Foursquare To Reward STD Checkups With Badge

NEW YORK — You can "check in" to restaurants and bars, so how about health clinics while you get tested for sexually transmitted diseases?

Foursquare, the phone application for telling friends and strangers where you are, is offering a special virtual "badge" in September to people who do just that.

The badge is part of MTV's "GYT: Get Yourself Tested" campaign. MTV says the idea is to remove the stigma attached to getting checked out for STDs.

Foursquare and similar services use smart phones' GPS capabilities to locate where users are and what's around them. Users can then "check in" to a venue by tapping it on a list – or typing in their own.

Foursquare users already receive scout-inspired merit badges for a range of check-in accomplishments. These include "Gym Rat" for hitting the gym 10 times in a month or "Crunked" for checking in to four or more places in a single night.

Stephen Friedman, the general manager of MTV, said he expects that some people will decide to get the badge despite the social stigma surrounding STDs. And once they do, their friends may, too.

"It only takes a few to get the ball rolling," he said. The point is to make these checkups as commonplace as going to the dentist or getting a physical.

The badge itself is lime green and black, with the letters "GYT" emblazoned in the middle.

Foursquare users can go to their own health care providers, or they can find nearby clinics by visiting GYT's website and entering their ZIP code. Once they've checked in, users will have to post – or "shout" in Foursquare lingo – the letters "GYT" to their friends.

The GYT campaign launched in 2009. It's part of a partnership between MTV and the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit organization that focuses on health care issues. MTV said the campaign has helped increase the number of young people getting tested at Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide.

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Online: http://gytnow.org

Comments

[angry expat]

10:09 AM on 09/01/2010

It's important to get tested, and still a clean bill of health does not mean that one is 100% free of STDs. This program is misleading and irresponsible in light of the fact that HPV and HSV often lie dormant for long spells, and HIV can still behave in very unpredictable ways. Having that "uncomfortable" conversation with a sexual partner is part of forming a relationship. Delegating that to a faceless internet company is medically unsound and ethically questionable.

[JNarragansett]

02:55 PM on 08/31/2010

I don't want to discourage anyone from getting tested, or behaving in a responsible manner when it comes to sexual relations or sexual health. That being said, am I the only one who was expecting the badge to be scarlet and the first letter of the alphabet identifying the sexually active to the community?

[2sistersblog]

07:40 PM on 09/03/2010

Yes! Agreed! It's totally a scarlet letter. I'm glad they're trying to get more teens to get tested, but not sure if Foursquare is the right media for this. We wrote all about this on our blog:
http://2sistersblog.com/2010/09/02/the-scarlet-letter-app/

[Raymond Strand]

09:41 AM on 08/31/2010

This might actually be a good place where Social Media can be used to improve Life offline. Imagine if some company came up with a tamper proof program where people go to a doctor supported by the Program get checked for STDs. Then you can get an All Clear or badge marking what STDs you have. Now the program would be voluntary and you'd have to mandate say a monthly check-in or maybe every time that person switches partners.

The vast majority of STD's are transferred by Sex that's why they are STDs. If you have a way to identify who has an STD and who does not giving people the ability to avoid contracting the STD you'd severely reduce the rate of transmission. Now obviously this would be an invasive program, that would reduce people's privacy. However it also increases people's rights, by giving them more knowledge so they can choose either to take a risk or play it safe.

[Qpidme]

12:17 PM on 08/31/2010

We do something similar to what you're describing. We help people make better decisions before having sex by verifying HIV/STD results and making them easily accessible and sharable via text message...in a safe, secure and confidential way. Imagine making "the talk" with a partner a little less awkward :)

We actually verify your HIV/STD results with your doctor/clinic (with your authorization, of course).

We launch in California in the coming weeks.....sign up on our interest list here if you want to learn more - www.Qpid.me, Spread the Love, Nothing Else or send us a question to [e-mail].