The Web can help locate long-lost friends
March
2, 1997
By JIM BROOKS
I've long promoted in my columns the benefit of being online;
there's a whole world of information about nearly any topic under
the sun out there.
And there are some obvious and very practical uses of the Internet.
Recently, some state officials held a teleconference over the Internet
with business leaders at a Bardstown school. The school's ultra-fast
T-1 connection made the video and audio virtually as clear as television
reception.
And of course, there's always e-mail, finding news and information,
software, and other advantages of using the internet and the World
Wide Web.
But often people ask me, "What can I do that's actually useful
to me today?"
One of the answers to this question surfaced recently in a conversation
with Ron Greenwell, sports editor at The Kentucky Standard in Bardstown.
Ron has been online for several weeks and already has uncovered
a wealth of news about his favorite Los Angeles Dodgers baseball
team.
But his latest discovery was using the Web to help track down his
old classmates from his graduating class at St. Joe Prep in Bardstown.
I have been duplicating his results, and have uncovered a few resources
you'll want to try if you're seeking out an old friend or classmate:
KENTUCKY VITAL RECORDS. Tracking someone down who you haven't
seen in 20 years (or more) can be a daunting task. Deaths and marriages
are often a part of that equation.
Fortunately for Kentucky researchers (and even genealogists), many
of Kentucky's vital records are online at the Kentucky Vital Records
Index Web site at http://ukcc.uky.edu/(tilde)vitalrec/.
Two indexes are available that record deaths between the years
1911-1986 and 1987-1992. Both of these databases will most likely
appeal to genealogists, and each record has the file number and
other information to make it easier to retrieve should you decide
to pay for an "official" death certificate.
You can search by any portion of either a person's first or last
name; however, narrowing a search is usually most productive.
The UK vital statistics site also houses two additional databases
-- one covering marriages from 1973-93, and another covering divorces
during the same time frame.
The databases aren't complete; some records have been missed, but
I was able to find some high school classmate's and family member's
records at the site.
Remember that the records only cover marriages and divorces that
occur inside the state; if the person you seek ran off to the Smokey
Mountains for a romantic elopement, you won't find that information
in Kentucky records.
FOUR11. Another popular way to track down someone via the
Internet is through the popular Four11 Web site at http://www.four11.com.
The information at Four11 is also available from the Yahoo! Internet
directory Web site at www.yahoo.com. By clicking on the "People
Search" hyperlink, and you'll reach a customized-for-Yahoo
version of the 411.com interface.
The information available -- the Four11 database -- is the same
from both interfaces. I actually prefer going through Yahoo!, as
its simpler and appears easier to use.
However, keep in mind that the actual Four11's site also offers
some advanced features and products not mentioned in the Yahoo!
interface.
Four11 is a searchable database that consists of telephone and
address listings for U.S. residents and includes a directory of
more than 10 million e-mail addresses. Its like a huge phone book
that covers most of the U.S.
The site also catalogs individual home pages, and lets individuals
register their own home pages' entries in their database.
The Four11 site also offers additional features the Yahoo! interface
does not. Directories at Four11 also offer celebrity addresses,
government addresses and even Internet phone listings.
But ultimately, these powerful databases aren't worth a dime if
they don't help you find someone you're looking for.
I've been very fortunate with them, and have tracked down a number
of people's e-mail addresses using Four11's information. Naturally,
if your long-lost acquaintance isn't using e-mail, you won't find
them; in that case, you may have better luck looking for their street
address and phone number.
You can search the entire country or narrow your search down to
state or city. The more narrow your search, the more likely you'll
hit pay dirt.
If you're worried about Four11 making your address and phone number
available via the Internet, you can have your information removed
or edited. While they respect individual's wishes for privacy, remember
that everything they provide is available via other public resources,
such as directory assistance, etc.
NEWS YOU CAN USE. Delivering the news is no longer a newspaper
carrier's sole domain, or even that of online newspapers that have
been gaining in popularity.
A number of companies specialize in bringing news content to your
computer screen via the Internet.
The advantage of this type of delivery is the ability to have your
news personalized.
Like sports? Want more financial news? Or is entertainment your
thing? You can tailor the news you get to your hobby, business or
other interests.
• The PointCast Network offers a special interface for viewing
its content that is divided into channels. There are subsections
that you can customize on each channel.
For example, you can select the sports news you receive by the
sport you prefer; news, including financial and entertainment, is
available with similar subsections.
For more information about the PointCast Network, visit www.pcn.com
on the World Wide Web.
• The Yahoo! Web search site offers its own specialized and
customizable news interface called MyYahoo.
It doesn't use special software as does the PointCast Network,
it offers a Web page customized the way you want it.
Like PCN, there's no charge for the service. For more details,
point your browser to http://my.yahoo.com/
• One of the latest ways to get your news via the Internet
is by e-mail, and Mercury Mail is the service I've signed up most
recently.
PCN and MyYahoo let you tailor the news you receive to your particular
interests; Mercury Mail is setup to operate in a similar fashion.
Mercury Mail's advantage is that e-mail is (at least on my PC)
a faster medium than either of the Web-based news services.
By 8 a.m. every morning, I have in my e-mail box Mercury Mail's
Morning Coffee Edition -- an e-mail message with the news (U.S.
and world) that I've selected. I also receive something called Spotlite,
which I've customized to include short listings of that evening's
network programming, a today in history section, celebrity birthdays
and yes, even yesterday's lottery numbers.
Mercury Mail is supported by advertising (each message has a text
"banner" advertisement at the very top), and at present
is my favorite daily news fix.
To try it yourself, you'll need to visit their Web site at www.merc.com
to get signed up and create your NEWSpot profile. And of course,
you'll need an e-mail account.
USR, 3COM MERGER. The computing world is still reeling from
the announcement this week that networking giant 3Com will buy modem
maker U.S. Robotics.
The $6.6 billion deal comes in the wake of USR's battle in the
war for dominance among 56k modem standards.
USR's new 56k modem's shipped this past week,
The proposed merger has Wall Street analysts grumbling that USR
stockholders are being robbed, according to a story from Reuters.
The merger may give USR more clout in the battle to become the
de facto standard for the faster modems, but the fight isn't over.
Chip-maker Rockwell International and other companies have formed
a coalition to develop a standard for the new 56k modems -- a coalition
that didn't include Rockwell's competitor, U.S. Robotics.
The Open 56 Forum says it approached U.S. Robotics to join the
group; but a USR spokesman says the offer came less than one hour
before the Forum's press conference this week.
While there is widespread agreement about the benefit of faster
modems, manufacturers have yet to come up with a standard. The Open
56 Forum says it will work to assure interoperability of 56k modems,
though U.S. Robotics and just this week, Motorola, are the only
companies currently shipping 56k modems.
While faster modems are a welcome development, reports say that
in some parts of the country the quality of the telephone lines
will mean some customers with 56k modems will never be able to take
full advantage of the higher speed.
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