What to do with NEGATIVE breastfeeding news?
Confession: I have been wanting to write about this topic for a long time. It is one of the guiding principles for how the #positivebreastfeeding movement is run.
It's not even a day into World Breastfeeding Week and I have personally dealt with some negativity.
"I support breastfeeding, but why are we posting photos all over social media? I've never run into a problem." (Here's why.)
"Why would I celebrate World Breastfeeding Week if I never breastfed my children?" (Here's why.)
I would also bet my house that WHO Code-violating companies will be coming out with "news" about how they support breastfeeding. Moreover, there will be campaigns announced to shame breastfeeding or claim that this very important week is "judgmental".
Why do I know that? I know that because it happens every year.
Yet breastfeeding advocates share these negative links.
It's like rubbernecking after a car accident: "Oh my God, did you see what [so and so] posted? Can you BELIEVE how ridiculous that is?!"
And the rage prompts more likes, clicks, and shares.
Likes, clicks, and shares give a webpage "HITS". This will prompt the negative content to appear higher in search results - that helps its search engine optimization (SEO).
When subsequent people search for a topic, they will be shown the content with the most hits. This content that appears higher in search results is what they are most likely to click first.
Imagine you are a new mom and you Google "breastfeeding" to learn more. Now imagine your horror if the first news topic or search result related to breastfeeding is sensational, or if it undermines breastfeeding.
Therefore, part of the responsibility for negative breastfeeding content appearing high in search results is on the shoulders of breastfeeding advocates. We need to slow the rubbernecking and make way for the positive to be seen.
There are two ways to share ethically questionable content without boosting it in search results.
1. For webpage owners:
A normal hyperlink looks like this when you code a webpage:
<a href="http://bad.breastfeeding.com">Look at this negative content!</a>
A “nofollow” hyperlink looks like this:
<a href="//bad.breastfeeding.com" rel="nofollow">Look at this negative content!</a>
It's one simple addition of rel="nofollow" into your code. Just like that, you can share negative content ethically on your webpage.
2. For the rest of us:
Run the negative content through a service that removes your visit from the HITS count.
Here are some examples:
WaybackMachine (Requires user registration)
AwesomeScreenShot (Requires user registration)
donotlink.com was a popular tool but is not available at the moment.
These services will ask you to copy the offensive link into a bar. They will work their magic and give you a new URL to share. This is the runaround link and the one that is safe to share wherever you wish.
AwesomeScreenShot works differently because it produces images - screenshots - that when shared will not link to the ethically questionable content.
You can also take your own screenshots of negative content and reupload them for the purpose of making people aware that it exists. When doing so, please add a disclaimer not to visit the website as doing so would boost its SEO. (You are also welcome to share the link to this post if further explanation is needed.)
3. BONUS:
Looking for another way to push the negative content down? Keep on promoting the positive. See a post that celebrates breastfeeding or shares important facts about breastfeeding law, research, and health imperatives? Give the authors of that positive content your love with likes, clicks, and shares.