This is NOT the e-card I want in my inbox:
"I got an STD; you might have it too. Please get checked out."
InSpot.org is an STD awareness site that's come up with a rather, well, forward-thinking idea for informing people that you may have contracted an infection: an e-card.
Now... I'm all for letting people know your status. In fact, I find it to be nothing short of necessary. But for some reason, I'm not sure if an e-card is the way to go. It just seems a little... oh, I dunno... impersonal.
And if that person happens to check their e-mail at work or in a campus computer lab... well then, it's just kinda wrong.
But maybe that's just me being Prudy Rudy. There's always a differing opinion. Via CNN.com:
It may not be the most personal way of delivering the news, but researchers say it beats not saying anything at all.
"When you weigh the importance of getting people notified, that's ultimately what needs to be done," said Jeffrey D. Klausner, director of STD Prevention and Control Services in San Francisco, California's Department of Public Health. "By notifying them -- even if it's done anonymously, even distantly, even with an e-card -- the benefits of getting someone diagnosed and treated outweigh the concerns of insensitivity."
Point taken. And I have to say, I do appreciate that the e-card links the recipient to up-to-date information on sexually transmitted infections, and, depending the city they're in, information on testing sites in their area.
Besides, what does my opinion matter? Clearly it's working. More than 50,000 of these things have been sent out since InSpot made them available in '04.
I'm just one of the people who'd rather find out over the phone. *shrug* Sue me.
0 comments:
Post a Comment