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It's true that the Net is bringing together thousands of people who have lost touch over the years. The searchability of the Internet allows it to act as a sort of global phone book, with contact information for millions of people worldwide. Unfortunately, there are still plenty of people who aren't reachable via the Web. Thankfully, that number is rapidly decreasing. The first place to explore is some kind of national White Page listing (we'll assume your far-flung friend is in the U.S.). Check out the Yahoo! People Search, which allows you to search for email addresses and phone numbers. There's also an advanced search form that lets you specifically look for old friends, giving you the option of including keywords targeted towards high
school, college, military service, location, or other common connections. If the People Search comes up empty, the next step is to run a full web search. Use your favorite search engine or navigation site and type in your friend's name. You may want to enclose the name in quotes (e.g., "John Smith"), as this will help some search engines eliminate extraneous matches. If you're lucky, and the name you're looking for is suitably unique, you'll find online references to your old buddy. You may not turn up anything as concrete as an address or a phone number, but with a little additional detective work, you'll be well on the way to a reunion. Finally, if your search strikes out, check out the web sites of schools and organizations that your friend is affiliated with. Many high schools
and colleges maintain flourishing alumni directories and online message boards.
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