Most people are used to the idea of published phone directories, and some expect similar directories to exist for email addresses. In fact, most email providers own and maintain the records themselves, and only allow them to be searched by reverse email search services. Like cell phone directories, email directories are considered private, and usually charge a small fee to access, but depending on your email provider you might be able to find out some things using a free email lookup.

The main reason that email providers do not publish directories because aside from security concerns, comes the sheer difficulty of doing so with any real accuracy. Everyday people change their email address, and more domain names are created to accommodate the popularity of this communication medium. Even if this data was published online, it would still be nearly impossible to keep it completely updated.

Of course, email providers update their own directory records constantly, because it is vital that the company always has a good idea of how many email addresses exist at a given domain name, and which of these accounts are still active. This means that just because this data is not public, does not mean you cannot get access to it. This is where reverse email searches, and even free email lookups come in.

Reverse email searches are an important tool when searching an email address, and can return information about not only the domain name, but also the name of the person who owns the account, as well as their computer's IP address and internet service address. Even a free email lookup can tell you some valuable information, including the location and IP address of your email provider. In many cases, this is a valuable clue to the occupation and location of the person you are looking for.

For anyone who has ever needed to find out the owner of an email address, it is often a disappointment to learn that reliable reverse email searches are very rarely free. While those who are truly concerned usually pay the fee and are very happy with the service and results, many start to look for ways to find out more for free.

Reverse email searches often charge by the search because, just like cell phone numbers, email addresses are considered private contact data. The largest reason is that reverse email searches can tell you not just the name of the person registered to the account, but also their computer's IP address, Internet service address, and, depending on the type of connection, their service provider and sometimes even their landline phone number. This is a lot of personal data that is very helpful for those running a legitimate search, but can be dangerous considering those who are identity thieves and others.

For this reason, the vast majority of reverse email searches are not free; those that call themselves free reverse email lookups actually search for the address' domain name not the personal email account. This is because domain name information is public and free, and, in many circumstances, can be very helpful. In the case of small company based or locally owned domain names, their location, which a reverse email search can return, is often a very good clue to where the person you are looking for actually works or lives.

So although the kind of reverse email searches that return personal data are not free, you can still use a free reverse email lookup to find out more about the domain name where someone's email is registered. For example, domain names ending in .edu are for schools and colleges, and only faculty, staff, and students should have such an email address. With a little research and thought, you can find out a lot about someone using only their email address.

Just as the Internet is full of email addresses and new domain names, there are also many different ways to find out more information about them, such as people searches and reverse email lookups. Although, the fact that there is no central email directory may initially seem to complicate your search, if you know where to look, finding out who owns an email address can be easy.

The first clue you have about who owns an email address is the domain name, which is the part of the email address after the ampersand sign. The domain tells you the company or server through which the person gets their email account, and depending on what type of email address it is, you may not need to look much further. Company specific email addresses including school or work email addresses are easy to track because the domain name they are registered to is both public and usually located physically close to the person you are looking for.

While free reverse email lookups will list domain name data, many of these sites charge a small fee to access full information about the email account. You may decide that this investment is worth the complete and reliable results you can expect to be returned. No matter what type of reverse email lookup you end up using, it is often your best resource.

If these methods fail, there is always a chance you can find out who owns an email address through a people search. In the case that the email address appears to be come abbreviation of the person's name, you can attempt to replicate parts of it in the people search name field. Depending on the location of the domain address, discovered through a reverse email lookup, you can even make a guess at their city and state. Between all of these resources, you will be surprised at the amount of data you can find out quickly, easily, and often for free.

The main differences between forward email lookups and reverse phone searches are the kind of information they search for, and the kinds of people searches you will need to use to access it. No matter whether you need to get in touch with a friend or loved one, or investigate a suspicious or unsolicited email message, you can do so quickly, easily, and often even for free using online resources.

