Secrets to finding people on Facebook, Twitter and more by Kim Komando

The key word in social network is social. It's not any fun to use Facebook, Twitter and the rest if you can't find any of your friends!

With different privacy settings and tools on each site, finding them can be tough. It's not always as easy as typing their name into the site's search.

I'll show you how to do it, no matter what social network you use. In no time, you'll be connected to all of your friends so you can start sharing with them!

Before I take you through each site, there are a few tools to use first.  You'd be surprised what a Google search can turn up! This can give you their Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other sites. It may even give you their personal blog!

You can use special people search sites, too. Click here to see four great people search sites. 

Some sites won't let you find them, though. In that case, you'll have to use the tools that the site gives you. If you're comfortable doing so, you can import your contacts into some of the sites to help you search. 

Here's how to use search tools on some of the popular social networks.

Facebook
Start with this link.  It takes you to a page that lets you import your contacts from your email and other social networks, if you're comfortable doing so. The process varies with each service, but the tool walks you through every step. You'll find "People You May Know" on this page, as well.

These are people Facebook thinks you might know through mutual friends. If the person you're looking for isn't there, search for their name. If they have a common name, you can tinker with the search results to narrow it down. Add in their city, school or place of work if you know it.

Twitter
Click the "Discover" tab in Twitter and then click "Find Friends." You can search contacts from Gmail, Yahoo and other email services. You'll even find a "People you may know" list that's a lot like Facebook's.

If you still can't find the person, type their name into Twitter's search bar. If you know any online aliases they like to use, search for those as well. Right above "Find Friends," you'll see "Who to follow." This suggests people that share your interests.

LinkedIn
Click the icon that looks like a person with a plus sign in the top-right corner. Here, you can enter your email address so LinkedIn can search for your contacts. The "Network" tab has some other options to help you find people you're connected to.

If the person doesn't turn up, check LinkedIn's People You May Know tool. You can also search for their name in LinkedIn's built-in search. You can search for them in the pages for their job and school, too.

Tumblr
Click "Find blogs" from your dashboard. Choose the "People you know" tab to connect your Facebook or Gmail to Tumblr. The "Spotlight" tab lets you connect with blogs Tumblr thinks you might find interesting.

Your "Following" tab will let you search for your friends by email, Tumblr URL or username. It will say "Following X people," where X is the number of people you follow.

Instagram
Tap the three-dot icon on Androids or the gear icon on iPhones and iPads. Choose "Find & Invite Friends" if you're using an Apple gadget and "Find Friends" on Androids. You can import friends from Facebook or your phone's contact list, if you wish.

You can tap the Explore tab to search for friends by username or full name. It looks like a compass. You can search tags that match your interests to find like-minded users, as well. Or, you can search for somebody's Instagram page with Google. Just search for "Instagram" and their name.

Secrets to finding people on Facebook, Twitter and more

6/9/2013

The key word in social network is social. It's not any fun to use Facebook, Twitter and the rest if you can't find any of your friends!
With different privacy settings and tools on each site, finding them can be tough. It's not always as easy as typing their name into the site's search.
I'll show you how to do it, no matter what social network you use. In no time, you'll be connected to all of your friends so you can start sharing with them!
Before I take you through each site, there are a few tools to use first.  You'd be surprised what a Google search can turn up! This can give you their Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other sites. It may even give you their personal blog!
You can use special people search sites, too. Click here to see four great people search sites.
Some sites won't let you find them, though. In that case, you'll have to use the tools that the site gives you. If you're comfortable doing so, you can import your contacts into some of the sites to help you search.
Here's how to use search tools on some of the popular social networks.
FacebookStart with this link.  It takes you to a page that lets you import your contacts from your email and other social networks, if you're comfortable doing so. The process varies with each service, but the tool walks you through every step. You'll find "People You May Know" on this page, as well.
These are people Facebook thinks you might know through mutual friends. If the person you're looking for isn't there, search for their name. If they have a common name, you can tinker with the search results to narrow it down. Add in their city, school or place of work if you know it.
TwitterClick the "Discover" tab in Twitter and then click "Find Friends." You can search contacts from Gmail, Yahoo and other email services. You'll even find a "People you may know" list that's a lot like Facebook's.
If you still can't find the person, type their name into Twitter's search bar. If you know any online aliases they like to use, search for those as well. Right above "Find Friends," you'll see "Who to follow." This suggests people that share your interests.
LinkedInClick the icon that looks like a person with a plus sign in the top-right corner. Here, you can enter your email address so LinkedIn can search for your contacts. The "Network" tab has some other options to help you find people you're connected to.
If the person doesn't turn up, check LinkedIn's People You May Know tool. You can also search for their name in LinkedIn's built-in search. You can search for them in the pages for their job and school, too.
TumblrClick "Find blogs" from your dashboard. Choose the "People you know" tab to connect your Facebook or Gmail to Tumblr. The "Spotlight" tab lets you connect with blogs Tumblr thinks you might find interesting.
Your "Following" tab will let you search for your friends by email, Tumblr URL or username. It will say "Following X people," where X is the number of people you follow.
InstagramTap the three-dot icon on Androids or the gear icon on iPhones and iPads. Choose "Find & Invite Friends" if you're using an Apple gadget and "Find Friends" on Androids. You can import friends from Facebook or your phone's contact list, if you wish.
You can tap the Explore tab to search for friends by username or full name. It looks like a compass. You can search tags that match your interests to find like-minded users, as well. Or, you can search for somebody's Instagram page with Google. Just search for "Instagram" and their name.
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