Four Ways to Find Email Addresses

It may seem too easy, but using common search engines like Google and Yahoo can turn up a myriad of information on the people you miss. This method is quite effective if the person you are looking for has a professional website that lists their occupation and contact information. If this is the case, you will also more than likely gain access to information like a phone number, address and employer.

Unfortunately, if the person doesn't have published information on the Internet, your search may turn up few results. If this is the case, you will need to move to plan "B" in your search efforts. The good news is that there are still four options left to consider in your email search.

Social Networking

Social networking websites were built on the premise that people have an innate desire to stay in touch. These websites, such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, are an excellent source for email addresses. To find people through these sites, you can utilize the search engines for the individual networks. If the person you are searching for has a common name, you can also search using the name of a spouse, approximate age or the city in which the person lives.

A nice feature about social networks is that they often include photos of the person you are searching for, along with pictures of their network friends. This helps you to know for sure if you found the Jim Taylor that you went to high school with instead of the many other Jim Taylors located across the globe with a Facebook account. Once you find the person you are looking for, you will have access to email information and any other facts the person has chosen to share with the Facebook community.

Company Directories

If you know where the person works, you can search on the company directory for the person's email address. It is usually much easier to find the website of a business than it is to find an individual email. You can also use this technique if you know the person belongs to a specific professional organization or volunteer community. Most of these websites list contact information for members and officers.

Email Directories

If social networking is also a dead end, your next option is to check out one of the many email directories available today. These websites do for email addresses what the white pages phone book does for phone numbers. The directories provide listings of email addresses that can be accessed with simply a first and last name. However, like the white pages of years past, there is no guarantee the email directory you choose will turn up the results you are looking for.

Some email directories are free to use while others charge a small fee for searches. While it is usually best to start with a free service, moving to a paid option may yield better results. However, it is a gamble, since you will be putting in cash (albeit a small amount in most cases) to get the results you are hoping for. You can usually find listings of email directories through the basic search engines. Choosing specific directories like Reunion.com allows you to search for email addresses based on the high school from which a person graduated.

Finding an email address may seem like a daunting task, but there are a number of options available. By working your way through this list, you just might connect with your best friend from 4th grade or find out what your ex-boyfriend is doing now. It's time to get busy with that search to see who you can find. Happy hunting!