How about something completely different to start the week?

I recently ran into two great sources of ideas for researching people and issues.

50 Best People Search Engines to Track Down Anyone

This list isn’t up to date, and it includes sites that require payments, but it’s interesting nonetheless. As you check out different systems, you start to get a better sense of their relative strengths and weaknesses, and you’ll most likely run into additional sources as well.

Reporter’s Desktop

Built by Duff Wilson of the New York Times. He explalins:

“An investigative reporter designed the Reporter’s Desktop as a launch pad for everyday work. A single page to focus thinking on varied, detailed and often urgent reporting needs. An everyday tool for deadline reporting.

The RD is offered here for the good of the greater community of journalists.

At an investigative reporters’ conference in Phoenix, somebody asked me suspiciously, “What’s in this for you?” So cynical! I get nothing but the best web page I can design to launch my own work, and the pleasure of trying to keep up with the best reporting tools on the web.

A number of reporters and editors are helping to watch for better sites and new web services to add to those on the RD — or better yet, replace them with better tools to accomplish the same reporting goals.”

WHO IS JOHN DOE – and where to get the paper on him

Also more than a little out of date now, but it’s another tool by Wilson and still useful.

Do you have other suggestions for investigative portals? Let us know!