid for a more advanced search. So, buyer beware!
I was happy to run across the Consumer Guide that ranked the Web sites. They pointed out how many people-search sites are no better than the white pages. I also appreciate their recommendations of three of the top search sites.
I also learned that sites that are not specifically for finding someone's contact information can also be a good way (if not a more effective way) to locate someone. For instance, Classmates.com worked for me. MySpace also worked and would have been totally free. Although these sites do not give you the person's exact contact information, they still allow you to get in touch with the person.
I came across a number of resources, including that consumer guide, through links that were on other sites. So, through following the links, I learned more information.
Friday, May 4, 2007
Consumer report on people-find search engines
Consumer-Guide
FamilyFinder had a link to a consumer guide company called "Consumer-Guide.To," which had a report on online people finding services.
According to their investigation of these services, in which testers entered searches for people whose contact information they knew, many of these search sites came up with outdated information or information that could be found on the white pages for free.
The testers also found that after they paid for searches with their credit cards, their names and billing addresses appeared on just about every people-search site within days. Although this would be one method for these sites to add peoples' contact information to their databases, the researchers considered it a violation of privacy (although apparently a legal one). Anyway, just something to watch out for if you are paying for a search.
This Consumer Guide company picked three people and public records searchers s its favorites:
Net Detective (http://orders.hdpublishing.net/cgi-bin/shop.cgi?product=ND&offer=NDC4JV&affiliate=291361): This site specializes in locating people and doing background checks. According to the editors, this site maintains one of the largest investigative databases on the Web. This site is often used by private investigators and reporters. Almost every search the testers did came up with current, accurate results. It costs $29 for a three-year membership with a money-back guarantee.
Reverse-Records (www.reverse-records.org): This resource is ideal if you do not know the full name of the person you want to locate. All you need is the person's phone number (cell phone number will also work), email address, or license plate number. Any of this information will yield the person's full name, current address, and phone number. The cost is $29.95 for one year unlimited use, with a money-back guarantee.
CourtRecords (www.courtrecords.org): This service can be used for finding people and to do criminal/legal background checks. The testers ran background checks on individuals with known criminal records. In every case, this service correctly brought up their records. CourtRecords can also be used to find civil records, such as marriages and divorces. This service has most court records available for the U.S., Canada, and the U.K., and a limited database of court records for other countries. The cost for this service is also $29.95 for unlimited checks, with a money-back guarantee.
Thus, the cost of these sites is generally less than for the same information from some other sites. So, good quality doe not have to cost more.
FamilyFinder had a link to a consumer guide company called "Consumer-Guide.To," which had a report on online people finding services.
According to their investigation of these services, in which testers entered searches for people whose contact information they knew, many of these search sites came up with outdated information or information that could be found on the white pages for free.
The testers also found that after they paid for searches with their credit cards, their names and billing addresses appeared on just about every people-search site within days. Although this would be one method for these sites to add peoples' contact information to their databases, the researchers considered it a violation of privacy (although apparently a legal one). Anyway, just something to watch out for if you are paying for a search.
This Consumer Guide company picked three people and public records searchers s its favorites:
Net Detective (http://orders.hdpublishing.net/cgi-bin/shop.cgi?product=ND&offer=NDC4JV&affiliate=291361): This site specializes in locating people and doing background checks. According to the editors, this site maintains one of the largest investigative databases on the Web. This site is often used by private investigators and reporters. Almost every search the testers did came up with current, accurate results. It costs $29 for a three-year membership with a money-back guarantee.
Reverse-Records (www.reverse-records.org): This resource is ideal if you do not know the full name of the person you want to locate. All you need is the person's phone number (cell phone number will also work), email address, or license plate number. Any of this information will yield the person's full name, current address, and phone number. The cost is $29.95 for one year unlimited use, with a money-back guarantee.
CourtRecords (www.courtrecords.org): This service can be used for finding people and to do criminal/legal background checks. The testers ran background checks on individuals with known criminal records. In every case, this service correctly brought up their records. CourtRecords can also be used to find civil records, such as marriages and divorces. This service has most court records available for the U.S., Canada, and the U.K., and a limited database of court records for other countries. The cost for this service is also $29.95 for unlimited checks, with a money-back guarantee.
Thus, the cost of these sites is generally less than for the same information from some other sites. So, good quality doe not have to cost more.
Lots of other resources (most of which work the same)
PeopleFind.com has a link to Family Finder (http://www.familyfinder.com/). This resource is an index with links to many other people-finding Web sites. It also has links to sites for such topics as geneaology, finding a gravesite, and obtaining a birth certificate.
I clicked on their link for "Find a Person." This then had a link for free people-finding tools. This brought up a long list of sites, including the ones I already mentioned in the blog. Most of them worked similarly to the ones I found. The free information consisted of the person's last known city and state, their age, and possible relatives.
However, to get more in-depth information such as their street address, phone number, marital status, criminal record, and bankruptcies/tax liens, you had to pay a fee. For most of the sites, the fees were about the same--approximately $40-$50 for a fairly complete background check, with an additional $10-$20 for more in-depth information. Many of the sites also offered a record of just addresses and phone numbers for about $10 and a 24-hour pass to search certain databases for anyone for about $20. These sites all brought up basically the same information for Jennifer as the ones I already mentioned in the blog.
