Everyone who is subscribed to this list has been sent an e-mail with our guidelines.  The first thing they say is 
"BEFORE YOU POST ANY NOTE TO LACTNET, PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE MESSAGE".  There is more important info a short way down the first page, which follows below.  If it's been a while since you read the welcome message, you can have a new copy sent to you by sending an e-mail to 
[log in to unmask]  Leave the subject line blank, and in the body of the e-mail, write GET LACTNET WELCOME 
I just did and I see we need to update the numbers.  We have over 4000 subscribers now and we have archives back to 1995.  

But first, some background:

In the past week we have discovered that some subscribers remain unaware that posts to this list are freely available to anyone with internet access, and that anyone may subscribe to Lactnet without revealing their background.  The guidelines stipulate that posters state any affiliations that could construe a conflict of interest when they post, but of our now over 4000 subscribers there are a small minority who post to the list.  Most people read without posting and thus are unknown quantities to us and to you all.  
This came to our attention when posters in several very different threads received private, non-pleasant e-mails in response to things they posted on Lactnet.   In at least one case, the person sending the e-mail is not a subscriber, at least not under the e-mail address or name that was used in the mail sent to our subscriber.  But lots of us share computers with family members and so there are sure to be many people who have access to our e-mail addresses through their housemate's subscription.  Readers at the archives will not be able to view e-mail addresses of the posters but some of us are active enough on the internet that our addresses are available on other websites.

Here are a few relevant excerpts from the first page of the welcome message:

"* All posts to Lactnet are archived and retrievable by others. If you don’t want something to be stored in the archives, don’t post it.
. . . . 

2. Is there anything in my post that could be deemed offensive to others? Remember that subscribers live all over the world and come from many different racial, religious and professional backgrounds. Differences in opinion are great and we can learn a lot from one another; however, impoliteness or expressions of prejudice are not acceptable and will result in discussion with the list administrators.

3. Is this something that you are proud of and want your colleagues to read, including those you work with?

All messages are public so you should post only what you are willing to have printed on the front page of the NY Times!  Also, please bear in mind that if you do a "Google search" with your name, your Lactnet posts will likely score as hits.  It is important to reiterate that posts CANNOT be removed from the archives."

Ok, listmother Rachel again - I have dreamt many times of seeing Lactnet posts on the front page of the NY Times.  Unfortunately I don't think it has happened yet, more's the pity.  But it is also a pity if people are subscribing to the list and posting under the mistaken impression that this is a closed, intimate, warm fuzzy friendly list.  The tone amongst people who post is generally at least civil, most often friendly, and we're proud of that.  But you really don't have a clue who is sitting in the corners, watching what you post, with motives far removed from that of helping mothers to breastfeed.

Finally, I would like to invite anyone who has not been in touch already but who may have received unpleasant e-mails following an on-topic post to Lactnet, to get in touch with the listmothers *at [log in to unmask] *, NOT by posting to the list itself, and tell us about it.  

Enjoy your weekends,
Rachel Myr
for the listmothers

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