Super-Sleuthing Explained

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=85 BGCOLOR="#DDDDDD" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I><B>North Quincy High School ~ Class of 1965</B></I></div> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="NQHS Class Of 1965"><U><B>Home</B></U></A><B> | </B><A HREF="announcements.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Announcements"><U><B>Announcements</B></U></A><B> | </B><A HREF="directory.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Directory"><U><B>Directory</B></U></A><B> | </B><A HREF="news.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News"><U><B>News</B></U></A><B> | </B><A HREF="photos.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Photos"><U><B>Photos</B></U></A><B> | </B><A HREF="aboutthissite.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About This Site"><U><B>About This Site</B></U></A><B> | </B><A HREF="miscellany.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Miscellany"><U><B>Miscellany</B></U></A><B> | </B><A HREF="sitemap.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Site Map"><U><B>Site Map</B></U></A><B> | </B><A HREF="contactus.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U><B>Contact Us</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=395 BGCOLOR="#DDDDDD" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I><B>Miscellany</B></I><I><B>: </B></I><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Monotype Corsiva" ><I>Super-Sleuthing ~ Explained</I><I> </I></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> Super-Sleuthing Explained</div> <div> This page provides the background and overview of the process of what we call Super-Sleuthing: the finding of our lost Classmates & Friends. These detailed instructions we're written because of the number people that we need to find and the number of people that are involved in finding them.</div> <bR> <div> While these instructions are not complicated, they aren't something that can be described in a quick phone call [and remembered clearly] - so it's best to write it all down so it can be accessed as often as need be by all involved.</div> <bR> <div> <B>This Page Is Not Available To Everyone:</B></div> <div> This page contains the instructions for our Super-Sleuths on how to find and contact our lost Classmates. While this page is a part of the NQHS-1965.org website, there is no direct link to this page from any other unrelated page on the website. The usual way you can get here is to use the link in the email that was sent to you.</div> <bR> <div> You might find it easier to read this if you print it out. If you do print it, be aware that this page may be updated from time to time and you may need to reprint it when the date on what you have on paper is older that what is below. To print this page:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">With Internet Explorer [IE], press the <Ctrl>+<P> keys, then click on the <B>Options</B> tab, then select <B>All Frames Individually</B>, then click <B>Print</B>.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">With Firefox, press the <Ctrl>+<P> keys, then select <B>Each Frame Separately</B>, then click <B>OK</B>.</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#111111" FACE="Comic Sans MS" >This page was</FONT> last updated <B>June 29, 2010</B>.</div> <div> <B> <A NAME="links_to_other_super_sleuthing_pages"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B></div> <div> <B>Links To Other Super-Sleuthing Pages:</B></div> <div> These are the other pages that are related to the Super-Sleuthing process:</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="supersleuthingsearchprocessa.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="SuperSleuthing Search Process A"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Search Process "A"</U></A> - updated <B>June 29, 2010</B>.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Search Process "B" - <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Comic Sans MS" >[this procedure will be written later and inserted then]</FONT>.</div> <div> <A HREF="super_sleuthingcallingalostclassmate.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="SuperSleuthing Calling A Lost Classmate"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Calling A Lost Classmate</U></A> - updated <B>July 16, 2010</B>.</div> <bR> <div> Who Else Besides You Is Helping?</div> <div> These people are involved in this process as either<I> a </I><I><B>locator</B></I><I> or a </I><I><B>caller</B></I><I> or </I>both:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Linda Davis ~ Byfield, MA</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Pat Dodd ~ San Diego, CA</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Rose Doherty ~ Milton, MA</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">David Frazier ~ unknown</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Kevin Galvin ~ Barnstable, MA</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Ricky Goldstein ~ Saugus, MA</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Lynne Goodman ~ Falmouth, MA</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Pat Granahan ~ unknown</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Susan Guilfoy ~ Ashland, MA</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Joan Ronayne ~ Whitman, MA</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Kathy Whippen ~ Pembroke, MA</div> <bR> <div> Several <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Comic Sans MS" >other people that have offered to help with the Reunion in some way, but haven't yet committed to helping with these tasks. And we hope that more people will volunteer in the next few weeks.