There are many good sites out there to help you find people. From specialty search sites to major search engines to social networks, information on individuals is plentiful on the internet.  What sets Spokeo apart from most of the standard people search sites is that it brings all of this scattered, public information together in one place.  To quote its homepage, Spokeo is “not your grandma’s phonebook”!

Spokeo’s user interface is deceptively simple.  You just need to enter either a name, an e-mail address, or phone number to start your search.  What happens after you enter the search is complex and powerful.  Spokeo doesn’t simply search the web.  It actually aggregates data from hundreds of online and offline sources, including: phone directories, social networks, marketing surveys, mailing lists, government census, real estate listings, and even business websites.  It’s hard to find a people search that is more thorough and still publicly available.

What Spokeo returns in response to a search query is fascinating – almost frightening, actually.  Profile information, photos, blog postings, social network memberships, interests, lifestyle indicators, education, household information, wealth and credit estimates, and even neighborhood demographics. It really is an impressive overview of the person for whom you are searching.  Of course, it also begs the question of what people can find out about you.  For those who are concerned about the reach of Spokeo, you can actually opt out of having your information aggregated by the site.

Basic use of Spokeo is free.  There is a premium pricing plan that delivers even more robust information and more detailed reports.  Given the amount of information the free search returned, we were almost curious enough to get the paid membership a try!