Four years after the 2009 Annual Skills Building Institute for HIV Testing and Awareness Day Events and Campaigns, I am still... "hooked on social media ". The Institute's "Using New Media in Response to HIV/AIDS" workshops were conducted by Miguel Gomez (Director, AIDS.gov and Senior Communications Advisor, Office of HIV/AIDS Policy, HHS), Michelle Samplin-Salgado (New Media Strategist, AIDS.gov), and Ian Anderson (President & COO Smart + Strong). Needless to say, the existence of AIDS.gov is essential to the implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS). The AIDS.gov team's presence at an April "community discussion" in Baltimore, MD was a timely reminder. April is the anniversary month of my first meeting with various AIDS.gov team members and my official "hooked on social media" moment in 2009.
After my very first and second "tweets" at the Skills Building Institute, my comfort level increased with each Twitter conversations! In fact, my participation at the 2009 Annual Skills Building Institute for HIV Testing and Awareness Day Events and Campaigns was a major turning point in how I inform, network, connect,
share, and collaborate as a member of the health service provider community. The Institute provided a powerful toolkit
of new media tools which enhanced my "thinking out of the box"
approach for public and community health. My passion to
provide capacity building, technical assistance, and training through social media and 3D virtual worlds lead to the launching of Community HIV/AIDS Resource Exchange (CHARE) Project and Community Health Technology Resource Exchange (CHeTARE) Project in 2010 and 2012 respectively.
In 2009, the Skills Building Institute introduced several channels for HIV/AIDS awareness and health education "conversations". In 2013, I am still engaging, connecting, and communicating with the use of new media especially social media. The learning experience in 2009 fuels my passion and guides my mission. New media (and social media) is too valuable to leave on the shelf and out of our local, national, and international response to HIV/AIDS.
You are encouraged to embrace relevant new and social media in your response to HIV/AIDS. Please note that an updated New Media Toolkit is now available on AIDS.gov.