</FONT></div> <bR> <div> A <B>locator</B> is defined as someone who will attempt to find the phone number [or perhaps, the email] of our missing Classmates & Friends. These locators will use search engines on the Internet to do this.</div> <bR> <div> A <B>caller </B>is defined as someone who will call these located people on the phone and invite them to come to the Reunion and if not that, at least get them onto our database and/or integrated into our Facebook community.</div> <bR> <div> The following sections explain <B>the entire process</B> of locating and contacting people, whereas you may be doing just one of those tasks. We've explained it all in one place so all involved can understand all the steps, what everyone else is doing, and how the pieces come together.</div> <bR> <div> Objective</div> <div> Our goal is to find as many missing Classmates & Friends as possible with the immediate objective being to have the best attended 45th Reunion that we can. That means we need to find these people now.</div> <bR> <div> Many of the people that we have connected with over the last few months have expressed how happy they are that we've having the 45th Reunion and that we have made the effort to find them. And we hope to find many, many more folks like this through this project and through your efforts.</div> <bR> <div> And to be sure, we'll find some [maybe many] people who will not want any part of what we're doing and just want to be left alone. We'll just flag them as such and move on to the next prospect!</div> <bR> <div> Other objectives beyond the 45th Reunion would be to provide a way for Classmates to stay in contact with each other [ideally by using our Facebook Group, as it is perfect for that] and also to facilitate future Reunions and other such events. </div> <bR> <div> Background</div> <div> This website was started after the 42nd Reunion but functioned primarily as a means to collect email address for later use.</div> <bR> <div> In December, 2009 it was expanded into the current format with a lot of focus on building a database of all relevant information about Classmates & Friends to facilitate the above objectives.</div> <bR> <div> The Directory that you view online at this website is a subset of that database. While the database is updated just about every day right now, the Directory is published about once a week.</div> <bR> <div> The database contains every piece of information that we could obtain from public databases and other sources like the yearbook, the Commencement program and prior Reunion handouts. Also, information provided by Classmates & Friends via the forms at this website also update this database.</div> <bR> <div> It also keeps track of the communication we've had back and forth with each person, their current status [like Linked, In-Works, etc] and other elements needed to manage this process.</div> <bR> <div> Privacy</div> <div> We've promised all Classmates & Friends that we would not release any information about them other that what's on the Directory. Our policy is simple: if someone, say Mary Smith, asked for Bob Jones' email address, we would first ask Bob Jones if that was okay with him.</div> <bR> <div> So, as you work as a Super-Sleuth, you'll get to see a little more info [like street addresses and phone numbers] and you must promise to not retain any of this information or use it in any way outside the scope of this project.</div> <bR> <div> Overview Of The Process</div> <div> We have about 400 people that have either not been contacted at all or have been contacted and have not replied. We have varying degrees of information about these folks, ranging from having some address and phone numbers to having only what we found in the yearbook.</div> <bR> <div> We've built a simple scoring model that looks at all of the information we have about people and ranks them with a probability of attending. We'll chase the highest ranked people the hardest as they are the most likely to attend the Reunion should we find them.</div> <bR> <div> <B>For example:</B> Someone who is on Classmates.com, MyLife, Facebook or some other social networking site [they've taken the initiative to network] and has attended a prior Reunion [a good attribute] and lives in the northeast would be an "A" prospect. In fact, these folks are probably the ones that would be really disappointed if they didn't hear about the Reunion.</div> <bR> <div> Then at the other end of the spectrum, where all we have on someone is just their name as in the yearbook and worse if they are female [where the use of her maiden name ended like 40 years ago] they would get a lower rank, because they will be quite hard to find.</div> <bR> <div> To spread the work around, we'll break these 400 folks down into batches of 20 [starting with the "A" ranks] and first assign them to those who have volunteered to be a <B>locator</B>. We'll create a "mini-Directory" using Google Docs and then connect the locator to that Directory via an email.</div> <bR> <div> This mini-Directory will be similar to the one you see on this website except it will contain more information about the person that we're looking for. Only the locator that is assigned to this batch of 20 can look at it and they will also have the ability to update it.