My comments are possibly not what we asked for, but I think I have been engaged in LN long enough that I hope this can be helpful. 

First, I want to thank Kathleen Bruce and the other dedicated listmothers who made LN work so well for decades! 

I started reading LN long before I ever posted as I was only an LLLL and then a new IBCLC (1996) and didn't feel I had the background or knowledge to post intelligently enough (my first post was in 2000). As so many others pointed out from their own experiences, I felt pretty isolated in my community at that time and LN was a daily connection to a thought process I found very valuable. I read LN daily and truly valued the discussions and the format (although I have never liked that the archives are public). I was a very active member for many years, having almost 1800 posts on the listserve. I especially valued posts and input from people like Maureen Minchin, David Page, Jay Gordon, Diane Wiessenger, Jan Barger, Lisa Marasco, Cathy Genna, Rachel Myr, Jean Cotterman, Kathy Dettwyler, Frank Nice, Valerie McClain, Gail Hertz, Brian Palmer and so many others. For those who have been here as long as I, just think about the topics covered by those folks!

One of my favorite posts was from Brian Palmer Sun, 3 Aug 2008 07:46:29 EDT.  It was entitled: 



Dr. Brian Palmer: How does breastfeeding reduce the risk of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)?




I didn't know in 2008 what I was going to do with this information, but I knew it was important. While I had heard Brian long before 2008 and was following anything and everything he wrote and had chatted with him about my own daughter and my own theories about ties, the ongoing discussions and connections through LN were vitally important to me and I believe to others as well. Only one year later (2009) about 35 of us, including Brian came together in the founding of IATP. Since then I have referenced his thought process, returning to his website many times in connecting breastfeeding, airway and epigenetics. I have lectured on airway, breastfeeding and TT globally, have become a myofunctional therapist, taken additional courses in breathing therapies, lectured to hundreds of dentists on breastfeeding, lectured at the 3rd airway conference in NY this year and dug very deeply into this subject in my own family and my own work. I know I am certainly not the only one inspired by folks who were long-time members of LN.  


OTOH, I would not compare the LN on FB to the LN listerve at all. The FB group is very different from the listserve and while I remain on the FB group, I don't find it to be a great resource. When I was reading and posting on the LN listserve, it was always clear who was communicating with whom and what the background and education was of the people engaged in conversation. It felt like there was a sense of respect for one another that is greatly dampened on FB. Now, everyone who ever took a weekend, 45 hour or on-line course, writes a blog or admins a FB group believes themselves to be an "expert", and is happy to post on FB under that presumption, so I find that much of what is posted there reflects a lack of skill, wisdom or humility. In general, there is a lot of misinformation posted on FB, while I have not seen that pattern on the listserve. 

That said, I have also found that the listserve has changed over the years and I have found that the mainstream medical perspective is the default, while other perspectives are much less welcome, even chastised and villainized. That does not serve my needs, as I don't choose to accept the medical model as the default either personally or professionally. I have also found that there is a lot of outdated information posted on the listserve, especially as relates to oral restrictions, epigenetics and nutrition (the areas I specialize in) and as I do not see a lot of openness to move forward, I usually don't bother to comment anymore. 


I cannot say I have a significant stake in what happens going forward as I post infrequently now, although I do still read through LN a couple of times per week. I find that I get the most support one-on-one from colleagues who are immersed in the issues I am most interested in or from FB groups like the Tongue-tie Professional group as well as from non-breastfeeding groups exploring oral function, epigenetics, methylation, nutrition, etc. As much as I love the archive format and dislike the FB format, I find folks on FB more responsive (although often not terribly thoughtful) and the format easier to manage than the email format. I just have not found a great forum for professional communication anywhere. IATP will be using a closed forum on our website for members and I am still trying to solve that problem for the Holistic Lactation Advanced cert I have just begun teaching. I just finished a Master's in August and even the university's format for communication between students was cumbersome. For all the tech that is out there, the biggest missing piece seems to be a truly functional format for professionals. If one existed, that's where I'd love to be and where I'd love to see LN as well. 


Jennifer



Jennifer Tow, IBCLC, USA & France
Intuitive Parenting Network, LLC



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