Ariz. The old friends hope to meet face to face next year. With ''people finders,'' the search engines that serve as giant phone books, it's easier than ever to find and be found, and that's good news. The news is mixed. Most people finders are no better than telephone books. Sometimes you can't even find yourself or people you know.
People finders are popular.
In September, Switchboard logged 6.8 million visitors, Infospace 3.5 million, and Anywho 1.5 million. These electronic directories can be easier to use than directory assistance or the white pages of a phone book, as their databases do not require surfers to know the full name of the person they are seeking. That site also provides searches for E-mail addresses, government officials and people in foreign countries. Some people finders offer lots of bells and whistles. But for some people who value their privacy, these services may make it difficult to get and stay lost.