The Web is a treasure chest of information… if you know where to look. Whether you’re trying to check out a website, learn more about your neighborhood, or research what’s circulating online about you, a little tech know-how goes a long way.
Here are some simple and powerful tricks to improve your research skills.
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You’ve come across a website that offers the incredible promise of a free trip to Hawaii. Aloha! All the site needs is your private information and a credit card. Before you take the plunge, make sure they don’t screw it up.
A WHOIS lookup checks a database containing information about domain names and their registrants, so you can find out who owns the website and see if they have a current business address and contact information.
A woman is seen holding a credit card while using a laptop. (iStock)
How is this done?
- Go to a WHOIS lookup website. There are many of them on the net. I use who.
- Enter the site URL in the search bar. You’ll see who owns the site and their contact information, including address and phone number.
The next time you think your friend is being scammed, use this awesome tech party trick. You could save them some money and embarrassment!
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Your online business is everyone’s business, whether we like it or not. How can you check what Web offers you? Here’s a quick and easy way:
- Go to Google and type your first and last name in quotes. Look what appears. People are often interested in the organizations you are affiliated with, your social profiles, and any photos of you floating around the internet.
- Next, your credit score. You can get a free credit report from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion once a year. Go here to get yours online. Check the Also the fourth credit bureau, Innovis.
- What about family tree sites? They can be fun and informative… and incredibly invasive. Find yourself at FamilyTreeNow.com. It will surprise you.
Find out who your neighbor is
Go introduce yourself. If that’s not possible, you can find out online in most cases through the county assessor site. These government-run sites use data from appraisers to estimate the value of real estate within a county, city, town, or village.
A close-up of a person’s hands using a laptop. (iStock)
Once you get there, you’ll be able to see where the person you’re interested in lives, get details about their home or any other property they own, and much more. You can even see signed documents, like the deed to their house. Yes, really.
The easiest way to find your county assessor’s site is a quick Google search. Simply type in the county you are searching for, along with “assessor.” You can also go to publicrecords.netronline.com. This directory includes official state and county websites that you can search by zip code.
Each county assessor’s site works a little differently, but here’s a basic overview of how to search Maricopa County’s site here in Arizona.
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Click on the Go to online data next to the County Assessor option, then search by name or address. Click on the magnifying glass icon to search and you will see the address, owner, package number and other information. Then click on the package number and for even more detailed information and access to any related documents.
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A picture is worth a thousand words
Words and profiles are one thing, but what about photos of yourself? All these sites are
It’s worth checking to see what shows up.
- Pimeyes: This site allows you to upload an image of yourself (or anyone) to be found on the Web. This is particularly useful for tracking where your photos appear online. Caution: You may get blurry images of adult content.
- tin eye: Another great reverse image search tool that can generate additional results.
Google Maps appears on a phone photo. (Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Pictures)
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Go down memory lane
Not all online research is of the stealthy kind. It’s fun to try this one with all the places you’ve lived or with a home you’re considering buying.
Visit old photos of Road View at google maps. You can see what a place looked like in the past as long as Google has captured photos there. I have seen photographs dating back more than a decade. Talk about a hit of digital nostalgia.
- Open Google Maps in a browser, type a ADDRESS and click on the Photo that appears.
- Choose See more dates to scroll through the photos.
Now, share this article and impress your friends with your tech knowledge, or save them from falling for a scam. Either way, you’ll look like the smartest person in the room.
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