Here's a challenge for you: how do you find someone's e-mail address? As you might suspect, there are a number of ways to go about this.
Ask.
It may seem obvious, but the easiest way to get someone's address is to just ask. If you already know the person, pick up the phone and call. It will certainly save you a lot of time and effort.
Use online directories.
It would be very convenient if you could consult a central directory of e-mail address. Unfortunately, no comprehensive directory exists, at least not yet. Why not, you may wonder? Imagine the task of compiling millions of addresses from all over the world. Keeping the directory current would present an enormous challenge, given the frequency with which people change addresses. Then there's the privacy issue to contend with. Like phone numbers, many people don't want to be listed.
While you can access a number of online directory services, their usefulness is limited. Many are not up-to-date. Also, if the person you're looking for has a common name, the database may turn up a number of addresses. Which one is correct? You'll just have to guess.
To evaluate the reliability of a particular directory, do a search to see if your address is listed. The ones we recommend include:
Switchboard
WhoWhere
WorldPages
Yahoo! People Search (formerly Four11.com)
If you strike out with directories, don't give up. Try another approach.
Check business cards.
Many people list their e-mail address on their cards and stationery, so look there.
Mine old messages.
If you've received a message from someone in the past, it contains the person's address. Many e-mail programs, like Outlook and Yahoo! Mail, automatically record the sender's address in your address book. If it's not there, locate the address by first opening the message, then double-clicking on the name in the FROM: field. This should open a box that displays information about the sender.
Search for online references.
If you're looking for the address of a journalist, politician or corporate executive, try using a search engine. For help, refer to the "Searching the Web" article. Your search may turn up columns written by the journalist that contain her e-mail address. Many politicians now have websites with contact information and some companies list key executives along with their e-mail addresses.
Take a guess.
Once you understand how e-mail addresses are constructed, you may be able to figure out someone's address. Believe-it-or-not, guessing frequently works. If you know where a person works you can usually figure out the domain name, for instance, learnthenet.com. But what about the recipient's mailbox?
At most organizations, employees have their own e-mail box. Suppose you want to contact Mary Jones. Her address may take one of these forms:
Just her last name (jones@learnthenet.com)
Her first initial and last name (mjones@learnthenet.com)
Her first and last name separated by a dot (mary.jones@learnthenet.com)
Her first and last name separated by an underscore (mary_jones@learnthenet.com).
Try one of these. The worst that can happen is that the message comes back to you. Send it again using an alternate form. With any luck, it will work.