There were a few sites that were somewhat different, however:
DEX (http://www.dexonline.com/): This site basically an online phone book, with yellow pages, white pages, and government pages. It will bring up the street address and phone number of the person you're searching for for free--as long as they are listed in the phone book. I searched for Jennifer, Dex did not find her. The only search term you have to enter is the person's last name or at least their last initial. You can also enter their first name or initial, and as much of their address as you know.
Dex also has a reverse phone finder, where you enter the phone number. If it is a home phone number, it will give you the name and address of the person who is listed for that number. If it is a cell phone, it will tell you the town and state the cell phone number is registered and what wireless company it belongs to.
Public Database (www.publicdatabase.com): This site claims to have the most vast database of public records available online, from birth certificates to death certificates and everything in between. It claims to even find medical records, which I would think would be illegal under HIPAA guidelines. Other information the company claims to locate includes, to name a few, adoption information (which I also would think would be illegal), social security number search (again, not illegal?), immigration records, e-mail addresses, and grave-site location.
However, you cannot do any search for free on this site. You have to pay $34.95 for a standard two-year membership that lets you do 15 premium searches and $39.95 for a two-year membership that lets you do 25 premium searches. I am not sure what a premium search consists of. I clicked on their FAQ link to find out, but it was not working.
The site claims that they employ "expert searchers," but that they are not private investigators.
You have to be at least 18 years old to use the site. Another rule I thought was interesting is that you cannot belong to any local, state, or federal law enforcement agency to use the site.
Reunion.com: This site is similar to Classmates.com, except that it is for anyone wishing to reunite with someone, rather than just classmates. Just as on Classmates.com, you have to pay a small monthly fee in order to send and receive messages through the site. Reunion.com will send a message to your e-mail address alerting you when someone is trying to locate you or when it has found someone you are trying to locate. As on Classmates.com it will not reveal your personal e-mail address.
I clicked on their link for "Find a Person." This then had a link for free people-finding tools. This brought up a long list of sites, including the ones I already mentioned in the blog. Most of them worked similarly to the ones I found. The free information consisted of the person's last known city and state, their age, and possible relatives.
However, to get more in-depth information such as their street address, phone number, marital status, criminal record, and bankruptcies/tax liens, you had to pay a fee. For most of the sites, the fees were about the same--approximately $40-$50 for a fairly complete background check, with an additional $10-$20 for more in-depth information. Many of the sites also offered a record of just addresses and phone numbers for about $10 and a 24-hour pass to search certain databases for anyone for about $20. These sites all brought up basically the same information for Jennifer as the ones I already mentioned in the blog.
There were a few sites that were somewhat different, however:
DEX (http://www.dexonline.com/): This site basically an online phone book, with yellow pages, white pages, and government pages. It will bring up the street address and phone number of the person you're searching for for free--as long as they are listed in the phone book. I searched for Jennifer, Dex did not find her. The only search term you have to enter is the person's last name or at least their last initial. You can also enter their first name or initial, and as much of their address as you know.
Dex also has a reverse phone finder, where you enter the phone number. If it is a home phone number, it will give you the name and address of the person who is listed for that number. If it is a cell phone, it will tell you the town and state the cell phone number is registered and what wireless company it belongs to.
Public Database (www.publicdatabase.com): This site claims to have the most vast database of public records available online, from birth certificates to death certificates and everything in between. It claims to even find medical records, which I would think would be illegal under HIPAA guidelines. Other information the company claims to locate includes, to name a few, adoption information (which I also would think would be illegal), social security number search (again, not illegal?), immigration records, e-mail addresses, and grave-site location.
However, you cannot do any search for free on this site. You have to pay $34.95 for a standard two-year membership that lets you do 15 premium searches and $39.95 for a two-year membership that lets you do 25 premium searches. I am not sure what a premium search consists of. I clicked on their FAQ link to find out, but it was not working.
The site claims that they employ "expert searchers," but that they are not private investigators.
You have to be at least 18 years old to use the site. Another rule I thought was interesting is that you cannot belong to any local, state, or federal law enforcement agency to use the site.
Reunion.com: This site is similar to Classmates.com, except that it is for anyone wishing to reunite with someone, rather than just classmates. Just as on Classmates.com, you have to pay a small monthly fee in order to send and receive messages through the site. Reunion.com will send a message to your e-mail address alerting you when someone is trying to locate you or when it has found someone you are trying to locate. As on Classmates.com it will not reveal your personal e-mail address.
PeopleSearch/PeopleFinders
PeopleSearch:
I decided to try out more resources before I close my blog. I saw a people-finding tool called PeopleSearch (www.peoplesearch.com) advertised on the Web. PeopleSearch is more geared to business needs, e.g., background checks, pre-employment screening, and detailed reports on both U.S. and foreign companies. PeopleSearch offers a Family Finding tool that is geared toward attorney's needs, such as for the purposes of wills/inheritances, to collect child support, etc. However, it appears non-attorneys are permitted to use this tool also. Through this tool, you can search for a missing child, ex-spouse, or parent of a child. This resource would have come in handy in tracking down Sam after he illegally took Jennifer out of New Jersey.
You have to fill out a form stating why you want the information. You are not permitted to use the information for a news story, to locate individuals involved in adoption, to locate celebrities or government officials (unless, presumably, you are related to them), to search for friends/acquaintances, or to cause physical or emotional harm. Employees at PeopleSearch.com will then search for the person.
