HOW TO FIND PEOPLE ONLINE (Part 2)

HOW TO FIND PEOPLE ONLINE

The web is an incredibly useful tool for tracking people down, be they old friends or new work contacts. Here's SIX more ways to find someone's details online.

Try a combined search
There are various people-search engines available that combine two or more of the techniques mentioned above. Pipl provides a combined search covering social networks, member directories, court records and other deep-web sources. You can save time by using it, but you may need to augment it using other techniques if it doesn't come up with the goods.

Other combined searches
Wink provides a pretty comprehensive search, asking for name, location, interests and school – information that helps it to search the kind of websites that might have a listing for the person you're looking for. Spock is very speedy and includes photos in its results where available, while Zoom Info covers companies and jobs, so it's particularly good for work-related searches.

Check the phone book online
Anyone with a telephone directory listing is easy to find and you don't need to pay a moustached 118 man to get results. Just head to www.bt.com and enter the details in the search boxes at the bottom of the page. If you want to extend your search beyond the UK, try Infobel, which provides links to every conceivable phone directory in the world. Changes are made to the database every day.

Search the Land Registry
For a small fee you can find out the name of a property owner by using the online Land Registry. Enter the postcode and property number and then select the option to buy the title register. This costs £3 and will contain full details of the property's registered owner(s).
 

Browse planning applications
You can conduct a similar search of planning applications. Go to UKPlanning and click 'Select a Council'. Choose the council you want to search and click Search Applications. This takes you to the selected council, where you can search by postcode, planning number or street name. You'll be able to see the name of the applicant and get access to the full planning document in PDF format.

Find with Firefox
You can quickly gather information about a person by using a handy Firefox extension. Who Is This Person lets you highlight a name on a web page and then right-click for a selection of people-searching options. These include Wink, Facebook, LinkedIn, Technorati and more.
 

Privacy concerns
Don't broadcast your ID on the internet! With cyber-stalking and ID theft on the rise, it can be worrying to consider the amount of information that's available about you online. If you want to protect yourself, it's worth searching for your own name using the tips we've provided in this feature to work out where the details have come from and remove them if necessary. If you have serious concerns about identity theft, visit the government advice site at www.identity-theft.org.uk.