Wouldn’t it be great if you could set up a reunion with your old schoolmates, neighbors, colleagues, or college dorm buddies? Thanks to the internet, it is easier than ever. You no longer need to rely on the telephone directory or taking out classified ads.

Here are some of the best sites on the web for finding old friends.

1. Alumni.net

alumni net

Alumni.net doesn’t have the polished interface that you will find with some of the other sites on our list. However, what it lacks in design, it more than makes up for in sheer numbers.

Because the site has been online since 1994 (that's almost 30 years!), it has amassed an incredible database of people who have signed up.

Networks are divided into school networks and professional networks, with most countries around the world having their own portals and sub-networks. Some of the largest networks in the US are for Florida State University, Michigan State University, University of California at Berkeley, and North Carolina Agricultural and Technology State University.

The site also offers news, events, and meetups, as well as job boards and even discount deals.

2. Classmates.com

classmates

If you only want to find old classmates (rather than colleagues or neighbors), Classmates.com is worth checking out. The site used to support Canada and a few major international locations, but is now geared exclusively to the US.

One of the best aspects of the site is that you do not need to make an account to see if people you know have an account. From the homepage, just choose the state that you graduated from, then the city, and then the school, and you can see the members who are linked to it.

If you want to reach out to people you recognize and send them a message, you will need to work through the signup process.

3. Facebook

facebook alumni

While the two sites we've introduced you to so far both specialize in finding old friends online, they have arguably become dwarfed by the powerhouse that is social media.

Love it or loathe it, Facebook still dominates the landscape. And it is almost unrivaled in its ability to track down people with who you have lost contact.

Of course, you can do a simple search using the person's name you are looking for. But if you dig a little deeper, you might be able to find groups and pages dedicated to your old school or old employer. The site also offers some search tricks that will help you find a person who might not show up using a simple search.

To be able to send a message to someone directly, there is a high chance you will first need to add them as a friend (assuming they have customized their privacy settings). Make sure you have used a real profile picture to increase the odds of them accepting you.

4. LinkedIn

linkedin alumni

For finding old colleagues for a reunion, LinkedIn is the best free tool. It is approaching one billion members and has users from all over the world.

Once you have made an account, you can click into a company's profile and see who you know who works there, as well as people who work there that you do not have an existing connection with.

Like Facebook, LinkedIn also has a groups feature. Almost all major universities and schools have a group for alumni.

Because LinkedIn is a professional tool, it is more suitable for professional outreach than for organizing parties with long-lost friends. But that doesn't mean you should underestimate it. One of the most powerful tools you have at your disposal from a career standpoint is your network. LinkedIn lets you leverage it, even with people who may have fallen out of your primary group of connections as the years passed.

5. BeenVerified

beenverified

BeenVerified is one of many sites that let you run background checks on a person. By using public records (such as social media profiles, police records, civil judgments, email addresses, vehicle records, caller IDs, property records, and so on), the site can quickly build up a complete profile of someone you are looking for.

The site does not provide a way to reach out to the person directly. However, due to the breadth of the records that BeenVerified scans, many people have contact information attached to their results. You can see that information and use it to get in touch.

Note: Use the contact information judiciously. Clearly, you shouldn't just show up at someone's address and wait outside in your car for them to get home.

6. Google

Google Screenshot

It sounds obvious, but before you spend hours digging through each of these sites, have you tried just entering the person's name into Google? If they have managed to earn a place of recognition in their industry of choice, there is a good chance you will be able to find at least one entry about them.

Assuming the person has allowed the feature, Google can also pull results from various social media networks, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Remember, you can use Boolean search operators to narrow down lists of results. And it is also worth having a look at Google Images to see the results manage to flag up the person you are looking for.

7. Dedicated Alumni Networks

Finally, check out whether your old school or employer offers its own in-house alumni network. Almost all universities and colleges offer them, as do many of the biggest brands in the world. To give you an example, P&G, HSBC, Accenture, Nestlé, Citigroup, Microsoft, and Google have widely praised (and widely used) alumni services.

If you are ex-military, alumni chapters in various cities are also a great way to get back in touch with your old comrades.

Find Your Friends and Get the Party Started

In the modern age, it is extremely rare for someone to have absolutely no online presence at all. Even if the sites we've suggested do not yield results, there is a high chance you will eventually be able to stumble upon a reference if you are prepared to put in the hours.

And if all else fails, and you really want to get in touch, remember there are professional companies you can hire to track down people.