</div> <bR> <div> See an example of one of the mini-Directories <A HREF="http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AttaTu-9IPp2dG5jMC1sbEFNbk5Yd2VjN2tsTmFuRWc&hl=en&authkey=CMGKr-oD" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0"><U>here</U></A>. This example contains the 20 people that would be connected to one locator and that locator will update it with their search results, hopefully with one or more potential telephone numbers [this example shows the results after searching for these lost Classmates]. These searching steps are explained on other pages related to this one, like: <B>Search Process "x"</B> - a list of related pages is <A HREF="#links_to_other_super_sleuthing_pages" TITLE="SuperSleuthing Explained"><U>here</U></A>.]. </div> <bR> <div> Then, when the locator is done with the batch of 20 they will notify us by responding to the email we sent. On this end, we'll take the info the locator found for each person [or perhaps the fact they didn't find someone] and post it back into the central database. We'll do the same with all of the batches that all the locators work on.</div> <bR> <div> Then, concurrently [that is, not waiting until all of the locating has been completed], we'll get the <B>callers</B> involved in two ways: firstly by sending them an online spreadsheet where they will indicate which of the ~400 missing people they know; then secondly we'll send them a batch of 15-20 of the located people in a similar "mini-Directory". See an partially completed example <A HREF="http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AttaTu-9IPp2dG5LMEZWS0k4V1RqUmtVNTh2YnhjVUE&hl=en&authkey=CLLD8M4O" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0"><U>here</U></A> and the related forms <A HREF="http://www.nqhs-1965.org/photos/LostClassmateForms.pdf" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.nqhs-1965.org/photos/LostClas"><U>here</U></A>. This example shows the people to be contacted with their phone number[s].</div> <bR> <div> The caller will call them and based upon the results of the call, they may cause the updating of a Classmate in the central database [by using one of the forms on this website] or doing similar tasks. These steps performed by the caller are explained on another page related to this one: <B>Calling A Lost Classmate</B><B> </B>- a list of related pages is <A HREF="#links_to_other_super_sleuthing_pages" TITLE="SuperSleuthing Explained"><U>here</U></A>.</div> <bR> <div> In all cases, the caller will update the mini-Directory with the results of calling each person. When finished with a mini-Directory they will let us know on this end, and that information will be loaded back into the central database. We'll do the same with all of the batches that all the callers work on.</div> <bR> <div> So, through this process, these small batches will be sent to both the locators and callers, who will do their jobs on all of the people in each batch and then we'll post the results of their work back onto the central database and manage everything from this end.</div> <bR> <div> While doing both the locating and contacting steps described above, there will be people that couldn't be found and then for some that we did find, we'll learn that the phone number we found was not the right one. </div> <bR> <div> After the central database has been updated with these facts, these people will then be re-selected into a new batch of 20 and then assigned to a locator. But this time these people will be subjected to a different, more sophisticated search process on the Internet. They hopefully will be found in that search and be sent back out again in a batch to a caller to try the new phone number or other found clue.</div> <bR> <div> However, we still might not find some and they could go to a third type of search and maybe even more.</div> <bR> <div> Now, we realize that all of this might seem a little complicated, but it really isn't because of the way we manage everything on the computer at this end. Our goal is to break the workload down into logical tasks and the data into small batches to get it done sooner by more people. You must remember that there are a lot of people to be searched for and a lot of people looking for them concurrently and it's a process that could easily get out of control.</div> <bR> <div> Plus we have to deal with the situation where some volunteers want to just locate and others just contact and others will do both tasks. Also, the second and subsequent search efforts require a different skill set which may be done by fewer locators and, by the way, we don't have an unlimited amount of time...</div> <bR> <div> To Review</div> <div> A <B>locator</B> will:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> Receive an email with a link to a "mini-Directory" of a batch of 20 people they are to search for.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">They will see those 20 people in a format somewhat like what's on this website's Directory.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">They will invoke a specific search type for each person in that batch [as indicated in the email].</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">When they find someone they will update the mini-Directory with basic information, such as that person's phone number.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">If they find more than one hit on the Internet that looks like it is this person they will include that phone number too.