Hot new post on the blog {grow} called “Snooping on Facebook: Not Just for Stalkers Anymore” is written by a young intern at a private non-profit foundation. What could she be doing? Prospect research of course!

Smart and intuitive, she was able to find a celebrity sports player’s home address and other information by connecting information to his new wife’s publicly posted picture and friends on Facebook.

To all you prospect researchers out there I’m going to step out on a limb here and say…who hasn’t done this type of searching? I’ve found that being able to match a photograph when other things like home address and date of birth aren’t available has been a boon.

I’d also like to ask: How many news articles about the ability of people and software to connect multiple pieces of public information into a shockingly detailed truth about someone does it take before the public accepts the reality and/or changes behavior?

In the meantime, I feel a bit of job security that the kind of intuitive sleuthing we do as a profession is not a skill most people have developed and if the history of people’s aversion to change is any indicator, this info and more will continue to be available. After all, she didn’t name names because that would be unethical, so her “Mr. Schmoogley” is not likely to ever know he’s been snooped upon. Prospect researchers care deeply about such things as privacy. I’d venture say we care more deeply than most about privacy.

Now I think I might have to go and write a pitch for a new TV show that spotlights me, prospect researcher, combining multiple clues through my acute observation and intuition and landing the biggest gifts ever. Oh wait! That’s been done for something much sexier: solving crimes… Psych!

I wish I had some cryptic 80’s reference to throw in, but I don’t so I’ll just have to thank my colleague, Jay Frost, for pointing out this great article on PRSPCT-L. Thanks Jay!