| Specialized Tools |
| Sometimes search engines are too big for your research needs. | |
| Specialized tools include: | |
| People finders | |
| Email locators | |
| Reverse phone directories | |
| Mapping tools | |
| Yellow page directories |
| People finders usually provide listed phone numbers from around the nation and world. | |
| www.anywho.com | |
| www.switchboard.com | |
| www.theultimates.com/white | |
| www.worldpages.com |
| Some services specialize in email addresses. | |
| The Internet Address Finder at www.iaf.net | |
| WED – The World Email Directory: | |
| http://worlde-mail.com |
| Most people finders and email locators have reverse directories. | |
| These can search “in reverse” – if you have a phone number or email address, they will locate the name of the person. |
| Many times you will need to find experts and authorities on varied topics. | |
| Specialized subject directories, such as Argus can help: www.clearinghouse.com | |
| The Foundation for American Communications, a journalism organization, keeps a great list of experts for reporters at: http://facsnet.org |
| Popular mapping tools provide driving directions and maps to destinations. These include: | |
| www.mapquest.com | |
| http://maps.yahoo.com/py/maps/py | |
| The U.S. Geological Survey provides maps at: | |
| http://mapping.usgs.gov |
| Just like the town phone book, the Internet has yellow pages – for businesses around the world. | |
| www.bigbook.com | |
| www.bigyellow.com |
| You may not have access to the many specialized tools. Some search tools provide listings of other search tools. | |
| www.search.com | |
| www.beaucoup.com |
| Many reputable (and disreputable) providers will get you information about people from credit reports to driving records to bank accounts to unlisted phone numbers. | |
| www.discreetdata.com | |
| Private investigators have become experts at getting information online. |
| For many people, these providers raise serious issues. | |
| Should our lives be available online? | |
| How much information about people should be available online? |