Forward email lookups allow you to find out someone's email address based on their first and last name. There are many forward email lookup sites that search public, often web based email databases, for usernames matching the personal data you entered. Most forward email lookups make use of people searches and can very often help you in your search.

When you need to find out who owns an email address, however, you will need to use a reverse email search to find out more information. Reverse email searches access records based on the domain name, or the part of the email after the ampersand. Often learning more about the domain name is enough to tell you a lot about the person, but in the case of web based addresses, this is more difficult. For starters, there is only so much information you can find out for free about an email address, because this data is considered private. Therefore the most relevant reverse email searches often charge a small fee to perform certain kinds of lookups.

There are many reasons why you might need to use a reverse email search or forward email lookup, including checking up on spam mailers. There are a lot of potential security risks associated with Internet communication, but by doing a little bit of research, you can keep yourself and your family safe online.

Would you like to contact your friend via the telephone but don't know their new number? Thanks to fantastic technology like the Internet, you have a greater chance at finding the information you seek by trying a few different online search methods.

You may think that the first place you should start hunting for your friend's number on the web is a search engine. Although this is definitely one of your options, it's a good idea to save it for later and begin with a more fast and convenient service, such as a forward lookup. Many websites offer forward searches, including the White Pages.

To use a forward search, fill in as many of the search fields provided as possible. Entering your friend's surname is mandatory, but you will also want to include their first name, as well as the city, state or zip code associated with their current location, or the last one you can remember. If your friend is the owner of a phone number that is listed in the public phone directory, a forward lookup will provide you with their phone number and address. However, if he or she only has a cell phone or other private number, this service will not work.

The next step is to try a broad Internet search with a search engine. Enter your friend's full name in quotations into the query box, as well as another relevant detail such as the city and state where they live. If the results returned are vague, try looking up other information aside from their location including: name of workplace, high school, college, career field, favorite interest, etc.

Another great place to try and find friends numbers is with a social networking site, such as Facebook, MySpace, Orkut, etc. These networks service millions and millions of World Wide Web consumers. Thus, there is a good chance the friend you are looking for has created a profile, and it is possible they posted their phone number and/or other contact information. There are different ways you can search for members on these sites, so choose the option you believe will help you achieve the best results. Just remember that usually in order to access a member's profile you will have to create your own free membership.

Last, but not least, you can also search a phone number with a reverse phone lookup if you happen to still have an old number your friend gave you. You may discover that they still own the same one, or if it belongs to their parents or another relative, they may be able to help you find them.

Due to the popularity of prepaid phone cards in modern communication, we can never deny the existence of scammers and fraud selling counterfeit or inferior-quality products in the market today.

The usual victims are those individuals who first-timers in the use of prepaid phone cards. Considering the number of this communication media around the world, the only way to avoid getting robbed by these illegitimate businesses is to know how to spot the wrong one even if you haven't used them yet.

Here are some avoid scamming tips when it's your first time to purchase a prepaid phone card:

Tip # 1: Consult With Experienced Prepaid Phone Card Users

The best way to avoid being scammed is to ask for some advice from those who have used the service. If you have a close friend or a family member that uses prepaid phone cards, you might want to inquire on what product they are using to give you a good foundation when you start making use of the service.

Tip # 2: Don't Purchase The First One You See

As I said before, there are plenty of prepaid phone cards being sold in the market today. You can even find a lot of them on the Internet. It is advisable that you avoid purchasing the first product you see without checking out their features and services in advance. Here are some commonly asked questions that you should keep in mind while your window shopping for a prepaid phone card for your call needs.

1. Is The Communication Provider A Legitimate Business?

You might want to determine if the prepaid phone card is from a credible and legitimate provider. You can check out their details on the Internet or with a government agency that is in charge of monitoring these types of communication media.

2. What Are The Features Of A Prepaid Phone Card?

Determine the feature of each card whether it can accommodate your calling needs or not. In truth, various prepaid phone card providers have their own unique features to stay on top of the competition. Some of these cards are quite useful for business purposes, while others are solely for personal use.

