HOW TO: Search for People on Facebook

I bet anyone reading this can think of one person (perhaps more) that they wish they could get back in touch with, if only to see how they have been. From an old school friend to a past sweetheart, and even long lost relatives, there are plenty of reasons for you to want to find someone to reconnect with. Facebook has made this easier than ever, as there is a simple was to search names in certain locations, and even by mutual connection.

This was something that happened to myself quite recently. Growing up, I had always heard of a half brother who I had never before been able to meet. I was concerned that I never would, but then came the creation of Facebook, and their subsequent changes that made it easier to search people out. Using a few details, I was able to find him, and we have since begun to build a relationship. It is an incredible result that I never would have expected.

Plenty of other people have had similar tales, of meeting up with old friends from childhood, or finding an ex they thought they had lost forever. If you are hoping to do something similar, all you need to know are the basic steps to searching on Facebook. There are several ways to do this, which are listed below.

Search By Name

Probably the most common that will be used, searching by name allows you to put in both the first and last name, as well as the location or suspected location of the person you wish to find. The only downside to this is that with such limited information, you can often find multiple people with the same one, and within the same place. This will depend on how popular or generic the name itself is. For example, John Anderson in Des Moines, Iowa will bring in a number of people. But Sonny Mahoni in Juno, Alaska probably won’t.

Search by Email

A much more targeted way, you can put in a person’s email address and if they have a profile you will be directed to it. You can also run a check on your email and messenger contact lists, and anyone associated with them that have a Facebook account will be suggested as possible friends. This function is less useful when finding someone you have long since lost contact with.

Search by School

Whether it is a university, community college, high school or even a primary school, you can often find people by searching for school networks. Many people will list such connections on their profile, and so will end up listed. You can then do a name search based with that school criteria, or just search for those who were in a particular year.

Search by Company

Want to find a coworker who you lost touch with when you switched jobs? Many people will list their resumes on Facebook, opening up a new network for you to search through. Often, employers use this function to find employees.

Search by Advanced Settings

Want to meet someone knew? You can find others by their age, gender, what they are looking for, star sign, relationship status, interests, likes and more. This will give you a rather generic list, but it could be great for finding friends in your area.