Using The Internet To Find Long-Lost Friends (NAPSA)—The Internet is making the world a smaller place—bringing people closer together—and makingit easier to find the people you lose track of. Only a few years ago, finding a former friend or long-lost loved one would have required a lot of time and energy. However, with the Internet tools that are available today, you can find old friends in a matter of minutes. To help people reconnect with friends and family, MSN TV Service, a provider of Internet access over the television, has compiled a few tips for finding someone online. Additional information is available at www.msntv.com/tvtips. Tips for Finding Old Friends Online Gather Your Info: Thefirst step in conducting a successful search is to consolidate what you know about that person. Having a person’s last known address or their spouse’s nameis a great place to start. Other details such as a club they belonged to, or a high school or college they attendedorif they were in the military will also help narrow the search. Online Telephone Book: The Internet provides access to nation- wide phone directories, and they can be a great resource when you know that a person resides in a specific area. Helpful Web Sites: With so many people using the Internet to find old friends, a numberof specialized Web sites have been created to help. To find the sites best Finding your high school sweet- heart or an old college friend is not as complicated asit used to be. suited to your search, MSN TV recommends using a search engine and key words that best meet your needs. Some useful keywords are: “white pages,” “lost friends,” “military friends,” “high school friends,” and “family reunion.” Search Smart: Oneof the best ways to get familiar with the Internet search process is to con- duct a search on your own name. This will give you a good idea of which search terms work, as well as letting you know how easy or difficult it would be for someone to find you. The MSN TV Internet receiver from Microsoft provides e-mail and Internet access over a TV and is easy to set up. It comes with a wireless keyboard and remote control, so there are no cords running through your living room. MSN TV service works through existing TV and phonelines.
