If you haven’t noticed yet, the majority of the adoptees that search are females. However, I do think that with the internet, more male adoptees are starting to search. When I look at the PARR database, most of the folks registered are between the years of 1966-1972. There are more adoptees searching than birth moms. The opposite is true for the adoptions of the 1980’s. There are more birth mothers searching than adoptees. I think that what birth mothers were told had changed by the 1980’s and that is why they feel more free to search. As for birth fathers, there aren’t many and my guess is that some of them don’t know that this child exists,

Adoptive parents are also using the internet to understand the adoptee. They may be taking the advantage to get to know birth mothers and other adoptees. This may help them understand their own child better and help themselves understand how the birth parents might feel if she is found.
So, you may be asking yourself what you can get on the internet. One thing is that you will not feel alone. Online you can find directories of doctors and lawyers where you can locate the doctors and lawyers who were involved in your births and adoption. You can look up the laws for the state you were adopted. You can find the addresses for where to write to obtain your non id information. You can find lists of support groups through out the country as well as the addresses for vital records in the state you are searching for.

Once you have the name of the person you are searching for you can go to the many online phone directories to look them up. You can find schools that the person you are searching for may have attended. You can search maiden name databases to learn a married name and check through the Vietnam Casualty list and the Social Security Death Index in hopes that you will NOT find them listed.

You can find websites that will provide you with certain union or professional groups. If you have the occupation of your birth parents in your non identifying information this can be a huge help.
Genealogy sites can be very helpful as well. These can be helpful to adoptees because most of the genealogists who use the internet understand an adoptees need to know their background.

There are many genealogy sites and way to many to list but the two that I use the most often have been www.ancestry.com and www.rootsweb.com.
There are many online registries where you can search to see if someone is looking for you. You can also register your own search information on line. The only and largest registry is the International Soundex Reunion Registry and you can find information on this at www.isrr.net.

If you suspect the person you are searching for has been arrested or is currently in jail, you can search inmate records online. The link for the Federal Bureau of prisons is at http://www.bop.gov/iloc2/LocateInmate.jsp There are inmate locator websites on a state level as well. These can be located through the state Department of Corrections.

On a state level, more and more states are adding internet sits to help the public know if there is someone in their neighborhood they should not trust around their children. You may also want to visit these sites if you suspect there is a reason they may be listed.

You may be asking how long it will take if you are searching on the internet. It is true that some folks have searched on the internet and found the person they were searching for within a month’s time and didn’t have to pay any money at all. Keep in mind that this is not the normal case and don’t expect that when you start using the internet for your search. On the flip side though, be prepared for a possible match when you sign up on a registry.

Through your search on the internet you may meet people who help in searches on a regular basis. These folks are often referred to as search angels. There are times these search angels may charge for part of what they do. If there is a fee they have to pay to get information and it should not be expected for them to pay that for you. It is your search and any fees associated with it are your responsibility. Again, these fees should be in regards to expenses incurred whiled the search angel is doing research on your behalf. As previously written about it should be discussed as to what you will be expected to pay for and what they can do for free.