Most of the business-related people-search resources at PeopleSearch.com cost in the range of $50 to $150, but they promise very precise, current results. For most of their services, you do not have to pay the full amount unless they pinpoint extensive, current contact information.
(Detailed reports on companies cost between $250 to $2250.)
For those wanting a simple, non-business-related people search, PeopleSearch.com has you fill in search windows for the person's first name, last name, and state, then enter. It then connects you to another site, PeopleFinders (www.PeopleFinders.com).
PeopleFinders:
When you are connected to PeopleFinders, it shows you basic information about the person that most fits your search terms. Sure enough, it was Melanie's daughter. I could tell it was her, because it listed her age, middle initial, and relatives (with their ages), including Sam. It listed her most recent city and state as Cape Coral, Florida, which, again, is not where Jennifer lives right now. It also lists other people by the name you searched for down below. If you do not think any of the people the system has brought up are the person you are looking for, PeopleFinder provides a form where you can enter the person's age and last-known city, as well.
I searched for other people, including myself, as well. The results were generally accurate, although it did not have my most recent address (which I moved to in January), and it listed my mother as being nine years younger than I am!
PeopleFinders works like Zaba Search and Intelius in that it automatically combs its database of public records. The information provided was basically the same that Zaba Search and Intelius provided. Like Intelius, PeopleFinder offers advanced searches for a fee to reveal more specific and varied information:
For $39.95 it will do a "complete background check," which will list the person's street addresses for the past 20 years, phone numbers, bakruptcies, tax liens, marriages and divorces, DEA [Drug Enforcement Agency?] registrants, and Web site ownership.
It offers a criminal report for an additional $20 and a business check for corporate violations/ficticious business names, etc. for another $20.
However, for only $9.95 you can search just for the person's street address history, names/aliases, and date of birth.
You can also purchase a 24-hour pass for $19.95 which will allow you to search for any person you want in certain databases, namely People, Real Property, Death, Divorce, and Marriage.
These prices and services were comparable to the other search sites I found, such as Intelius.
I decided to try out more resources before I close my blog. I saw a people-finding tool called PeopleSearch (www.peoplesearch.com) advertised on the Web. PeopleSearch is more geared to business needs, e.g., background checks, pre-employment screening, and detailed reports on both U.S. and foreign companies. PeopleSearch offers a Family Finding tool that is geared toward attorney's needs, such as for the purposes of wills/inheritances, to collect child support, etc. However, it appears non-attorneys are permitted to use this tool also. Through this tool, you can search for a missing child, ex-spouse, or parent of a child. This resource would have come in handy in tracking down Sam after he illegally took Jennifer out of New Jersey.
You have to fill out a form stating why you want the information. You are not permitted to use the information for a news story, to locate individuals involved in adoption, to locate celebrities or government officials (unless, presumably, you are related to them), to search for friends/acquaintances, or to cause physical or emotional harm. Employees at PeopleSearch.com will then search for the person.
Most of the business-related people-search resources at PeopleSearch.com cost in the range of $50 to $150, but they promise very precise, current results. For most of their services, you do not have to pay the full amount unless they pinpoint extensive, current contact information.
(Detailed reports on companies cost between $250 to $2250.)
For those wanting a simple, non-business-related people search, PeopleSearch.com has you fill in search windows for the person's first name, last name, and state, then enter. It then connects you to another site, PeopleFinders (www.PeopleFinders.com).
PeopleFinders:
When you are connected to PeopleFinders, it shows you basic information about the person that most fits your search terms. Sure enough, it was Melanie's daughter. I could tell it was her, because it listed her age, middle initial, and relatives (with their ages), including Sam. It listed her most recent city and state as Cape Coral, Florida, which, again, is not where Jennifer lives right now. It also lists other people by the name you searched for down below. If you do not think any of the people the system has brought up are the person you are looking for, PeopleFinder provides a form where you can enter the person's age and last-known city, as well.
I searched for other people, including myself, as well. The results were generally accurate, although it did not have my most recent address (which I moved to in January), and it listed my mother as being nine years younger than I am!
PeopleFinders works like Zaba Search and Intelius in that it automatically combs its database of public records. The information provided was basically the same that Zaba Search and Intelius provided. Like Intelius, PeopleFinder offers advanced searches for a fee to reveal more specific and varied information:
For $39.95 it will do a "complete background check," which will list the person's street addresses for the past 20 years, phone numbers, bakruptcies, tax liens, marriages and divorces, DEA [Drug Enforcement Agency?] registrants, and Web site ownership.
It offers a criminal report for an additional $20 and a business check for corporate violations/ficticious business names, etc. for another $20.
However, for only $9.95 you can search just for the person's street address history, names/aliases, and date of birth.
You can also purchase a 24-hour pass for $19.95 which will allow you to search for any person you want in certain databases, namely People, Real Property, Death, Divorce, and Marriage.
These prices and services were comparable to the other search sites I found, such as Intelius.
Fruitful alternatives (cont.): Yahoo e-mail search
It turns out the Yahoo e-mail address that I located through Yahoo People Search does belong to Melanie's daughter. So, this would have been a free way for Melanie to directly contact Jennifer.
In retrospect, this resource would have been the best alternative, as it was free and specifically provided a piece of contact information for Jennifer (her e-mail address).
