Whether you wish to reunite with an old friend or track down estranged family members, there are many reasons you might find yourself seeking out help in tracking people down. And thanks to the explosion of the internet and the vast amount of information available over the World Wide Web, you no longer need to hire a private detective to locate missing persons.

It's now easier and cheaper than ever to get back in touch with people from your past, particularly with social networking websites such as Facebook. These sites allow you to make detailed searches for individuals by name and location. However, even with more than half a billion people worldwide reportedly using online social networks, you may still be unable to find who you're looking for - especially as they may not wish to be tracked down.

Fortunately, in today's information age, it's relatively difficult for people to carry out activities online without leaving a digital trail, and with a little practice you could become an expert in utilising such details. The more information you have about a person - for example, their hobbies and interests - the more you'll be able to narrow down search queries, especially useful if there are many people sharing the name of the person you're looking for. There are also many services available to help you.

As noted earlier, social networks allow you to search for long lost friends and you can also find websites offering access to official databases such as the electoral roll ; these sites allow you to search through names using the most recent data available and find who you're looking for. If the trail is still cold, be sure to make use of common contacts that may have seen or interacted with the person you're looking for more recently, and could have vital clues about their whereabouts or activities.

While your reasons for tracking someone down may be legitimate, you should always consider the possibility that the person you're looking for chose to disappear from your life for a reason, and that a reunion may not be the best idea at present. If you're looking for someone from the past, either one of you could have changed in the intervening years. However, there will be many occasions where reconnecting with people from the past will be truly positive occasions - like catching up with old school friends! .