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">They'll let us know when they are done and we'll update their work to the central database.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">They can then ask for another batch of 20.</div> <bR> <div> A <B>caller</B> will:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">First, and just one-time, indicate which of the ~400 missing people that they know [or would know them].</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Receive an email with a link to a "mini-Directory" of a batch of 20 people they are to contact.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">They will see those 20 people in a format somewhat like what's on this website's Directory.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">They will call each person at the one or more phone numbers found by the locator.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">They will follow the instructions on the page <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Comic Sans MS" ><B>Calling A Lost Classmate</B></FONT><B> </B>and indicate in the mini-Directory that the person was found.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">If they strike out, they will indicate such in the mini-Directory as well.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">They'll let us know when they are done and we'll update their work to the central database.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">They can then ask for another batch of 20.</div> <div> ...<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#111111" FACE="Comic Sans MS" > </FONT></div> <div> On this end<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Comic Sans MS" >, the results from each of these batches will be immediately updated to the central database and we'll update the Directory on this website from it every couple of days.</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Other pages on the topic of Super-Sleuthing provide the details of how to do each Search Process and how to update the mini-Directory. When we first start doing this work, there will be only one Search Process and we'll add others as the results, conditions and need arises. For example, one search specific for females where we have just maiden names. A list of these related pages is <A HREF="#links_to_other_super_sleuthing_pages" TITLE="SuperSleuthing Explained"><U>here</U></A>. </div> <bR> <div> Some of the things that we considered when designing these search routines may seem basic but are actually very important in zeroing in on those we're looking for:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">All Classmates were from 17-19 years old when they graduated, making them between 62-64 now. In searches that show current age, this narrows things down a lot.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Everyone lived in Quincy at the time they went to high school and many stayed there [of the 217 last known city/towns we have on our database, 23% were in Quincy] or lived on the South Shore afterward [65%, including Quincy]. So searches that show all of the city/towns that someone lived in will be a big help.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">When we look at Classmates.com statistics for attendees of NQHS in all years, 55% now live in Massachusetts, meaning that when we use a search that filters by state, we'll find over half of who we're looking for without being overwhelmed if we accessed the entire country [330 million people].</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">We have the middle name of 91% of our Classmates and this is also an important clue as middle names don't change. So searches that show that tidbit helps quite a bit as well.</div> <bR> <div> Unfortunately, no search engine considers all of these things. Also, most search engines charge money [sometimes a lot] for the information you are looking for. So we've designed the search routines that we're going to use with these considerations:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">It should be easy to use [at least the first ones we do] and get more complex only when we can't find someone.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">And at the same time be as efficient as possible, that is, yielding the most hits for the effort expended. </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a7300a800c811111100.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">We don't want to pay for anything we don't have to. Except that when we've exhausted all free services, and have say a handful of people still missing, we can buy 1 day's worth of unlimited search and try them all there.</div> <bR> <div> Another page on the topic of Super-Sleuthing provides instruction on how the caller is to make a call and how they are to update the mini-Directory when they contact people. A list of these related pages is <A HREF="#links_to_other_super_sleuthing_pages" TITLE="SuperSleuthing Explained"><U>here</U></A>. </div> <div> ...</div> <div> ...</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="2225c6d0.png" border=0 width="92" height="109" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> © 2010 ~ North Quincy High School ~ Class of 1965 ~ All Rights Reserved</div> <bR> <div>  <script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript"> _uacct = "UA-2521858-1"; urchinTracker(); </script>  </div> </td> </tr></table></body>