In retrospect, this resource would have been the best alternative, as it was free and specifically provided a piece of contact information for Jennifer (her e-mail address).
User evaluation; resulting changes
User Evaluation:
Melanie was thrilled with the job I did. In fact, she wants to throw me a party for reuniting her with her daughter.
She did not have any complaints. She did not exactly have any changes in her information needs. The specific information she wanted progressed, however. As we answered some questions, Melanie wanted the answers to more:
For instance, when I first located Jennifer on Classmates.com, Melanie was asking me for information that was not posted on Classmates and was not mentioned in Jennifer's e-mails she sent through Classmates. Information we still did not have after that initial contact was what Jennifer's contact information was. Melanie was also speculating on what Jennifer's attitude toward her would be after all these years, wondering what Sam had told Jennifer about her, and wondering about details of Jennifer's and Sam's lives in the past and present. I could only tell her what Jennifer's messages said.
It was when Melanie spoke to Jennifer by phone that she filled in these gaps in her information. I also (after the fact) found partial answers through other Web resources, as I noted in other posts.
Resulting Changes:
So, the main resulting change that took place after initially finding Jennifer was that our search focused on filling in remaining information gaps about Jennifer. The nature of my assignment changed from strictly trying to locate Jennifer to comparing different people-search sites on the Internet. Another goal that emerged was to help Melanie become more computer literate.
Melanie was thrilled with the job I did. In fact, she wants to throw me a party for reuniting her with her daughter.
She did not have any complaints. She did not exactly have any changes in her information needs. The specific information she wanted progressed, however. As we answered some questions, Melanie wanted the answers to more:
For instance, when I first located Jennifer on Classmates.com, Melanie was asking me for information that was not posted on Classmates and was not mentioned in Jennifer's e-mails she sent through Classmates. Information we still did not have after that initial contact was what Jennifer's contact information was. Melanie was also speculating on what Jennifer's attitude toward her would be after all these years, wondering what Sam had told Jennifer about her, and wondering about details of Jennifer's and Sam's lives in the past and present. I could only tell her what Jennifer's messages said.
It was when Melanie spoke to Jennifer by phone that she filled in these gaps in her information. I also (after the fact) found partial answers through other Web resources, as I noted in other posts.
Resulting Changes:
So, the main resulting change that took place after initially finding Jennifer was that our search focused on filling in remaining information gaps about Jennifer. The nature of my assignment changed from strictly trying to locate Jennifer to comparing different people-search sites on the Internet. Another goal that emerged was to help Melanie become more computer literate.
Consideration of modes of presentation of results
I informed Melanie of the results I got, as I got them, by phone. I have also gotten together with her in person two times, with my laptop in tow. I showed her on the computer how to access all the sites I came across and let her read the messages from Jennifer herself. I also showed her how e-mail works, and she set up her own e-mail account on Yahoo. First I typed in the information while she watched. Then I had her practice accessing the Web sites herself. Melanie plans to go to the library to use the computers there.
Melanie needed to be walked through these processes--e.g., where to type in the URL for a Web site--as she was not computer literate at all. So, I decided bringing the computer over and demonstrating my searches was the best way to show her the results as well as make her more computer literate.
Melanie needed to be walked through these processes--e.g., where to type in the URL for a Web site--as she was not computer literate at all. So, I decided bringing the computer over and demonstrating my searches was the best way to show her the results as well as make her more computer literate.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
What alternatives proved most fruitful?
Of all the resources I have searched so far, Classmates.com has proved to be the best one, because it provided a way to directly correspond with Jennifer even if it did not provide her contact information.
Zaba Search and Intelius both had an old address for Jennifer as their most recent listing, with no phone number. So, we would not have been able to get in touch with Jennifer, unless maybe we sent a letter to the address listed and it was forwarded to her new address.
The Yahoo e-mail search may have provided us with a way to directly contact Jennifer if indeed it is her correct e-mail address and is not the e-mail address for a different person with her name. If the Yahoo e-mail address is correct, then I would have to rank that search tool better than Classmates.com, since that would have been a completely free way to get in touch with Jennifer. I had to pay $5 a month for the next three months to exchange messages through Classmates.com (they offer lower rates if you sign up for a longer period of time).
Zaba Search and Intelius both had an old address for Jennifer as their most recent listing, with no phone number. So, we would not have been able to get in touch with Jennifer, unless maybe we sent a letter to the address listed and it was forwarded to her new address.
The Yahoo e-mail search may have provided us with a way to directly contact Jennifer if indeed it is her correct e-mail address and is not the e-mail address for a different person with her name. If the Yahoo e-mail address is correct, then I would have to rank that search tool better than Classmates.com, since that would have been a completely free way to get in touch with Jennifer. I had to pay $5 a month for the next three months to exchange messages through Classmates.com (they offer lower rates if you sign up for a longer period of time).
Discussion of changes and reasons for these changes
There was not a change in our plan of using free or inexpensive Internet resources. I happened to luck out and find Jennifer using the first one we chose, Classmates.com. The plan then shifted from locating Jennifer to comparing different resources for locating her.
I heard about Classmates.com because everybody has; it is advertised all over the Web.
I found out about Zaba Search because I got an advertisement from them in my e-mail (spam) shortly after I used Classmates.com to search for Jennifer. I am thinking Classmates.com maybe sold my name to them. Zaba Search then had a link for Intelius.
