Clicking To Find Classmates And Friends (NAPSA)—If you have ever wondered what happened to your high school crush or the friend who always got caught passing you notes in math, the World Wide Web maybeableto help. One personal networking site has more than 25 million members—makingit easier to find old friends, or for your friends to find you. Classmates boasts the world’s largest education directory with over 190,000 schools from kinder- garten through college, and the largest non-governmentallisting of military personnel with over 33,000 organizations worldwide. Simply seeing the names of classmates and friends once so familiar in your everyday life can create an enormoussenseof nostalgia. Now the Internet can transport you back to the days when your prom date and graduation were the most important things on your mind. Classmates also offers the ability to become acquainted with people you might never have known—in somecases, even lost family members. For example, John Roberts communicated with his daughter, Kirsten Miller, for the first time ever through Classmates. Kirsten had been adopted at birth and never knew her biological parents. Since the first e-mail, they’ve met in person and have created a strong father-daughter relationship. Their story is only one in a massive compilation of connections and reunions made possible by Classmates. Before the widespread use of the Internet, connecting with friends you had not seen in years was often extremely expensive and time consuming. The site takes the guessing game out of the search bylisting Ly classmates’ the world's best place to reunite Finding old friends online is easier than ever with a personal networking site. people under their graduation year and maiden name. Theservice is adding 80,000 membersper day, making it likely you'll create a connection. “The Internet is perfectly suited for personal networking because it allows people to connect with anyone, anywhere at anytime,” said Wendy Dickerman, Classmates’ Director of Member Care. “The community offers a safe and simple way to connect and stay connected with friends and family.” Classmates also offers a reunion center which allows a class to organize and manage a reunion entirely online. The center provides the opportunity to reconnect before the actual reunion, helping reduce the anxiety and stress often associated with this event. The site will soon launch a workplace directory, allowing you to connect with coworkers and friends from previousjobs. With many people holding seven to 10 jobs in their lifetime, this service may dramatically increase the opportunity for coworkers to network and share career advice and opportunities. So, whether you’re looking for the girl next door, the captain of the varsity football team or your boot camp buddy, check out the World Wide Web or www.classmates.com and see what kind of connectionsit can create for you.
