Finding email addresses

One of the most common requirements for network users wanting to correspond with others is for information on email addresses. Here are some suggestions for finding the email address of a would-be correspondent:

(1) Ask them! (Use the phone if necessary.)

(2) Ask them to email you first, then use your email program's Reply function. This generates their email address in the `To:' field of the message. Make a note of it for future reference, or better still, get your email program to make a note of it for you. Most email programs will have such a facility, entitled `Nicknames', `Aliases', or something similar.

(3) Search an online directory service. Here are some which have substantial databases of names though note that not all information in directories may be 100% current:

• Yahoo! People Search http://people.yahoo.com/
  Offers a simple and an advanced email search
• Internet Address Finder http://www.iaf.net/
  Offers searching by name in its database of over 6 million email addresses. Versions in Dutch, French, German, Italian and Portuguese
• LDAP
  The Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) is a standard for directory services enabling a user with an LDAP client to access any LDAP or X.500 server. LDAP is widely implemented, being embedded in all popular Web browsers and email clients.
• X.500 directory services
  X.500 is the more complex forerunner of LDAP enabling global search of distributed X.500 directories or searches of specific X.500 directories. National directories are available in many countries listed at http://www.dante.net:8888/ . See also a list of public directory interfaces at: http://www.dante.net/np/pdi.html .

(4) Databases of mailing list subscribers and Usenet news contributors are another useful source for email addresses, particularly if your correspondent is an Internet enthusiast and likely to parti cipate in online discussions. These are ones to try:

• Usenet addresses directory http://usenet-addresses.mit.edu/
  Database amassed from addresses of people who have posted to Usenet newsgroups over the period 1991 to 1996. Links to local directory services facilitate verification of the address;
• AltaVista http://www.altavista.com/
  AltaVista offers a specialty Usenet search in which searches for both names and topics can be carried out. The email addresses of people who have contributed postings can be accessed here thus providing a supplementary update to the data in the Usenet ad dresses directory;
• Mailbase http://www.mailbase.ac.uk/
  Searchable database of subscribers. Mailbase administers some hundreds of mailing lists and its database of names, mainly from the academic and research community, is substantial. Though the service is UK based, the subscriber base is international. Unde r Searching Facilities, select Look for an Email Address.

(5) Organizational directory listings
If your would-be correspondent is at a university or research institute, the institution's staff list may provide the information you need. Institutional Web sites (Web search services may be useful in locating particular ones) will commonly provide a lin k to a searchable directory listing of personnel. Many organizations use a directory service called CSO (sometimes referred to as Phonebook) to make contact details available. Sites which can be us ed to locate organizational directories are:

• GALILEI http://www.geocities.com/Pipeline/1599/index.html
  International directory of universities and similar institutions enabling you to find the Web sites of individual universities anywhere in the world.
• Phonebook Gateway-Server Lookup http://www.uiuc.edu/cgi-bin/ph/lookup
  Links to hundreds of organizations' CSO servers all over the world.

(6) Professional listings provide another possible source of contact details. Web search services may be useful for locating the Web sites of professional associations.

• The BigHub.com http://www.thebighub.com/
  Provides a more fine-grained approach giving access to specific online databases such as professional databases.
• Martindale-Hubbell Lawyer Locator http://www.martindale.com/locator/home.html
  Example of professional database. Searching on a database of 900000 lawyers and law firms around the world.

Searching for people - Finding contact details for people - Finding email addresses - Finding phone and fax numbers and postal addresses - Locating people with common interests