I knew Yahoo had a "phonebook" service, because I had used it before. Now they are referring to their white pages as "People Search," when I think before it was just called "White Pages."
I will look into finding other search tools and see how those compare.
I heard about Classmates.com because everybody has; it is advertised all over the Web.
I found out about Zaba Search because I got an advertisement from them in my e-mail (spam) shortly after I used Classmates.com to search for Jennifer. I am thinking Classmates.com maybe sold my name to them. Zaba Search then had a link for Intelius.
I knew Yahoo had a "phonebook" service, because I had used it before. Now they are referring to their white pages as "People Search," when I think before it was just called "White Pages."
I will look into finding other search tools and see how those compare.
Construction and variations in search strategies and tactics
I suggested, and Melanie agreed, to first try to find Jennifer using free or inexpensive resources on the Internet. I believed this would be the simplest tactic to use and that this tactic would have a fairly high chance of success. Also, since Melanie is rather strapped for cash, I wanted to present her with inexpensive options for locating her daughter.
As Melanie does not have a computer, it was agreed that I would do all the searching on the computer, explaining to Melanie by phone the resources I was using. However, I did see her in person a few weeks ago, and I brought my laptop along. I showed Melanie some basic computer skills, such as how to access e-mail and also showed her how to log onto the Classmates.com site and how to access different features on the site. I informed Melanie that her public library probably had computers available that people could use for free. She was unaware of this fact and seemed excited by that.
The plan was that I would train Melanie in basic computer literacy so that she could access search sites on her own and continue to look for Jennifer if I did not find her. Of course, now I have found her and Melanie and Jennifer can communicate by telephone. But I will still train Melanie to become more computer literate so that she can use e-mail and perform basic searches for information on the Internet.
As Melanie does not have a computer, it was agreed that I would do all the searching on the computer, explaining to Melanie by phone the resources I was using. However, I did see her in person a few weeks ago, and I brought my laptop along. I showed Melanie some basic computer skills, such as how to access e-mail and also showed her how to log onto the Classmates.com site and how to access different features on the site. I informed Melanie that her public library probably had computers available that people could use for free. She was unaware of this fact and seemed excited by that.
The plan was that I would train Melanie in basic computer literacy so that she could access search sites on her own and continue to look for Jennifer if I did not find her. Of course, now I have found her and Melanie and Jennifer can communicate by telephone. But I will still train Melanie to become more computer literate so that she can use e-mail and perform basic searches for information on the Internet.
User model and changes in user model as search progresses
I would say that Melanie primarily had a gap in her information. She knew some details about Jennifer's whereabouts, but did not know her exact contact information and did not know many details about Jennifer's life, such as where she went to school, etc.
Through our search on Classmates.com, we filled in the blank for one of these questions, where Jennifer went to school, and discovered a way to correspond with her even without knowing her current contact information.
Some other gaps that remained were Jennifer's contact information, what Sam had told Jennifer about Melanie, and details of Jennifer's life in Florida. Another gap was what Jennifer's attitude toward Melanie would be. Melanie was afraid that Jennifer would be angry with her for not finding her sooner. It was through talking to Jennifer on the phone that Melanie filled in these gaps.
Through our search on Classmates.com, we filled in the blank for one of these questions, where Jennifer went to school, and discovered a way to correspond with her even without knowing her current contact information.
Some other gaps that remained were Jennifer's contact information, what Sam had told Jennifer about Melanie, and details of Jennifer's life in Florida. Another gap was what Jennifer's attitude toward Melanie would be. Melanie was afraid that Jennifer would be angry with her for not finding her sooner. It was through talking to Jennifer on the phone that Melanie filled in these gaps.
Mode of and results from interview
I interviewed Melanie by phone. I got details about how her ex-husband kidnapped her daughter. I found out that Melanie had heard through her ex-husband's family and her sister that Jennifer was still living in the general Tampa area. Melanie had also heard that Jennifer was engaged to be married and that she no longer spoke to her father, Sam.
When I heard that Jennifer was going to get married, I felt it was imperative to find her before that happened, while she still had her maiden name. Otherwise, we would not know what last name to search for her under.
I thought it was promising that Jennifer no longer spoke to Sam, since that meant she would probably be more receptive to Melanie getting in touch with her and would not believe any lies Sam may have told her about Melanie.
When I heard that Jennifer was going to get married, I felt it was imperative to find her before that happened, while she still had her maiden name. Otherwise, we would not know what last name to search for her under.
I thought it was promising that Jennifer no longer spoke to Sam, since that meant she would probably be more receptive to Melanie getting in touch with her and would not believe any lies Sam may have told her about Melanie.
User's question
The user's question is basically, "What is the contact information for my daughter?"
As I explained earlier, Melanie is trying to get in touch with her daughter, Jennifer, whom she has not seen since 1985, when Jennifer was two and was kidnapped by Melanie's estranged husband. Melanie knew that Jennifer was taken to the Tampa, Florida area, and heard through her ex-husband's relatives that Jennifer was still living in that area. However, noone would give her Jennifer's contact information.
As I explained earlier, Melanie is trying to get in touch with her daughter, Jennifer, whom she has not seen since 1985, when Jennifer was two and was kidnapped by Melanie's estranged husband. Melanie knew that Jennifer was taken to the Tampa, Florida area, and heard through her ex-husband's relatives that Jennifer was still living in that area. However, noone would give her Jennifer's contact information.
