Table 3.
Examples of Online Resources to Locate Participants.
| Typea | URL Examples | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Directories | ||
| White Pages | http://www.whitepages.com/ | Address and contact information based on last known address, academic or work affiliation |
| Alumni Associations | http://alumniandfriends.uchicago.edu/ b | |
| Organization/Work | http://directory.uchicago.edu/ b | |
| Internet Phone | ||
| Google Voice | http://www.google.com/googlevoice/about.html | Free domestic and international calls and texting; virtual ‘face-to-face’ interviews |
| Skype | http://www.skype.com/en/ | |
| Facetime | http://www.apple.com/ios/facetime/ | |
| Maps | ||
| Google Maps | http://www.google.com/maps | Address confirmation, satellite views to facilitate home visits |
| Social Media | ||
| / | Subject contact via site based messaging, current location, job and collateral information | |
| http://twitter.com/ | ||
| http://www.linkedin.com/ | ||
| http://www.instagram.com/ | ||
| Mail Services | ||
| FedEx | http://www.fedex.com/ | Current Address, authorized signing for location verification, “Return Address Service” for new location |
| US Postal Service | http://www.usps.com/ | |
| Miscellaneous | ||
| Dating Websites | http://www.okcupid.com/b | Current status, location, job, name changes, interests and hobbies, incarceration information, etc. |
| Wedding Registries | https://www.theknot.com/registry/couplesearchb | |
| Offender Search | http://www.illinois.gov/IDOC/OFFENDER/b | |
| Death Records | http://search.ancestry.com/search |
a
References to information found in the table include: Bootsmiller et al., 1998; Cottler et al., 1996; Hunt and White, 1998; Kleschinsky et al., 2009; Scott, 2004; Twitchell et al., 1992.
b
Examples provided vary by institution, organization, and location.