China Listserves

Originally, a lot of the traffic on the internet was from a large variety of newsgroups. Newsgroups provided an easy way for people interested in a particular subject to exchange messages. Unfortunately, the internet newsgroups became so flooded with spam (a lot of it in bad taste) that they lost much of their value.

To overcome the problems with newsgroups, sites were set up on the world wide web to host newsgroup-like discussions. These sites came to be called "Listserves" in that they provided email routing services to a list of specific subscribers. Importantly, the listserves had security in place to eliminate the spam.

All of the Listserve discussion groups have moderators who control access to the list and can enforce the rules and etiquette of the particular group.

There are many good listserve groups that focus on various aspects of China Adoption. Listed below are some of the best. Clicking on any of the links will take you to that list's homepage. Once there, click on the Subscribe link to join or follow the subscription instructions provided.

APC	Adoptive-Parents-China (APC) is the largest of the China adoption listserve groups with over 10,000 members. It is primarily for families in the pre-adoption stages (paperchasing or waiting on referral or travel. Because APC can generate 75 or more messages per day, most subscribers receive the "Digest" version which collects 25 messages into a single email. The list is, unfortunately, noted for frequent flame wars between members and for the generation of lots of rumors - most of them inaccurate. Still, there is useful information on the list.
PAC	Post-Adopt-China is intended for those who have already adopted a child from China. Also founded and moderated by Theresa and Bill McLean, it now operates with a new moderator. Many members of this list have a very high sensitivity for political correctness. Be forewarned that making even slightly politically incorrect statements here will result in flames directed towards you from those whose sensitivities were offended.
Raising China Children	Raising China Children is for those families whose children have reach preschool age. Ably moderated by Ron Margolin, this list is friendlier than PAC and puts less emphasis on political correctness. The group focus is much more on the needs of the children.
Paperchase2000	Paperchase2000 is a group for those in the paperchase stage of the process. It has a strict "no flames" rule.
Orphanage-Specific Discussion Groups	Ron Margolin maintains a list of different listserve groups for parents of children adopted from specific orphanages. This link will take you to that list.
China Travel	The China Travel listserve is for families who either have or will travel to China soon to share ideas and suggestions for the journey. The group maintains a very good links section with all kinds of information on airlines, hotels, city tours, etc.
Christian Adopt China	This listserve is focused on discussion of Christian issues related to the adoption of Chinese children.
AOK	Adopting Older Kids - China is a listserve that covers issues relating to the adoption of older (> 2 years) children from China.

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