Finding Things

Compilations of Resources | Search Engines | Directories | Other Tools | Who Owns It? | Shareware & Freeware | Homepage Exercise | Going Further

We have just seen that search engines provide powerful tools for locating specific Web documents relating to almost any given subject. Can you use search engines to obtain information about people and organizations on the Web? Sometimes you can. For example, try the Google search engine on your own name and see what it turns up; you may be surprised.

There are also many specific compilations designed to help you locate people and places. We'll look at two examples.

PH Directories & Phonebooks

Many organizations maintain online PH directories and "phonebooks" that you can use to obtain information about people in those organizations. Here is a site with a good compilation of links to PH directories and phonebooks for universities and other organizations all over the world. Use these links to see if you can find some interesting or useful information. Try this exercise to get started: is there anyone with the last name of "Mann" at the United States Department of Education? Do you find someone named C. Dundee at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Australia?

Domain Names -Whois

There are many Internet companies that register domain names (just type "domain registration" into your favorite Search Engine and you'll find plenty). Some of these companies, such as Networks Solutions, have a "Whois" search tool, which allows you to find who owns a particular Internet domain name and other relevant information about a specific IP address.