LOCATOR TOOLS:
First, The Name

Contents:

Using Search Engines White Pages

Yellow Pages Email White Pages

Other Locators

Diversions abound on the WWW. The smart researcher avoids randomly bouncing around the Web in search of a subject. This particularly applies for biographical research, which is far more difficult than corporate or foundation research. Three rules of the road apply for retrieving faster, better search results: Have a basic search strategy in mind before going online. Stop and consider what sources, subjects, key words, etc. would most likely yield pertinent information. Search smart. Select at least two search engines (see samples below) and repeatedly use them as your primary search tools. You will begin to learn each engine's strengths and weaknesses. Without fail, take the time to review the search options or help files for the particular engine you are using.

Best search engine? The one you know well.                                 Bigger than a bread box: The largest engine reportedly only indexes some 20% of the Web.                               Return to top                     Data integrity check: Search on someone you know who has moved in the last year.                       Return to top   Is video the future? Imagine seeing and hearing the subject of your yellow-pages search. Return to top                                                   Return to top

Using Search Engines to Locate Your Subject Searches for constituents with unusual names will make your life as a researcher much easier, regardless of the medium you are using. However, many times we aren't so lucky. Devise a search strategy that includes keywords that uniquely identify your subject. In cases where at least some background is available, restrict your search by combining subject's name with a professional, geographic, or other qualifier. Hit list may point to resumes, professional bios, news stories and more. The plus sign (+) used below is typically understood by a search engines to require that a term must be present in the document, URL, or title. Remember. You will need to adjust the syntax to fit your search engine of choice. Name Only Search        Unless your subject is unusually prominent or has an uncommon name, name-only searches are not often effective. Name Plus Geographic Location (capitalize proper names)          +subject_name +city_or_state Find Alumni Affiliated With Your Institution (capitalize proper names)     +professional_title +your_institution     +professional_title +your_institution +donation This technique can be handy for higher-education searchers seeking new names of grads who are corporate executives and whose business affiliation may be unknown to the researcher. Plug in search terms such as "president", "owner", or "CEO." Add a little zip to your findings by adding terms such as "donation" or "gift."  Thanks to Claire Verette for this tip. SAMPLE ENGINES/DIRECTORIES Yahoo! http://www.yahoo.com/ One of the Web's most popular directories. Uses human surfers and reader supplied URLs rather than robots to build a subject index to selected WWW sites. Good for the beginners and seasoned researchers alike who want more manageable, selected search returns. Northern Light  http://www.northernlight.com/ Find your way with one of the Web's largest indexes. AltaVista http://altavista.digital.com/ A powerhouse search engine with an index to some 50 million documents. Allows the "near" search operator, requiring search terms to appear within 10 words of each other. MetaCrawler http://www.metacrawler.com/ Launches a search query through multiple engines, including AltaVista, Excite, Infoseek, Lycos, WebCrawler, Yahoo! Please page ahead to Background Tools for more help on search engines. [Browser tips presented in this article are based upon Netscape Navigator 4.0 or newer] WWW Tip: Can't remember a company's URL that your subject may be affiliated with?  Do a quick search right from your browser. Select Netscape's Location field (where you type in a URL) and enter a company name, for instance "Conoco." Netscape will look for domains with "Conoco" in the address line. Telephone White Pages A variety of United States telephone directories are available on the Web for free. Such directories can help you locate a person or gain updated address and phone information. Caution! Be aware that the street address retrieved may not be a mailing address. Some communities, particularly rural, may not receive home postal delivery. Call the local post office if in doubt. Note, too, that unlisted telephone numbers will not be included.  Additionally, some Internet white page services allow one to remove their name from the directory. Verifying information is always a good idea. Most online services do not provide real-time data, such is provided through telephone directory assistance. There are scores of U.S. yellow and white-page services on the Web. Yet the data is primarily provided by a few key information providers, including: Database America, Metromail and ProCD. Currently, online directories are hot targets for mergers and acquisitions, with some of the big players such as Yahoo! gobbling up providers, such as online pioneer Four11. Infospace http://infospace.com Here is a good example of a free online directory. WWW Tip: Familiarize yourself with the indexing system of the particular telephone directory you are using. Watch out for abbreviations. For example Fort Ripley, MN, may be indexed as Ft. Ripley. Be aware that the subject's listing might only include first or middle initials. This particularly holds true for women who may or may not use their spouse's surname. If you don't retrieve a hit, try the spouse's name. Still no luck? Try nick names or truncate the first name, e.g.. "Rob" for "Robert." Yellow Pages Always run your subject name through the nation's yellow pages. Millions of small business owners and self-employed professionals use their personal name as a company name. A variety of yellow-page directories are available on the Net, indexing up to 16 million U.S. businesses. Here are two: Big Book (Includes an interactive map for each listing.) http://www.bigbook.com/ AnyWho (AT&T) http://www.anywho.com/bgq.html Video Yellow Pages USA.com  http://www.videoyellowpagesusa.com/  This prototype features yellow pages with video interviews. Currently Omaha, Nebraska, only. Email White Pages This is a fast growth area on the Net. Increasingly-sophisticated email directories now include residential phone numbers/addresses and self-reported background and interests with links to personal Web pages. BigFoot http://bigfoot.com/ Claims to be the Net's largest and most accurate e-mail directory. Yahoo! People Search http://people.yahoo.com/ WhoWhere http://www.whowhere.com/ 11 million listings WWW Tip: Save a nanosecond. Forget about the typing the arcane "http://" when entering a URL in your browser's location or address box. Simply enter the remaining characters and you will be happily on your way. WWW Tip: Found your subject, ready to send your development officer for a call? Use Mapquest (http://www.mapquest.com/) to plot a course to your prospect. Use this interactive map service to retrieve driving directions and distance from your location. Then call up a detailed street map showing destination and nearby lodging, restaurants, and transportation. Print the report and map, hand it to your solicitor and wish her happy prospecting.   OTHER LOCATOR TOOLS Social Security Death Index http://www.ancestry.com/ancestry/search.asp Searchable database listing of U.S. deaths only for which benefit claims have been filed. Includes birth date and last residence, when available for more than 50 million records. FamilySearch http://www.familysearch.org/           Beta database of world's largest collection of family history records of deceased persons. (Via Mormon Church) Records vary, however, data can include birth date and location, as well as parents' name Vital Statistics http://www.medaccess.com/address/vital_03.htm/ Provides information on where to write and records costs for vital statistics in all 50 United States. State laws vary regarding accessibility. Amazon Books http://www.amazon.com/ Visit the Earth's largest bookstore and use your subject's last name in a keyword search of  more than 2.5 million book titles, author names and subject categories. FORWARD to Background Tools FORWARD to Capacity Tools BACK to Introduction REFERENCE DESK | Archives | Corporations | Grants | International | News Online | People | Tools Internet Prospector is no longer updated Copyright © 1994-2008 Internet Prospector Inc. HOME