Connecting with friends and family is part of what the Internet is all about, so tap into the power of the Web to reconnect with your high school and college buddies. Several sites specialize in helping you find your former classmates. At one time, some of these sites offered their services for free, but the move toward membership fees seems to be universal. Keep in mind that you can usually add your contact information to the list at no charge. Even if you're feeling too frugal to cough up the fee, there's always the possibility that one of your friends is already a member and will be able to contact you. If you do decide to become a full member, take some time first to see which site lists the most familiar names from your school.

Here's a brief introduction to a few of the key players:

• Classmates.com: With their aggressive banner ad campaign, this one is hard to miss. The registration instructions are easy to follow and you'll be looking at a list of your classmates in no time. The catch is that you'll have to pay a membership fee (currently $39 per year) in order to retrieve your friends' e-mail addresses.
• HighSchoolAlumni.com: This service operates much like its cousin Classmates.com, specializing in — you guessed it — high school alumni. Adding your contact information to your graduating class roster is free, but accessing your pals' e-mail addresses requires you to pay a membership fee (currently $29.95 per year).

If you've been holding out for a way to get around all these membership fees, don't overlook the option of going straight to the source. Your high school or college's home page may have its own online alumni directory service, and it might not cost you a dime.