In most cases, prepaid phone cards can be used to call phones in your area or overseas. They can be used with call devices, such as telephones, public pay phones, and so on. Other feature includes a PIN and PIN-less dialing, conference calls, Web Call Back, online calls, and so on.

3. How Many Calls Can Each Card Accommodate?

The number of calls you can make depends on the call credits on each card. Assorted denominations of prepaid phone cards are being sold in the market today. Each of these denominations has their own specific call minutes that will be deducted every time you connect and use the service. If you want to determine in advance in how many calls each card is good for, then you might want to check their domestic and international call rates so that you can set your budget for it.

Purchasing an Internet prepaid calling card is very easy and convenient. But with so many prepaid calling card providers on the Internet who's to know which one is the best. Luckily you don't need to set up a contract with any calling card providers so it is very easy to search for new international calling card providers when your last card has run out of minutes. But do you really want to constantly search for a prepaid calling card all the time. I agree it would be best to just find one solid company that offers the best rates with no hidden or extra fees. A calling card provider that offers 24x7 customer service with phone lines that are crystal clear.

So here are some tips to help you stretch out your dollar and reduce the fees over all for your international or long distance prepaid calls.

1) If you call a a specific country a majority of the time than choose country specific calling cards. Since a particular calling card is linked directly with a country you will get better rates compared to a general country prepaid international card. So for example if you want to look for a calling card to call Thailand than look for a prepaid calling card tied specifically to Thailand.

2) A general rule of thumb; the cheaper the call per minute rate on the prepaid calling card, the higher the maintenance fee you will pay. A majority of calling cards charge maintenance fees that are deducted off your prepaid calling card at a weekly basis. What I normally do is choose I choose the card that is in the middle range. Another words choose the card that is between that has the least expensive call rate and the most expensive all rate. What you will end up with is a card with a maximum amount of minutes for your dollar and a maintenance fee that is more reasonable.

3) Keep in mind that prepaid calling cards have different rates when calling a land line and a mobile phone. I'll use the country Thailand for example. If I use a country specific card to Thailand and I make a call to a land line I will be paying .02 cents US per minute. With that same prepaid calling card if I call a mobile phone in Thailand I will be paying 9.4 cents US. Now that is a big difference, I would be paying 7.4 cents US more. So when you pick out a prepaid calling card make sure you check out the call per minute rates for calling both land line phones and mobile phones. So this is the most important tip," Read the prepaid calling cards details".

Don't worry it shouldn't take too long because it's not like you're buying a car. The cards details are short and brief and should only inform you of:

* Fees; if any at all
* Maintenance charge per week
* Per minute rate charge for calling land line
* Per minute rate charge for calling mobile phone

Prepaid calling cards has grown to a level of popularity among students and travelers worldwide. Businessmen who are in constant trip has the necessity to keep in touch with their partners and be updated with what's happening in their company. At times, they are in a hurry with their full schedule. Meetings are almost here and there.

Convenience is one of the advantages that a prepaid phone card can offer. It has features that will add up to your convenience when you are using the card. PIN-less dialing option will no longer give you the hassle to dial the personal identification number (PIN) every time you want to start a call. You can store up to 10 numbers that you call frequently. Speed dial is another feature that will lessen your time to press the numbers of the persons that you are calling. It allows you to register up to 25 numbers with specific numbers assigned to them. You may need to compromise your card's security but you save the time to dial each of the digits. As an alternative, just take good care and keep the card in a secured place. If you have an online account and a credit card, it is easy now to reload if you have already run out of minutes. You can save up to 90% on the lower rates.

The problem now is how to choose a card with the above features. Usually, the cards are available in the Internet. Try to search for a calling card that you are already familiar with. With the list of the cards in your search results, select a card to view the information that it contains. Then you can check for the features that are included in your card.

Adding to the convenience, prepaid calling cards are cheap and have high quality. You save your budget and you get a crystal clear calling experience.