Is there an Internet site that enables you find friends around the world

Asks Stella

A. There is a new site that has recently launched called World Friends. It works in a similar way to the incredibly popular Friends Reunited site, with the added ability of enabling you to find friends that you met on holiday abroad, or those that moved abroad at an early age or colleagues that you used to work with etc. The site has an international outlook and is therefore not limited by certain occupations, schools or countries as other sites are.

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Q. How do you register with the site

A. It is easy and quick to register on the site - all you have to do is fill in some basic personal details i.e. name, age, where you grew up, where you moved to (if you did) etc. and provide your email address. And just as with the Friends Reunited site you can't just make up an email address to access the site, you have to return to your inbox to get an activation code, which enables you to proceed with your registration.

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Once this is done you are registered and given a list of the places that you can be located e.g. if you grew up in Portsmouth, went to university in New York and then moved to Paris for example (and you have given this information during registration), these three locations will be listed in your list of contact locations. This will make it easier for anyone that is looking for you to find you, and vice versa.

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You can also search the site for lost friends using its Fast Search facility - which allows you to search under gender, surname, country, city and wild card. The latter can be any word e.g. a nickname that a friend once used and could well have used in their registration details - which will help you find them quickly.

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Q. Does World Friends install cookies on your PC when registering

A. It does install cookies as these enable it to log you on automatically when you sign in, remembering your preferences and password. You therefore have to have cookies enabled in your browser to use the site, if this are disabled you will be asked to register again every time you try to log onto the site.

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Q. Does World Friends publish my email address

A. No, all initial contacts are made through the World Friends site - and your email address is only displayed to those people you make contact with and wish to have it. In addition, it does not release your details onto a mailing list.

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Anyone that registers with the site can have access to the notes you make about yourself and the locations that you're listed under - everyone is advised not to include any address, telephone number or email address within this information. You can change any details about yourself by using your password and validation code - but nobody else can alter the information you have written.

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Q. If I find someone I am looking for through the site, how do I contact them

A. Next to every registered name there is an e-mail icon - all you do is click on the icon, enter your message and then it is sent via the World Friends system.

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Q. Is it free to use the site or do I have to pay a registration fee

A. It is free.

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Q. Can I include a photo with my personal details

A. Yes, but the file has to be under 100K. It is also save protected, this means that it cannot be altered or used by any unauthorised party. Photos should be uploaded in JPEG or GIF formats.

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Q. As World Friends is a new site, how is it promoting itself so that people know about it

A. The site was launched in December 2001, so in Internet terms it is very new. It is being promoted via search engines, adverts and in the national press through editorial coverage at the moment - but it is also encouraging those that register with it to pass the word on.

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It has a Mail a Friend function that allows you to tell everyone you know about the site via email. In addition, it is asking its members to suggest ways to improve and help the site grow by emailing suggestions to [email protected].

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Q. Is the site only produced in English

A. No, it is also available in French, German, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese and Spanish versions; you just click on the language you wish to use on the home page.

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Q. Does the site have any other facilities

A. It has some add-on features that users may find useful - it has a World Friends screen saver you can download onto your PC, a pen-friend facility and a Help Me Find option, which basically lists your name and the person you're looking for (and they are obviously not registered on the site) in the hope that someone using the site knows the person you are looking for.

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By Karen Anderson