The Internet is one of the most
powerful research tools a person can use, almost regardless of the
type of research you’re conducting. The speed and ease with
which information can be found is astounding. Whether you’re
looking for white pages listings, scholarship information or
driving directions, the Internet brings an enormous amount of
information to your fingertips.
This article will provide you with some useful tips for carrying
out a successful white pages search online. Of course, if you
don’t like the Internet, you could always go grab your good
ol’ phone book! But, don’t expect to get information
about a person located a few cities away.
White pages, as you probably know, is a general phrase used to
describe a directory of phone numbers listed alphabetically by
surname. White pages, which are a simple, text-only listing of
mostly residential phone numbers, differ from yellow pages, which
list businesses and include some larger, graphical listings as
advertisements.
Probably the best place to go online for white pages-type
searching is Switchboard (http://www.switchboard.com). Switchboard, which
functions as both an online white and yellow pages directory, is an
outstanding resource when searching for both people and businesses.
Switchboard also offers maps, driving directions, e-mail address
searches and a “search by phone” function, a reverse
look-up service.
As a white pages directory, Switchboard is great. You can begin
searching with only a last name, or even just part of one. You can
narrow your search results with additional information such as a
first name, city, state or ZIP code. Within your search results,
you’ll find all the available listed information that meets
your criteria.
Beyond that, you’ll be offered a slew of links to even more
information like maps and “what’s nearby,” which
provides information about commercial outfits in the area of your
chosen search result. There are also sponsored links – a.k.a.
“advertisements” – to resources such as criminal
and background checks, as well as additional information via a
Social Security number search or a public records search.
Another great white pages resource is Yahoo’s People Search
(http://people.yahoo.com), which lets you start
searching with as little information as a last name (but not a
partial one). Again, your search can be narrowed with a first name
and geographic location. Results include, as usual, addresses and
phone numbers.
Yahoo’s People Search differentiates itself with one very
useful feature. If you have a free Yahoo account, you have access
to e-mail, games, a personalized home page and more. You also have
an online address book, which is the crux of People Search’s
special feature: When you find a contact you’re looking for,
a simple click on a link with that search result adds that person
and his or her contact information to your online address book.
Pretty cool, huh?
There is a huge pile of other white pages and phone directory Web
sites, but, for the most part, they’re all the same.
Switchboard and Yahoo’s People Search stand out as clean,
simple and effective. You’ll find them to be a couple of the
better resources available to you online.
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Find Someone
Using White Pages Directories
Search White Pages
(Nationwide and Statewide Directories)