Selection and characteristics of the user
I will now backtrack and provide a description of the user I am helping in this search (Melanie) as well as describe my search strategy and tactics. The first issue I will address for this project is "Selection and Characteristics of User."
Melanie is a friend of mine. Well, she is more my mother's friend although she is closer in age to me. She is 45 years old. She is not that educated as she comes from a dysfunctional family and dropped out of high school in eleventh grade. She is not at all computer literate and has never owned a computer.
Melanie is a friend of mine. Well, she is more my mother's friend although she is closer in age to me. She is 45 years old. She is not that educated as she comes from a dysfunctional family and dropped out of high school in eleventh grade. She is not at all computer literate and has never owned a computer.
I did a search for Jennifer on Google, both on Google Web and Google Images, to see what would come up. A lot of hits came up for her name, but I could not find her. However, I did not comb through all the pages, as there were so many. Apparently, her name is very common!
Yahoo People Search
Search by Phone Number
Yahoo People Search also allows you to search by entering the person's telephone number. It will then bring up a matching address. I entered the telephone number Jennifer had provided through Classmates.com, but it did not bring up anything. I think this is because that phone number is for a cell phone and the Yahoo search will only work with a residential phone number.
Yahoo People Search also allows you to search by entering the person's telephone number. It will then bring up a matching address. I entered the telephone number Jennifer had provided through Classmates.com, but it did not bring up anything. I think this is because that phone number is for a cell phone and the Yahoo search will only work with a residential phone number.
E-mail Search
Yahoo also has an e-mail search, in which you enter a name, and it will bring up any Yahoo e-mail addresses it has for that name. It also lists the most recent city and state Yahoo has on record for those people. Only one Florida resident by Jennifer's name came up in the search. She lived in Fort Meyers, Florida, which is the area in which Jennifer has been living. I will have to find out Jennifer's true e-mail address to see if it is this one that Yahoo brought up.
Yahoo also has an e-mail search, in which you enter a name, and it will bring up any Yahoo e-mail addresses it has for that name. It also lists the most recent city and state Yahoo has on record for those people. Only one Florida resident by Jennifer's name came up in the search. She lived in Fort Meyers, Florida, which is the area in which Jennifer has been living. I will have to find out Jennifer's true e-mail address to see if it is this one that Yahoo brought up.
White Pages
I tried searching for Jennifer on Yahoo's People Search, which accesses addresses and telephone numbers from white pages. First I did a search with just her name and the state of Florida, as if we had not found her on Classmates.com. Yahoo said it had no records for her. I then tried searching for her under Tampa, Florida and, finally, Sarasota, Florida, where she lives now. These searches also yielded no results in Yahoo. However, each of the Yahoo searches brought up a link to Intelius, saying Intelius had information on her.
Link to Intelius
When I clicked the link for Intelius, it listed five people with Jennifer's name, along with their ages and towns. I knew the top one listed was her, since it listed her age and the city in which she went to high school. It also listed her father's name under "Relatives," which the other entries did not. Intelius said that for $7.95 I could have her address and phone number. Intelius also offers a 24-hour pass to search for anyone's address and phone number on its site for $19.95. It is only the background check that costs $49.95. However, since Zaba Search apparently had the same address for free, it was not worth paying Intelius for the same information.
I tried searching for Jennifer on Yahoo's People Search, which accesses addresses and telephone numbers from white pages. First I did a search with just her name and the state of Florida, as if we had not found her on Classmates.com. Yahoo said it had no records for her. I then tried searching for her under Tampa, Florida and, finally, Sarasota, Florida, where she lives now. These searches also yielded no results in Yahoo. However, each of the Yahoo searches brought up a link to Intelius, saying Intelius had information on her.
Link to Intelius
When I clicked the link for Intelius, it listed five people with Jennifer's name, along with their ages and towns. I knew the top one listed was her, since it listed her age and the city in which she went to high school. It also listed her father's name under "Relatives," which the other entries did not. Intelius said that for $7.95 I could have her address and phone number. Intelius also offers a 24-hour pass to search for anyone's address and phone number on its site for $19.95. It is only the background check that costs $49.95. However, since Zaba Search apparently had the same address for free, it was not worth paying Intelius for the same information.
Reunited (by phone); Zaba Search; Intelius
Reunited by Phone
Good news! Jennifer has spoken with Melanie by phone, and Melanie is planning to go to Florida in the near future to meet Jennifer and her fiance.
So, my ends have been achieved, but this is a project about the means used to find information. Therefore, as I mentioned in the last blog, I decided to compare the results I found on Classmates.com with the results I found using other search tools.
Zaba Search
So, I decided to do a search using Zaba Search at www.zabasearch.com. This is a free search engine that combs through public records to locate people and public information. I entered Jennifer's name on this search engine, and it found her. I knew it was her because it listed her birthday. It had an entry for her at a previous address she lived at, in 2003. I found out this was a previous address, since Melanie found out she recently purchased a new home in a different city. It did not list a phone number for her, presumably because she was unlisted.
