CODE OF CONDUCT

The fortnight-old online directory will help you trace a friend8212;simply by putting in his old phone number

It was my friend8217;s birthday and I hadn8217;t spoken to him in almost two years. I wanted to call and wish him, but as he had shifted out of the city, all his contact numbers had changed and I didn8217;t have his e-mail address,8221; says 27-year-old Fazal Khan. 8220;I realised there must be many people like me trying to get in touch with friends and family, and couldn8217;t because new phones numbers hadn8217;t been forwarded or saved,8221; adds Khan.

So in September this year, Khan decided to create an online space where users could store their new numbers, making it easier for people to find them. A commerce graduate, empowered by years of computer coding, created numberbol.com after an entire month of programming.

8220;The concept is quite simple. There is a small form in which you have to put in your name, the old phone number and your current number. You will then get a code, which you have to SMS to a given number,8221; explains Khan.

Though it seems simple, the way numbers are stored at the site is ingenious. As an SMS confirmation is required, it proves that the user is indeed the number holder. Once stored, other users can search for the person by either keying in the older number or typing the first and last names. 8220;I have removed the wild card entry, which means that you can8217;t just type a letter and see the name and numbers of all the people whose first or last names start with that letter. So mobile phone marketing firms can8217;t just harvest the site for numbers and then send users advertisements on their phones,8221; adds Khan.

Which means, this ensures that only people who know you can find your number, keeping it secure while keeping you connected to your friends.

8220;Numberbol.com isn8217;t a social networking site where you can meet new people over the Net. Instead, it8217;s meant to foster off-line interaction, making sure that friends never lose touch,8221; says Khan.

The idea seems to have clicked, even though no money has been spent on advertisements and word has spread only by e-mailing friends. The site boasts of 550 verified users in 10 days of its existence. But Khan doesn8217;t want to stop. 8220;Right now, all the resources for running the site come from my pocket. Once more people join in, I want to be able to get relevant advertisements and add more functions,8221; he says.

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With time, the site will let users choose if they want to display only part of their names or add their complete address. 8220;If users put in their addresses as well, people can search for them using the city8217;s name as well. Typing 8216;Fazal Bangalore8217; will narrow the search, helping to find just the person you are looking for,8221; explains Khan.

So where will Khan go from here? 8220;I want to be able to connect at least one lakh people. Also, I still haven8217;t been able to find Aijaz. Hopefully, he8217;ll register on the site some day,8221; he says.