News about Mormons, Mormonism,
and the LDS Church

By Kent Larsen

Internet: Discussion Lists and Forums

NEW YORK, NEW YORK -- With popular services like Yahoo!groups making discussion lists easy to set up and run, the number of forums for LDS Church members to talk with one another is rising dramatically. This week we list a number of the lists and discussion forums that have appeared recently, or that have come to our notice. Significantly, all but three of the 10 are on Yahoo!groups, and, more significantly, a few of them are not in English.

The most surprising of those lists is the CommunidadSUD list, a Spanish-language list that counts more than 3,000 members, but a relatively low volume of messages. The list's general-purpose conversation runs the gamut, from inspirational messages to simple queries, to the bane of discussion lists -- messages about how to get on or off the list.

Newly Listed Mormon Websites:

BOM-Geography
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bom-geography/

Yahoo-groups email/web discussion list for the geography of the Book of Mormon. List does not discuss the historicity of the Book of Mormon, instead assuming that it is a historical record. List discusses various theories for where Book of Mormon events occurred.

Yahoo!Groups discussion list for those that find cleaning difficult. Seeks to discover ways to make cleaning easier. List maintains LDS standards.

Discussion list for LDS Church members to discuss cooking and how to make cooking easier. Meant for those who have a hard time with cooking. List maintains LDS standards.

Large general interest Spanish-language discussion list for LDS Church members. Includes several thousand members who get occasional inspiring, friendly and fun messages.

Relatively old list for LDS Church members who have Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. List members discuss their struggles and share ideas for how to live with the disorder.

Russian-language general interest message-board for LDS Church members. Includes three forums frequented by church members in Russia.

LDS-oriented list for sharing recipes that kids can make themselves with little or no help.

Support discussion list for LDS women suffering from Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.

Site for LDS women using about.com-like Suite101.com. Includes links to Internet sites on LDS women and general LDS sites, articles about women's issues and discussion boards. While not as heavily promoted as about.com, suite101.com is nicer, not as heavily coded and its subjects are better organized.

Message-board style discussion site meant for "Academians, Apologists, and Skeptics." Includes discussions of LDS Doctrine, History, Culture and even comparative religion. Like many public message boards, Zion's Lighthouse is frequented by a wide range of viewpoints, including many anti-Mormons. However, this board does have a lot of traffic, thousands of messages each month.

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