by Steven Gomez

Created on: November 24, 2009

Facebook has become the most popular online method for reconnecting with family as well as friends and colleagues whether long lost or well acquainted. While some people do keep their profile a tightly guarded secret, many can be easily tracked down either through searches or through mutual friends, family and colleagues.

The easiest method to look up friends on facebook is to search for them. Facebook offers a search field in the top right section of their front page where you can enter any known part of a person's name. Obviously it helps if you know both the person's first and last name, especially if either name is common.

However, especially with common names, you may still have a plethora of profiles to wade through. Thus it helps to have other relevant details such as the name of a school the person attended, their current place of residence or their current workplace. You can filter your initial Facebook search by selecting the "People" option on the left side menu, then entering the name of a school, location or workplace. Whatever you enter could thin the herd to a few (or even one) likely parties, or could leave you still with dozens or hundreds of possibilities. If the additional detail matches no one with a viewable profile, Facebook will leave you out of luck with "No results found".

A more roundabout method is to do a straight web search on Google or another search engine of choice. Searchable Facebook profiles can and do appear in Google or other web searches, and if you know enough relevant details about the person you're looking for (name, location, alma mater and/or workplace), you can enter them all in Google and the person's Facebook profile could turn up among the results.

The obvious disadvantage is that you're not just wading through other profiles, but all other search results from across the internet, which gives you more data to sift through. Plus, it's difficult to filter search results, as the only way to do so is through the search engine's convoluted "Advanced Search" feature. However, if you have many specific, relevant details on the person, it could be a more direct way to track down a Facebook profile for the person.

Again, if the person in question has hidden their Facebook profile from public view, you're not going to find it through a search. However, provided you're not a stalker or an otherwise dangerous person of disinterest in the person's life, you have another method of tracking down a friend: That person's friends. Mutual friends, family or mutual colleagues may be willing to offer contact info for the friend in question, and if keen the person may offer a Facebook invite to add you to their Facebook friends list.

Facebook's reconnected me with several of my old friends, colleagues and family members I haven't seen nor heard from in years, as it has for countless others. The methods above can help you do the same.

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