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).
Saturday, April 21, 2007
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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