If you are like me, then you are TERRIBLE at finding people on various social media outlets, so I asked around to find out the best tips on how to appropriately “stalk” online. This is not meant to be creepy or anything. This is just a tool to find people. Hopefully it helps, because let’s face it, I know you are dying to find out what your ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend looks like or who the cutie in your class is. I know everyone occasionally stalks others on social media whether they like to admit it or not, so why not be good at it? Here are some tips on how to “stalk” like a pro:
1. First off, don’t ever stalk out in public, especially in class or at the library. Unless, that is, you want people to think you’re creepy because people might see your computer screen.
2. If you want to know more about a person’s interests and what they like to do for fun, then check out their Instagram.
3. If you want a better view of someone’s Instagram pictures, go online and type in www.instagram.com/ whatever their username is.
4. If you want to know more about someone’s personality, check out their Twitter.
5. If you want to see if someone is following someone in particular on Twitter:
- Go online to his or her Twitter.
- Click on the “following” button and then scroll to the bottom of the page. Make sure all of the people they are “following” are completely loaded on the page.
- Then press the CONTROL key and F key on your computer keyboard. A search bar should pop up on the bottom left corner of your screen. (This works on MACs, so if you have another computer look online to see how to get the search bar).
- Then you can just type in the Twitter name of the person you want to see if they’re “following.” It will either say found and direct you to where the name comes up or not found.
6. If there is a cute guy in your class, get his name from the class roster on Agora and request to be his friend on FB.
7. If the person you are looking for plays a sport, then you can look for his/her name on the various sports’ rosters and then find them on FB.
8. You can find someone by looking through your friend’s friends on FB.
9. If you know his/her friend’s name, but not him or her, go through their friend’s profile pictures or wall posts until you spot the person you are looking for.
10. If you were at an event with someone and want to find out their name, go back to the FB event and find them.
11. If their friends are unknown and their FB is unsearchable, use a different form of social media like Twitter or Instragram. Most likely there will be a link on that social media site to their FB or their friend’s FB and you can find them that way.
12. Check LinkedIn if you know where they work.
13. If you know their name and what college they go to, then you can try typing it into Google to find their social media sites.
14. On MTV’s Catfish, they found people by searching a photo on Google. If you have a picture of him/her saved, then you can search it into Google to see where else that picture comes up on the Internet. I don’t really know if this tip actually works, but you can always try.
15. Lastly, think or consult a friend before you add or direct message someone on social media… You don’t want to come across as an actual stalker.
Those are the best tips I could find. Good luck on all your “stalking” adventures! ;)
P.S. Don’t do anything weird or creepy. Also, ignorance is bliss. Don’t try to find something that you aren’t ready to see.
Sources:
http://www.thefrisky.com/2009-02-19/face-off-online-snooping-versus-stalking/online-stalking-c-jpg/
http://www.lovethispic.com/image/28018/stalking-my-five-boyfriends-online
http://easy1001.com/study-facebook-stalking-your-ex-is-no-good/