Dear Director:
Thank you so much for requesting further information on listing your children in the Precious in HIS Sight - Internet Adoption Photolisting. After you have a chance to read this second letter, I'll call to see if you have any questions or you can call me.
This photolisting will be very similar to the paper photolisting by the International Concerns Committee for Children except that it will be done by computer and will be free to readers. Also, Lois Paul with Help the Children already has an adoption discussion group on Delphi and has just started a Usenet discussion group on the Internet called alt.adoption.agency. In addition, there is a Usenet group called alt.adoption. Both groups have people who are both for and against adoption and agency postings for various reasons so be aware that there is some controversy in these groups. I think that the photolisting on the World-Wide Web will be a nice compliment to the Usenet groups since Usenet groups do not display photos and are pretty much anti-commercialism and the Web simply gives information and does not offer a place for readers to post public messages for everyone to read.
I will update the photolisting at least once a month, so it is important that you tell me whenever a child has been referred or placed so that I can remove him or her from the listing. Please designate someone at your agency who will contact me monthly to tell me the children's' status. The children will be searchable by agency, country, sex, age, number of children in a sibling group, whether physically handicapped or not, and whether mentally handicapped or not. I also want to index children so that singles, older parents, and those with several children already can easily locate children. Please see the list of information needed for each child at the end of this letter. Do not include fee information.
Another feature I'd like to include in the same area as the photolistings is general information about international adoption. If you'd like to submit information, I'll make sure to give you and your agency credit at the bottom of your document. I'd like to post information on things such as transracial adoption, pros and cons of international adoption, implications of the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption, what people can do to help these children if they can't adopt them, resolving feelings about infertility, what homestudies are, typical documents needed, medical considerations, etc. I also plan to list a bibliography of good books, articles, and newsletters about adoption and addresses of parent support groups.
I plan to periodically feature particular orphanages overseas. I have a passport, camera, and camcorder and am ready to travel as an escort on trips so that I can take pictures and write up stories to be posted. It is possible to offer Web users with graphical browsers, color pictures, sound, and even short video, so this could be like a multimedia orphanage tour to help potential adoptive parents understand just how real these children are who are waiting for them.
You don't have to know a thing about computers in order to have your children photolisted. You can simply mail me each child's color or greyscale photograph (no photocopies or faxes please), a description lovingly describing the child using his or her first name which is at least 50 words long, and a stamped return envelope. See the enclosed list of needed information. I will scan the photos into my computer, type the bios into my word processor, and mail your pictures and bios back to you. The software company, Micrografx, has generously donated a copy of Picture Publisher 5.0 so that I can format and edit photos uniformly.
If you have someone in your agency who is comfortable with computers, you can send me good quality scanned pictures and text files on any size computer disk created by an IBM compatible or Macintosh. The picture format I prefer is a 2 x 2 inch .gif, and the text format I prefer is ascii. However, I can convert pictures and text from almost any format including whole Quark Xpress or Pagemaker documents. If you don't have your own scanner, you may find a local printer who does. I prefer each child have 2 separate files with the same name but different extensions. One file will contain the description and have a name like andre.txt and the other will contain the scanned photo with a name like andre.gif. If you have someone who is really comfortable with computers, I can explain how to send the children's' information over the Internet to me rather than sending a disk each month.
You may receive more responses if you get an e-mail address on the Internet so that people can easily contact you as soon as they see a child you've listed. However, if you do decide to list your e-mail address, MAKE SURE to sign onto the Internet and read your mail at least every other day as it is very rude to not reply promptly to e-mail. I would be glad to help you get on the Internet. If you do decide to get an Internet account, I suggest you exploring the World-Wide Web with a graphical browser. They are easy to use and have point and click color interface similar to Microsoft Windows or a Macintosh computer. You need to subscribe to a SLIP or PPP Internet provider, if you want to use a graphical browser. I can help you find a SLIP or PPP provider in your area. Also a SLIP or PPP account requires a 14,400 or 28,800 baud modem. The other option is to use a text based browser (which is what Delphi subscribers use). If you use a text based browser, you can read each child's description and agency information but must copy the child's picture onto your computer before they can view it with graphics software.
If you have any more questions please contacts me at 736 Quail Hollow Lane, Waco, TX 76712, phone number (817)848-5623, fax (817)848-5716, or e-mail address annette@precious.org. Otherwise, just start sending me your children's pictures and bios. Even though you may need the most help in placing special needs kids, I recommend that you also profile non-special needs children so that the public doesn't think you handle only special needs children. Please do not send children with poor quality pictures or for whom who have less than 50 words of information. The first time you send me pictures make sure to include the following information on your agency:
Agency address
Agency phone number
Agency fax number
Agency e-mail address (if you have one)
Contact person who will update me monthly on status's
For each child please send the following information:
Good quality color or greyscale picture showing the child or entire sibling group or a scanned picture preferably in .gif format (no photocopies or faxes please)
Warm, loving biography of the child using his or her first name. The description should be at least 50 words (sibling groups can have more), typed, clearly printed, or a text file preferably in ascii including the following information (you can copy this and use it as a template if you prefer):
First name
Date of birth (month & year if known, not ages)
Sex
Country
Number of children if a sibling group
Physically handicapped or not
Mentally handicapped or not
If you'll accept single applicants for this child
If you'll accept parents over 45 for this child
If you'll accept parents who already have children for this child
Any other applicant criteria that apply such as length of marriage, travel, states you deal with, etc.
Agency name and contact person for this child and their address, phone number, and e-mail address
DO NOT include fee information
I will start posting children as soon as I have at least 50 kids so that we start off with a bang and attract a lot of attention on the Internet. The specific internet address to get to the photolisting is URL will be http://www.adoption.com/. The Computing Support Team have been very generous in donating their expertise and space on their computer which acts as a Web server.
Thank you again for requesting more information about the Precious in HIS Sight - Internet Adoption Photolisting and I hope to be listing your children soon.
Sincerely,
Annette Thompson
Precious in HIS Sight.