June 29, 2020 / by Marcy Phelps / Information sources / 0 comments
When conducting online investigations, public records add valuable info about our subjects. Assets, liabilities, legal trouble, and much more. Public records are useful, but searching can be tedious and time-consuming, and our findings affect people’s lives and livelihoods. So, in addition to using quality information, we need to gather it efficiently. That’s why it pays […]
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Confirming what you know and finding what you don't
Online public records – What’s missing?
August 17, 2020 / by Marcy Phelps / Information sources / 0 comments
As a professional investigator, online public records are some of my go-to sources for information about people and businesses. But searching the public record through online databases has its challenges, especially when it comes to missing information. Online public records don’t contain everything, so, depending on your level of investigation – and your level of […]
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Need something different? – Try some Google alternatives
August 3, 2020 / by Marcy Phelps / Search tools / 0 comments
For any searches more complicated than a simple look-up, it’s important for researchers and investigators to go beyond Google and try some alternatives. In spite of its size, Google has its limits, for several reasons: Google can be too big – For deep research, sometimes we need something more specialized than what you get with […]
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What what can business owners learn from selling a house?
July 20, 2020 / by Marcy Phelps / Investigative business / 0 comments
As I write this, my husband and I are selling our house – our home for the past 27 years. When I think back on the months of preparing our home for sale, I see a lot of parallels with owning a business and some lessons learned. So, what can a business owner learn from […]
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Public records sources: What to know and what to avoid
June 29, 2020 / by Marcy Phelps / Information sources / 0 comments
When conducting online investigations, public records add valuable info about our subjects. Assets, liabilities, legal trouble, and much more. Public records are useful, but searching can be tedious and time-consuming, and our findings affect people’s lives and livelihoods. So, in addition to using quality information, we need to gather it efficiently. That’s why it pays […]
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Top post: Aggregators or direct sources?
June 10, 2020 / by Marcy Phelps / Information sources / 1 comment
This is an updated version of a post that was originally published in 2016. When buying information – public records, news, or legal filings – you have two choices: Buying direct from the sources or buying from information aggregators, firms that compile data from multiple direct sources into one database or product. These are usually […]
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How to become a private investigator
May 20, 2020 / by Marcy Phelps / Investigative business / 0 comments
How do I become a private investigator? People often ask me this question, and I generally offer some standard advice, but I decided to tap into my network of fellow PIs to see what else I should be telling others about breaking into this exciting and rewarding profession. Many thanks to all who responded to […]
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Top post: Too much information – Now what?
May 4, 2020 / by Marcy Phelps / Information skills / 0 comments
This post was originally published on September 16, 2019. TMI. Too much information. Can the results of an investigation or research project provide so much information that it’s overwhelming? To you and your client? A recent question from a colleague reminded me that it’s not always about finding too little or, worse, no information. Here’s […]
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What’s missing from your research?
April 20, 2020 / by Marcy Phelps / Information skills / 2 comments
As an investigator or researcher, what you don’t find is often as important as what you do find – if not more. To be thorough, you need to be mindful of what you can and can’t deliver to your client. A recent case reminded me of this important lesson, and I’d like to share what […]
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Fact or fiction? – How to avoid misinformation on the web
April 6, 2020 / by Marcy Phelps / Information skills, Information sources / 0 comments
It’s nothing new. We’ve been relying on the web and social media for the information we need for a long time. In the age of self-isolation, uncertainty, and new threats, though, we’re doing it more than ever. These days, it seems that the web has become our primary source of news and other critical information. […]
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What sources do I use for searching news?
March 23, 2020 / by Marcy Phelps / Information sources, Search tools / 0 comments
I’m frequently asked about what I use for news searching, so I thought I’d share my sources and why they’re so important to my investigations. Note that these include free and fee-based sources, because – with online information – you definitely get what you pay for. You can’t do a thorough job with just free. […]
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