AIDS.gov Blog: Introduction
The AIDS.gov Web site was launched World AIDS Day, December 1, 2006. Several Federal agencies, including HHS, created AIDS.gov to help health departments, AIDS service organizations, and others easily find information on Federal domestic HIV/AIDS programs, policies, and resources.
In the last few months, AIDS.gov has started to use new media tools to improve the Web site. We define “new media” as interactive forms of communication that use the Internet, including podcasts, RSS feeds, social networks, text messaging, blogs, etc.
Our use of these tools has encouraged AIDS.gov visitors to ask us for guidance on new media. We have received questions such as, “How do you define new media?”, and “How can we produce a podcast or use cell phones to disseminate HIV information?” This blog is a response to these requests for information.
This blog will focus on why and how AIDS.gov is using these new media tools, how they work, and where to find easy-to-understand new media resources. We encourage you to use these tools in your own work on HIV/AIDS.
Each Tuesday we will post information from interviews with leading experts on new media and with HIV/AIDS professionals who are using new media. Each posting will include a summary of an interview and reflect on ways AIDS.gov and others can implement what we have learned. We encourage you to submit your comments and add to the discussion. (See the Comment Policy)
Our next posting will be about podcasts. For more information on the development of posts, visit About This Blog.
A note on the format: we developed this blog using HHS Secretary Leavitt’s blog as a model. It’s a solid example of how a Federal blog can transfer information to spark dialogue. We encourage you to visit his blog.
After three months of posting and receiving your comments, we will evaluate whether or not the blog is meeting the needs of AIDS.gov’s readers, and then decide if and how the journey will continue.
We look forward to learning with you and to finding new and creative ways to contribute to the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Stay tuned for next week’s discussion of podcasts!
Finally, a place where I can go to get honest and complete information about an issue that has global consequences. Thank you!
Posted by: CC | January 09, 2008 at 01:52 PM
Thanks to ... editor of AIDS.gov for alerting medical bloggers to this new weblog resource. I'm hoping that...actively engages with the community that forms here, as I've found that reaching out to the places where people are discussing health topics online is a powerful way to leverage efforts in health education. The more active the discussion, the more search engines will pick it up as an important resource. Gone are the days that people flock to trusted sources such as physicians & government health services, now we too have to earn our place in internet search results by engaging in community and develop a community around our interests. Engaging in places where the community already exists online will be a powerful way DHHS can reach out.
Dr. Enoch Choi, MD
Family Medicine, PAMF, MedHelp.org, Stanford
Posted by: Enoch Choi, MD | January 09, 2008 at 02:02 PM
What a great idea to have an HIV/AIDS blog!
Posted by: Colleen | January 09, 2008 at 03:18 PM
Congrats on getting started. Blogs and social media is a great way to drive the awareness and share information with the public!
Posted by: Dmitriy Kruglyak | January 10, 2008 at 02:47 AM
Hopefully we will see more interest in sharing information that really will improve the way HIV Prevention - Education - Medical Services are developed and delivered in all aspects. We all know that "one shoe doesn't fit all", so this blog should be interesting to say the least.
Posted by: Calvin E. Twoguns - HIV/AIDS Consultant - Educational | January 11, 2008 at 08:19 AM
This is a good idea and could really be a useful tool for managing what has become a very complex disease and social issue. As the Director of an HIV Services Program providing primary care, case management and counseling and testing, I am always looking for better ways to do things, especially in a climate where providing more services for less money seems to be the norm.
Posted by: Steven Sawicki | January 15, 2008 at 11:10 AM
If you will post every week hot information from interviews with leading experts in HIV/AIDS professionals you will be unique in the web.
Posted by: nadal | February 27, 2008 at 07:09 AM
one of the better blogs online. very good my friend.. have bookmarked it
dan
Posted by: Jelqing | March 17, 2008 at 05:51 AM
I really appreciate the kind of job you are doing...Loads of information on AIDS can be found over here... And I hope you continue this good work of spreading info about AIDS worldwide.
Posted by: Abhishek | April 02, 2008 at 05:52 AM
This is a very helpful resource. I think it will really help to increase awareness of AIDS problem.
Posted by: Alex | June 09, 2008 at 02:21 PM
A very helpful & informative resource. The Aidsproblem is a very important problem and i thank you for the good test , which you have write.
Greets from Switzerland
Posted by: Joe | June 10, 2008 at 03:34 PM