Going to PodCamp and Learning about Obligations

Photo courtesy of Russell Heimlich

Miguel Gomez, Director of AIDS.gov and Israil Ali, HHS Emerging Leader, at Podcamp DC

Last week, two members of the AIDS.gov team went to PodCamp in Washington, DC.

PodCamps are usually free unconferences that offer a chance for new media users (such as bloggers, podcasters, and social networkers) to learn from experts and to engage in dialogue with each other. We want to thank the organizers: Christopher Penn , Tammy Munson , Joel Witt , and Ernie Ambrose!

Note: For the basics on podcasting, please see our earlier post.

Doing the Right Thing--508 Compliance

In our post last week, we talked about planning and putting people first before choosing new technology. We highlighted the POST strategy which starts with:

P = People. Who is your target audience? What tools are they using?
We believe in putting people first, and that means our website content must be equally accessible to people with disabilities--some of whom have acquired their disabilities as a result of HIV/AIDS.

People Before Technology

At AIDS.gov, we've learned that new media is exciting and many of us want to incorporate these tools into our programs before we have a plan. To prevent this from happening, our AIDS.gov New Media Strategist has urged us and others to use Forrester Research's POST strategy to stay on track.

Health-Focused Social Networking Sites

This week we continue our social networking series, and we look at health-focused social networks.

Health-focused social networks function as communities for people with specific medical conditions (such as HIV/AIDS) and provide space for users to share their experiences, find support from their peers, and discuss their health concerns and treatment information.

To Blog or Not to Blog-Our AIDS.gov Journey Continues

Last week we told you we were going to do another entry on social networking sites--but we decided to preempt that post because we've reached an important anniversary, and we held a meeting about AIDS.gov's future. We want to tell you about both of those things, and get your input.

When we launched this blog in January, we said that after three months of posting and receiving your comments, we would evaluate whether the blog was meeting the needs of AIDS.gov’s readers, and then decide if and how the journey would continue. Well, the three months is up, and we want to pause and turn to YOU and our AIDS.gov planning body for direction: