Searching for People Using Internet Message Posting Sites

So you have made the decision to search for that long lost family member, friend or colleague, but where to you start? Using Internet message posting sites designated to help people find each can help you find who you are looking for, as well as make it easier for the person to locate you. Perhaps the other person is looking for you at the same time you are searching for them and using an online message-posting site can make a connection.

The most widely used reunion site is Friends Reunited.com, with 5,000 new members registered on average each day and a total of over 12 million people currently registered. You can look up former schoolmates, friends from university, colleagues and neighbors at this site as well as post information about yourself, such as your name, text about your current life and photographs. The minimum contact information you are required to leave on the majority of message boards is your email address. Other message posting sites include Reunion.com, roastbeef.co.uk, who-remembers-me.com, modreunited.com and myoldmate.net. When you post your details on such sites, you may also want to include the name of the person you are looking for so that a Google search might bring someone to the page. In fact, performing a Google search using the long lost person's name could yield some pertinent information about the person.

If you are looking for a former university mate, try checking out your former school's web site to see if they have an alumni association. Certain universities, such as the University of Nottingham and the University of Westminster, have specialized alumni sites where you can register yourself and look for others. By performing a simple Google search, you can search for your university's web site to see if it has a message board. You may also find web sites with message boards for private schools and halls of residence by doing a Google search.

You may not be seeking a former schoolmate but rather someone you encountered during another phase of your life. For example, if you were a member of the military, there are specialized message boards designed to locate long lost companions, such as ComradesandColleagues.com and ForcesReunited.org. Around.co.uk is a site that can help you look through a variety of different databases for schools and military services, as well as search for family members and create your own family tree.

For those specifically seeking lost family members, Ancestry.com allows you to post details about yourself, peruse their message boards for information and find missing links to your family tree. At FamilySearch.org you can search for family members and share your own information. Further, there will soon be a web site for people who have been adopted or fostered to help them find friends and colleagues in the care system at lostandfind.co.uk. Finally, the comprehensive site Missing-You.net contains message boards to search missing persons, reunions, adoptions, armed forces and genealogy.

The relevancy of message boards is that you are putting yourself and your intentions “out there”. This means if someone is searching for you, it makes it easier for them to find you. If someone is searching for the same person and an online search reveals your information, you may be able to share pertinent details that help to locate the person. Networking on message boards is a great way to gather additional information toward your search.

Although message boards are extremely useful in getting additional facts and making yourself known, they are no substitute for a qualified investigator and genealogist. An investigator and genealogist can take the information you have and really put it to good use to locate the person you want to find. Once an investigator finds the person, they become an integral part of making initial contact and effectively setting up a reunion. When you find they person, it may be initially surprising or even distressing for them. A skilled professional acting as a mediator can mean the difference between making a connection and never having that desired reunion.