Netmums have sold out...

[hunkermunker]

See here

[disappointed]

How can anyone force you into a boycott Chandra?

Presumably you choose what food to buy?

Chandra, I don't understand the confusion. A lot of people worldwide are unhappy with the ethical practices of Nestle. In response, they boycott their products. All of them.

Who's forcing anybody, Chandra?

I'd like Netmums to take the decision, as a business that reaches a lot of parents and is set up as a reasonable site, that taking sponsorship from a company with a track record as ethically barren as Nestle might not be the best idea.

I'm talking about it on here. But I'm not going round snatching Kit-kats out of people's mouths and calling them dirty whores for eating them. That would be odd.

Sponsorship?! Advertising.

I don't think Netmums are doing laps of a swimming pool for the money from Nestle.

Chandra, surely the advertising or not of Nestle on Netmums has no bearing on whether you drink the coffee or not, no?

I am confused about the forcing? Or are you put out that other people might not allow you to look at Nestle advertising?

do you mean that the website shouldn't be forced into it by its members? you might be right, but in a way all people are doing is extending their personal boycotts to websites that advertise the company. and i betcha Any Money that if you look down the list of Nestle products you've got some in your house. i know i do, and i never knowingly buy Nestle.

*considers kitkat snatching.....with or without the dirt whores bit...

Y

aw, i liked dirt whore.

What I really don't understand is why I am getting so many replies. Honest.

And BTW, I don't feel anybody is forcing me into it, I just thought it was a bit of a point for a philosophical discussion but seeing that is not, I bow out.

Have fun.

You're objecting to getting replies, but you wanted discussion?

Oh, Chandra, I'm confused!

discussion not argument Hunkermunker.

I already do my voluntary bit about avoiding Nestle, sorry.

i definitely wasn't arguing, chandra. i'm just a bit confused by your initial post as it seemed to argue that only mothers buying formula could participate in a boycott bu not buying nestle formula. but that's confused, not argumentative.

I wasn't arguing either Chandra (though surely you were kind of arguing with the whole idea of not liking netmums advertising Nestle) - oh I'm even more confused now!

I was honestly confused as to how you were forced into a boycott.

I really don't see the argument.

I think people should boycott Nestle voluntarily, but I think more people would if they heard more about it, hence the threads recently.

I also don't think it's appropriate for a parenting site to take ads from Nestle.

i think chandra is saying that the public is trying to pressure Netmums into joining a boycott. she sees this as an unfair action by the 'public' as per her analogy with the US Govt and Cuba. (i don't know if the analogy actually works meself but i don't want to discuss it. )

I'm trying to pressure Netmums to take the Nestle advertising off their site, yes. I make no apology for that. They've behaved appallingly short-sightedly in putting it there in the first place, IMO.

Unless they figured it'd get talked about and any publicity's good publicity - and heck, it's only dead Third World babies we're talking about here

I think that no-one can force them to get rid, but I'm sure it would be worth remembering that with no members, there would be no site.

I have had a message back from Netmums - i haven't read it yet because I am doing dds tea. It is quite long - does anyone want me to post it?

YES!

HEre we go, from one of the directors, still no chance to read!

Thanks for your email. I?m really sorry that you are upset by our decision to take advertising from Nescafe, and I'd like to explain some of the reasons for our decision. It is complicated - and the battle against the Nestle corporation is important to people, but sadly at Netmums we fight so many battles and this is one that we?ve not taken up as yet. With no Government funding whatever, we are ruled by commercial realities and we are lucky to exist at all. Netmums is all about supporting mums through lonely times and connecting people with their communities. Our main raison d'etre and how we really came into existence is the battle against post natal depression and providing and fighting for more support for mums with pnd - based initially on personal experience, and now backed up by our own research that shows what a huge number of hidden sufferers there are. Just on the Coffee House forum alone (where the Nescafe Coffee ad appears) we employ moderators, support workers and counsellors (as well as staff running the local sites providing information and support at local level and joining mums up with the support services in their areas).

We do have an advertising policy ? have you seen it? We don?t advertise formula milk and it meant that 2 years ago we turned down £50k from Milupa whereas other parenting websites took the money and two are still sponsored by them. We actively support breastfeeding, and I?m sure you?ll have seen that we?ve been promoting the breastfeeding manifesto and support that.

Clearly, some of our members boycott Nestle, but others are against it ? and we?re pleased that we?ve enabled a discussion to take place, raising awareness of the debate so people can make a choice, and including a statement from Baby Milk Action (who haven?t advocated boycotting Netmums) and providing access to someone senior at Nestle for people who want to protest.

At the end of the day, taking advertising enables us to fund our staff (on the minimum wage and working from home on their own PCs) and reach out to more mums ? Netmums got too big to be completely run by volunteers as when we started ? there?s just too much boring inputting, and skilled counselling needed. Our people are not only making sure that mums find out, for free, about all the local services that are there to help, but they are providing, for free, advertising for charities that support families to help them raise much-needed funds, and while we help thousands of mums to cope with everyday issues, we do see the extremes and the fact we are literally saving lives through the support and counselling we are able to give mums on the Coffee House, is so very important to us. We do genuinely run Netmums because we want to make life better.

There?s a link to the statement from Baby Milk action, here www.netmums.com/lc/bma_statement.htm

And one to what Nestle said which includes the contact details I mentioned here www.netmums.com/lc/bma_statement.htm

Best wishes

Siobhan Freegard

i seeeee

so why don;t nestle build a psuchiatric hospital or mum and baby unit or put money into mental health resources if they care so much ?

and mumsnet seems to manage without nestle sponsorhsip

Yes, and also, there are plenty of coffee companies that I am sure would consider sponsoring netmums - how about the free trade ones for a start?

So as long as it's UK mums and babies they're helping, a few million dead Third World ones aren't a problem?

Niiiiiiiiiiice, Netmums. Nice.

Hello netmums! Yes, I did post on here that I was going to de-register. Its no revelation.

I'm really not sure what the point in mentioning that 'over there' is....

I'm glad you come and read here, its a much better site