Finding lost friends and learning about strangers is easier than ever before. The current era of booming internet, social networks, and other online connections have made it easier to connect with old friends, colleagues and gather more information about new people. The private world that existed decades ago has been washed away by the online world.
Anyone with a reliable search engine can access government databases, public records, and social platforms. With some basic stalking skills, below are some tips on how to find someone online.
1. Plug the Little You Know into Google
Regardless of how much you know about someone, you should begin your search on Google. Google is a powerful search engine, especially for those who know how to use it. If you don’t know much about the person you are looking for, skip these fancy hacks and plugin keywords into Google’s search engine box.
For this, simply type any information you have about the person in the form of keywords. For instance, “Sancho New York tech writer.” Even if you don’t have the person’s name, use one name, keywords associated with their job, location, school, marital status, and any other info. Entering such information to search engines will bring up many identifiable results and social network profiles.
2. Use Pictures
As the adage goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Most people recycle their profile pictures, passwords, and usernames on social media. Therefore, you can use their Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter profile picture on reverse image search engines to find more information about the person. Reverse image search engines will scan and spit back all profiles with the picture. This is the best way to discover defunct social profiles, journals, and online dating profiles.
3. Make Connections
You won’t make sense of multiple data points unless you connect them to create someone’s online presence. If you have some details about your subject, you can make simple connections to find out what’s missing. For instance, if you know the person’s name, location, and job title, you can use this information to find their Gmail or LinkedIn profile.
Most people list their professional information, including undergraduate degrees, on their LinkedIn profiles. You can use this to find where they schooled and work backward to learn more about the person’s previous job positions, achievements, and even their age.
4. Use Facebook’s People Search Feature
If your initial Google search had no social profiles, take your search into social platforms themselves. Facebook is a widely used network and has a robust search engine. Facebook’s people search feature allows you to search for other users using basic information, such as name, mutual friend, hometown, high school, current city, college, employer, and spouse. If you have one or several pieces of information about your subject, you can easily narrow it down to the right person.
Endnote
If the subject has zero social media presence, find friends or family members on social media. The person could be hiding their presence through a fake name or profile. If you don’t succeed with this, and you know their full name, free people search tools, like Intelius, can come in handy.