Adoption in Cyberspace | Faughnan Home Page

Adoption in Cyberspace

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Contents

• Introduction
• Connecting to the Internet
• Searching for Information
• General and Comprehensive Web Pages
• Agencies
• Country Specific
• Web Bulletin Boards
• Lists
• Newsgroups

Last revised 19 Jan 2003, primarily dropping dead links.

Introduction

• Resolve
  National RESOLVE Home Page (includes links to two Usenet Newsgroups and misc information about RESOLVE and infertility and support resources)
  http://www.resolve.org/
• Introduction to the Internet and Buying a Computer
  http://www.faughnan.com/fp/net
• Netiquette
  http://www.fau.edu/rinaldi/net/index.htm
• Yahoo category for adoption and children
  http://www.yahoo.com/society_and_culture/children/
• West Publishing Co. (search for attys who are listed as practicing in area of adoption)
  http://www.westpub.com

Connecting to the Internet

• Getting Connected
  How to select an Internet Service Provider. Emphasizes national providers.
• MindSpring- A Typical Internet Service Provider

Commercial/Local (partial list - no endorsement)

• BaldEagle http://www.baldeagle.com/
• FreeNet http://freenet.msp.mn.us/
• MinnNet http://www.minn.net/
• MRNet http://www.mr.net/
• SkyPoint http://www.skypoint.com/
• US Internet http://www.usinternet.com/

Academic (students at most local colleges and universities)

• UMn Alumni http://lighthouse.micro.umn.edu/WBStaff/faq/faqnet.html (or call 624.2323)

Cyber Cafes

Here you can browse the net for a few dollars an hour while enjoying your beverage of choice.

• CyberX http://www.cyberx.com/
  (612) 824-355
  LOCATION: SE Corner of Lake and Lyndale, Mpls (near Uptown)
  HOURS: open till midnight every day; open at 7 am M-F, 8 am Sat, 9 am Sun
• Cahoots Coffee Bar (non-smoking section)
  1562 Selby Ave
  St.Paul, MN 55104
  (612) 644-6778
• Coffee & Bytes Cyber Cafe http://twincities.sidewalk.com/detail/28768
  1500 S Lake St
  (Hwy 97 & US-61)
  Forest Lake, MN 55025
  (612) 982-0709
• Rudies Coffee House: www.rudiescoffeehouse.com
  1169 West Seventh St.
  (651)291.1963

Libraries

• Minneapolis Public Library (300 Nicollet Mall) 372-6500
  (30 mins./patron, first-come-first-serve)
  Minneapolis N.E. Community Library and Minneapolis S.E. Community Library
  http://www.ci.mpls.mn.us/departments/other/library.html
• Other Libraries - call your local library and ask if they have computers with a web browser that you can use.
• Some college libraries will allow you to use their machines if students are not using them. This may be an unofficial policy.

Searching for Information

World Wide Web (a.k.a. WWW, 'web') Search Engines and Indices

• Alta Vista http://www.altavista.digital.com/
• Google http://www.google.com (jf's favorite, see: Tutorial)
• Lycos http://www.lycos.com/
• Yahoo http://www.yahoo.com/

A search engine for Newsgroups

• DejaNews http://www.dejanews.com/
  DejaNews can also be used to read newsgroups. See Newsgroups below.

An index of email lists about adoption

• List of Adoption Listservs http://www.comeunity.com/adoption/listservs.html (see Lists, below)

General and Comprehensive Web Pages

• Adoptive Families of America http://www.adoptivefam.org/ Usually a comprehensive site, but under revision as of 9/99.
  
• AdoptioNetwork. Lots of links to lots of adoption-related Internet sites http://www.adoption.org/.
  Includes Info on federal gov't branches concerned with adoption; international, national and regional adoption exchanges and photo listings. Comprehensive listing of agencies nationwide: http://www.adoption.org/agencies/
  
• Precious in His sight. Photolisting of children available for international adoption; collection of adoption info; links to other sites for adoptive parents http://www.adoption.com/
  
• Adoption Online Connection -Web site to list your Dear BP letter and place for birthparents to look at Dear BP letters http://www.adoptiononline.com/
  
• Rainbow Kids http://rainbowkids.com/publications.html
  
• Laws by state http://www.webreflection.com/aiml/uslaws.html
  
• Consular Travel http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html

Agencies

This is a very incomplete list. For a full list of all agencies go to AdoptioNetwork above.

• Children's Home Society of Minnesota http://www.chsm.com/
• Help the Children web server http://www.adopting.org/htc.html
• American Assoc. of Open Adoption Agencies http://www.openadoption.org/
  Includes a 30+ page opinion/advice on open adoption, for birth and adoptive parent http://www.openadoption.org//aaoaa.htm

Country Specific

These sites seem to come and go, so we stopped after these three. It's better to start with the comprehensive resources above and then locate country resources.

China

• China Web http://www.bravenewworld.com/chinaweb/
  A comprehensive directory to web sites that deal with adoption from China.
• China Resource Page and FAQ http://www.bcpl.lib.md.us/~adunbar/china.html
  Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for parents adopting from China, or who have adopted from China. This is a personal page last updated in October 1996.
• A very personal perspective ... http://www.pshrink.com/chinadopt/
  This eclectic website is intended to supplement what you will find on other websites that are related to adopting children from China.

Web Bulletin Boards

These are similar to newsgroups (below), but they use a web browser.

• Parentsplace.com http://www.parentsplace.com/genobject.cgi/talking.html
  This looks like one of the best discussion forums I've seen.

Lists

Probably because they can be moderated and private, I've found lists to have higher quality content than newsgroups.

• List of Adoption Listservs http://comeunity.com/adoption/listservs.html
  This is so well done, no other index is appropriate.

Newsgroups

Most Internet newsgroups are not moderated, and they are afflicted with Spam. The adoption associated newsgroups are often not of very good quality. Besides news clients, newsgroups can also be read (slowly) using DejaNews: http://www.dejanews.com/home_bg.shtml

Adopting

• alt.adoption.agency Many threads of discussion, from finding a child to adopt, locating birth parents/siblings, emotional issues, locating child placed in adoption.
• alt.support.adoption.advocacy A moderated newsgroup which was formed in reaction to the content of many other newsgroups. My news hosts don't carry it, but you can read it through the DejaNews newsreader.
• alt.adoption.issues Intended to be a forum for people to express issuesrelated to adoption. Actual threads are varied.
• alt.infertility This newsgroup is fairly well focussed on the topic.
• alt.parenting.solutions Wide ranging threads about adoption and parenting.
• alt.parenting.twins What else can you say?!
• misc.health.infertility Focused on medical aspects, medication, statistics.
• soc.adoption.adoptees Recently changed focus to 'adult' adoptees. Threads relate to finding birth parents and/or adopted children.
• soc.adoption.parents Not widely available on many news servers. Can use DejaNews to read it.

Searches (Finding Birth Parents)

• alt.adoption Newsgroup
• soc.adoption.adoptees Recently changed focus to 'adult' adoptees. Threads relate to finding birth parents and/or adopted children.

Legal Disclaimer
This URL List has been compiled by the authors, and is not an endorsement of any commercial provider or adoption agency. The information contained on the listed Web pages is copyrighted on each Web page. The accuracy and authenticity of the information contained on each Web page is the responsibility of the copyright holder.

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