I had never even heard of People Search until someone found me. My high school sweetheart Bryan had been browsing the internet, came across a people search site and decided to look me up. Much to his amazement - and mine, when he demonstrated to me - he found me in a matter of minutes with just a few quick clicks. The site gave him my phone number, so he dialed, and after a few gasps of surprise, we were catching up as though no time had passed at all.
I’ll confess I’m hardly the most internet savvy woman out there. I can send email, I can read the news, and sometimes, when I’m really feeling adventurous, I’ll buy books online. Beyond that, I prefer to spend my time in the real world - not the virtual one - thank you very much. However, when Bryan showed me just how easy it was to find people online, I’ve added that to the short list of internet tasks I have mastered.
I’ve managed to track down my Aunt Mandy with whom I thought I’d completely lost contact years ago. I’ve even learned about cousins I never knew I had! I found Jonas, my best friend from third grade, who ate too many bugs for his own good - but good to know that he’s grown out of that phase! And I also found my fellow camp counselor, Lilian, who slogged through one fierce summer with me in upstate New York where we were watching kids - well - like Jonas.
What’s been especially rewarding about learning these tools is that it’s enriched my real life, not my virtual one. There’s nothing quite like catching up with long-lost friends on the phone and in-person. And I’m so glad that people search has given me the opportunity to do precisely that.