Using Myspace and Top Online People Search Websites to Find Old Friends

High school might just be the most difficult time in anyone's life. Certainly there is room for the drama that goes on behind the school walls, but many times looking back on those times, we look at who we were and come to the conclusion that life just does some strange things to us.

In the information age, it is easier than ever to reconnect with the people who we knew and who we might have kept up with had our lives been slightly less hectic. Websites such as Myspace allow people to catch a glimpse of our personal lives and stay in touch if they so desire. Although social networking sites such as Myspace have come under fire recently for certain unethical behaviors going on among users of the sites, they do, in fact serve a positive role in society that is much more positive than some would like to believe. As a free site, Myspace allows for the kind of people searching which some other sites charge as much as $50 for. With a relatively simple interface, Myspace users can search out other users by either user name or real name, and then email that particular user to either reconnect with them, or find out if that's really who they thought it was.

Some websites, such as Peoplesearch.com, will provide names and addresses of people throughout the United States. For a $49.95 fee, they will provide a comprehensive background check for said person. Although that's getting a little excessive if you're looking for old school buddies, it may be acceptable for businesses looking for some insight into the past of employment candidates. At times, Myspace can be a bit tedious to use. Type in your own name in the search box, and you'll understand why. Worldwide, there are as many as ten thousand people with your name. Common names will, of course bring up far more search results, but even oddball names will often pull up more results than you'll have time to sift through to find one particular person. Once you find who you're looking for, though, I'm sure you'll say it's worth the trouble. Below is a list of popular social networking and people search sites and what they charge. Hopefully you'll find this list useful in your search.

www.Myspace.com...............Free

www.facebook.com...............Free

www.peoplesearch.com..........$49.95 for complete background check

people.yahoo.com..................Free (white pages format)

www.intelius.com..................$7.95-$49.95

www.classmates.com..............$2.46/month for gold membership and access

www.usa-people-search.com.....Free to search, $14.95-$79.95 for full access