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In 2007 when my brand new Civic Hybrid was victim of a midnight hit-and-run, I posted pictures of shattered turn signal parts left at the scene by the culprit. Within 20 minutes I had the make, model and year of the pickup truck that pulverized my car.

Message boards often come and go, so before you post on your rare topic, make sure the site does have active users--or you may be waiting months before anyone comes across your request.

Using websites that share criminal information like (tracking suspects), posting on LinkedIn groups or even starting a fan page on Facebook for information can get you viewership and data on an unprecedented level.

These sites can function much like the message boards mentioned above. From quickly asking for benchmark data about a project at work to asking friends if they have seen a missing dog, the eyes and ears your post can far outstrip your own search efforts. This is often seen nationally with fan pages for a local missing person quickly growing past the victim's family and friends, through the local community, and becoming a nationally known website, providing a flow of leads. Just remember who your audience is when asking for different types of support.