Although nothing to do with motorcycles, the site I discuss below seemed to me to be worth getting the word out. (Besides, aside from riding what the heck do I know about riding.)
Its a quiet morning, your sipping your coffee and sorting through your new e-mails. Mixed in with the messages from close personal friends in Nigeria, the latest Ticketmaster offers for stuff you don’t want to see, and the e-mail from your mom saying that she finally figured out how to upload those (embarrassing) childhood photos, you spot a strange new message:
From: getchecked@inspotla.org
Subject: e-Card from a concerned friend re: your health - via inSPOT LA
I didn’t know I had [insert an STD of your choice here] when we were together. You should get tested.
isis - internet sexuality information services - is a non-profit organization, established in 2001. From the isis website:
Internet Sexuality Information Services, Inc., established May, 2001, is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to developing and using Internet technologies to prevent disease transmission and enhance sexual well-being of individuals and communities. Our mission is to provide leadership, innovation, educational resources and research in online sexual health promotion.
Perhaps the most attention-getting service they have is inSPOT; the Internet Notification Service for Partners Or Tricks. The inSPOT site allow you to notify a partner - or partners - via e-mail that you’ve been exposed to an STD, advising them to get tested. The pre-formatted e-cards include a link back to links to inSPOT where you can learn about the specific STD, find local clinics, and general information about STD Cures and Treatments.
Visiting inSPOT you’re first presented with options for 8 different cites, 8 different states, and 3 international locations. The location you choose will determine the links the recipient(s) receive when they click on the e-card. Los Angeles for example will give you information about clinics in the Los Angeles County. After choosing a location you choose whether you want information yourself, or if you want to “Tell them” about the STD.
Once you choose to “tell them” you’re presented with a choice of e-cards to send, each containing a very brief “I’m sorry” message. Some of the messages are slightly humorous - “I got screwed while screwing, you might have too.” - but you get the option to add your owe text to it later. Select your card, get past the captcha, and then you can finish editing your message. After you enter an optional, short, personal message to be included, you choose the STD in question from a pull-down list:
Chlamydia
Crabs and Scabies
Gonorrhea
Hepatitis A
Molluscum Contagiosum
Non-Gonococcal Urethritis (NGU)
Syphilis
You can then enter the e-mail addresses of up to sex partners from the last six months, (don’t worry, they don’t expose the recipients’ e-mail addresses to the other recipients) and then either enter your e-mail address or choose to send the message anonymously. (It appears that different options are available for different locations as well. An LA card will ask for your zip code, for statistics, but the California card does not. The source code of the page also shows there’s thought about asking the sender’s gender, orientation, and where they were diagnosed. Perhaps some locations ask this information and some do not.)
My first concern with the whole thing is privacy; does inSPOT retain the senders’ and recipients’ e-mail addresses? According to their FAQ:
The anonymous/confidential nature of the site cannot be maintained if records are kept regarding the persons sending or receiving e-cards. We do not collect any identifying information about the ecard senders or recipients, nor the personal messages that may be added to the cards.
While I hope to never have to send a card, nor get one, this seems like a great idea. Telling a partner about an STD can be very difficult, and using this service lets you do it without being face-to-face with the person. As inSPOT states, much of the information is relevant to everyone and can be used by anyone, anywhere.
And no, I did not send or receive one of the cards. I heard about the site on the KROQ, 106.7, Kevin and Bean morning show.
February 28th, 2008
Categories: Social interaction, General Stuff . Author: snuff . Comments: No Comments
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