I also searched for myself on Zaba Search to check its accuracy. It located me at my former address, which I lived at until a few months ago. It also listed my home phone number at that apartment, since I was listed in the phone book. However, it listed my birthyear as being 1946! I didn't realize I was that close to retirement. So, Zaba Search is not entirely accurate, but is still pretty good.
Intelius
If you want more detailed information than the person's latest recorded address and phone number, Zaba Search refers you to a company called Intelius at www.intelius.com. For $49.95, Intelius will find previous addresses, do a criminal check, search for financial information such as bankruptcies, find aliases, and also search for relatives and associates of the person you are doing the background check on. I did not want to shell out $50, but it is good to know that for a relatively inexpensive fee, there is a service that will run a background check. This would be a good service for employers hiring a prospective employee or landlords checking out the background of prospective tenants.
Good news! Jennifer has spoken with Melanie by phone, and Melanie is planning to go to Florida in the near future to meet Jennifer and her fiance.
So, my ends have been achieved, but this is a project about the means used to find information. Therefore, as I mentioned in the last blog, I decided to compare the results I found on Classmates.com with the results I found using other search tools.
Zaba Search
So, I decided to do a search using Zaba Search at www.zabasearch.com. This is a free search engine that combs through public records to locate people and public information. I entered Jennifer's name on this search engine, and it found her. I knew it was her because it listed her birthday. It had an entry for her at a previous address she lived at, in 2003. I found out this was a previous address, since Melanie found out she recently purchased a new home in a different city. It did not list a phone number for her, presumably because she was unlisted.
I also searched for myself on Zaba Search to check its accuracy. It located me at my former address, which I lived at until a few months ago. It also listed my home phone number at that apartment, since I was listed in the phone book. However, it listed my birthyear as being 1946! I didn't realize I was that close to retirement. So, Zaba Search is not entirely accurate, but is still pretty good.
Intelius
If you want more detailed information than the person's latest recorded address and phone number, Zaba Search refers you to a company called Intelius at www.intelius.com. For $49.95, Intelius will find previous addresses, do a criminal check, search for financial information such as bankruptcies, find aliases, and also search for relatives and associates of the person you are doing the background check on. I did not want to shell out $50, but it is good to know that for a relatively inexpensive fee, there is a service that will run a background check. This would be a good service for employers hiring a prospective employee or landlords checking out the background of prospective tenants.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Success!
I was having some technical difficulties accessing my blog and had to create a new one, copying
and pasting what I had on my old one. At any rate, I am up and running on the new blog now.
And I have an exciting update. I located Jennifer! She was the Jennifer on Classmates.com. To make sure it was her, I sent an e-mail through Classmates.com in which I pretended to be Melanie. I explained I was looking for my daughter and wanted to see if this could be her. I told her the middle name of the Jennifer I was looking for, the birthday, and what her father's first name was, and asked if this was her. I said if she was not the Jennifer I was looking for, I was sorry to bother her.
On Saturday the 14th, I got a reply back saying, "Yes, this is her. Is this a joke? If so, it's not funny."
I called up Melanie to tell her the news. She told me what to write back to Jennifer, and I wrote back, pretending to be her. Melanie dictated a note, saying, "This is no joke. I am your mother. I live in New Jersey. I don't know what your father told you about me, but I am alive....I know this must be a shock to you....I hope all is going well in your life....Please know I have never forgotten about you. Love, Melanie (mom)"
A few hours later, there was a note back from Jennifer, saying, "ok call me at [her phone number]. I am glad you found me!!! I will be waiting for your call."
I immediately called Melanie to give her the latest update, but got her voice mail. She had company over and had her phone off. So, she did not get my message until late at night. She called Jennifer on Sunday a couple of times, but got her voice mail. We are hoping Jennifer is not mad that Melanie did not call back right away on Saturday and is now ignoring her.
Well, I had faster success than I thought I would on this project. But I realize lucking out and finding Jennifer through just the one resource probably does not fulfill the requirements of this assignment, as this project is supposed to be of a larger scope. So, what I will do now is try to locate Jennifer using other resources and compare my success with each resource.
and pasting what I had on my old one. At any rate, I am up and running on the new blog now.
And I have an exciting update. I located Jennifer! She was the Jennifer on Classmates.com. To make sure it was her, I sent an e-mail through Classmates.com in which I pretended to be Melanie. I explained I was looking for my daughter and wanted to see if this could be her. I told her the middle name of the Jennifer I was looking for, the birthday, and what her father's first name was, and asked if this was her. I said if she was not the Jennifer I was looking for, I was sorry to bother her.
On Saturday the 14th, I got a reply back saying, "Yes, this is her. Is this a joke? If so, it's not funny."
I called up Melanie to tell her the news. She told me what to write back to Jennifer, and I wrote back, pretending to be her. Melanie dictated a note, saying, "This is no joke. I am your mother. I live in New Jersey. I don't know what your father told you about me, but I am alive....I know this must be a shock to you....I hope all is going well in your life....Please know I have never forgotten about you. Love, Melanie (mom)"
A few hours later, there was a note back from Jennifer, saying, "ok call me at [her phone number]. I am glad you found me!!! I will be waiting for your call."
I immediately called Melanie to give her the latest update, but got her voice mail. She had company over and had her phone off. So, she did not get my message until late at night. She called Jennifer on Sunday a couple of times, but got her voice mail. We are hoping Jennifer is not mad that Melanie did not call back right away on Saturday and is now ignoring her.
