Active strategies let you obtain information about a person more directly by seeking information from a third party. For example, Shawna may discover (via Facebook) that she and Ramona have one friend in common. In that case, Shawna might contact this individual to see how much she knows about Ramona. Does she party a lot? Is she neat or messy? Does she snore?

Active strategies can be particularly useful when the information you are seeking could be awkward for a new relationship. For example, Shawna might wonder if Ramona would be uncomfortable having significant others spend the night in their dorm room. Thus, she might chat with the mutual friend to get a sense of Ramona’s feelings in order to be prepared to discuss it when they arrive on campus.