Hello, it's the world's most infrequent poster here,

I'd like to concur with what a lot of you have said about your Web pages. I
am the webmaster for a large lay breastfeeding support organization :-) and
as such, you can imagine that we get a lot of people asking for link
exchanges, ads, etc. For the most part, we have not done this, and it is
because from the very start I stated my concerns that sites we linked to
might change or get new sponsors that people might think, because we linked
to them, we endorsed. There's no way I or my volunteer staff could check
them all periodically to make sure they were still "OK"!! We barely have
time to keep the large web site updated!

We put all links to outside sites on one page, with clear disclaimers,
etc., and most of them are to allied organizations, such as WHO, ILCA, etc.
There are a few that need to be there due to contractual obligations or
agreements made by staff members, and yes, sometimes those make me nervous,
but certainly none of them are to manufacturers of artificial infant milk!
We are much more careful of what we link to on the Web than what appears in
print publications, for example, because we find that it is harder for
people to tell ads from editorial content on Web sites.

I am also the web person for ILCA, and I am happy that their Board's policy
has been to not have ads on their Web site, though of course I do not have
input into their policy.

I applaud all of you who pay for your own pages, or get kind volunteers to
do them for you. I think it is very easy to convey subtle impressions to
parents, many of whom are dealing with fussy babies and may not read all
the disclaimers and caveats one puts on one's Web pages. I am all for
erring on the side of caution.

As for Dr. Sears, I wonder if his cancer experience has led to debts or
something that has made the need for funding stronger than we might think
it would be? I have no idea, of course, having barely met the man!

Sue Ann Kendall
[log in to unmask]
Austin, TX, USA

             ***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html