Well, I had faster success than I thought I would on this project. But I realize lucking out and finding Jennifer through just the one resource probably does not fulfill the requirements of this assignment, as this project is supposed to be of a larger scope. So, what I will do now is try to locate Jennifer using other resources and compare my success with each resource.
Overview of project; Classmates.com
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Classmates.com
Melanie does not have computer access at her home, and so is not very familiar with the Internet and the resources available on it. That is why she needs someone to help her with this search.
I started my search at Classmates.com, where I set up an account for Melanie. And lo and behold, there is a possibility I may have already found Jennifer! I clicked on Classmates.com's "search" tab and did a basic search, which consisted of Jennifer's first and last names. Several hits came up for her name, but only one of them was from Florida--a graduate of Cape Coral Christian High School in Cape Coral, Florida. Her graduation year, 2001, matches the year Melanie's daughter would have graduated. Well, as Jennifer's birthday is in November, there is a chance she could have graduated in 2000 also.
I called up Melanie and got her voice mail. I am waiting for her to get back to me and tell me how she wants me to proceed--eg, does she want me to contact Jennifer pretending to be Melanie (with Melanie dictating the note she wants me to write)?; does she want to type out the e-mail herself?; what does she want me to say to Jennifer?, etc. Of course, we still have to ascertain that this person is her daughter.
In order to send an e-mail to Jennifer I will have to sign up for an upgrade at Classmates.com. You can post and view information for free, but in order to correspond with people you have to pay. It costs $5 per month for three months, and less than that per month for longer periods of time.
Anyway, that is the update for now. I am excited about this promising find.
Posted by Anne M. at 5:06 PM 0 comments
Overview of Project
For my user topic, I am going to help an acquaintance, Melanie, locate her daughter, Jennifer. Jennifer was kidnapped by her father (Melanie’s ex-husband), Sam, in 1985, when Jennifer was two years old.
Background: At the time she was kidnapped, Melanie and Sam were estranged, but Sam had temporary custody. Under the terms of temporary custody, Sam was not supposed to move out of state with Jennifer. However, he moved with Jennifer to Tampa, Florida, where his mother and other relatives were living.
Melanie’s sister, Brenda, was married to a relative of Sam, and has been in touch with some of Sam’s relatives. So, she has obtained some information about Jennifer through the grapevine, although she has not obtained her contact information. Jennifer is apparently still living in the Tampa area.
Resources already tried: Melanie has tried calling 411 for information, but her daughter is apparently not listed.
Goals: My goal is to locate Jennifer, or, if not locate her, find resources that Melanie can check periodically to try to find her. I will also probably look into some of the state laws regarding kidnapping by an ex-spouse as part of my research.
Format: At first I was going to use a paper format, but I now feel a blog would work best. So, here it is.
Posted by Anne M. at 4:07 PM 0 comments
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Classmates.com
Melanie does not have computer access at her home, and so is not very familiar with the Internet and the resources available on it. That is why she needs someone to help her with this search.
I started my search at Classmates.com, where I set up an account for Melanie. And lo and behold, there is a possibility I may have already found Jennifer! I clicked on Classmates.com's "search" tab and did a basic search, which consisted of Jennifer's first and last names. Several hits came up for her name, but only one of them was from Florida--a graduate of Cape Coral Christian High School in Cape Coral, Florida. Her graduation year, 2001, matches the year Melanie's daughter would have graduated. Well, as Jennifer's birthday is in November, there is a chance she could have graduated in 2000 also.
I called up Melanie and got her voice mail. I am waiting for her to get back to me and tell me how she wants me to proceed--eg, does she want me to contact Jennifer pretending to be Melanie (with Melanie dictating the note she wants me to write)?; does she want to type out the e-mail herself?; what does she want me to say to Jennifer?, etc. Of course, we still have to ascertain that this person is her daughter.
In order to send an e-mail to Jennifer I will have to sign up for an upgrade at Classmates.com. You can post and view information for free, but in order to correspond with people you have to pay. It costs $5 per month for three months, and less than that per month for longer periods of time.
Anyway, that is the update for now. I am excited about this promising find.
Posted by Anne M. at 5:06 PM 0 comments
Overview of Project
For my user topic, I am going to help an acquaintance, Melanie, locate her daughter, Jennifer. Jennifer was kidnapped by her father (Melanie’s ex-husband), Sam, in 1985, when Jennifer was two years old.
Background: At the time she was kidnapped, Melanie and Sam were estranged, but Sam had temporary custody. Under the terms of temporary custody, Sam was not supposed to move out of state with Jennifer. However, he moved with Jennifer to Tampa, Florida, where his mother and other relatives were living.
Melanie’s sister, Brenda, was married to a relative of Sam, and has been in touch with some of Sam’s relatives. So, she has obtained some information about Jennifer through the grapevine, although she has not obtained her contact information. Jennifer is apparently still living in the Tampa area.
Resources already tried: Melanie has tried calling 411 for information, but her daughter is apparently not listed.
Goals: My goal is to locate Jennifer, or, if not locate her, find resources that Melanie can check periodically to try to find her. I will also probably look into some of the state laws regarding kidnapping by an ex-spouse as part of my research.
Format: At first I was going to use a paper format, but I now feel a blog would work best. So, here it is.
Posted by Anne M. at 4:07 PM 0 comments
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