Friday, September 3, 2010
Randomly Noted Foursquare offers badge for STD testing
Posted by Alexandria Jud on Fri, Sep 3, 2010 at 1:05 PM
- GISuser.com
Smartphone users everywhere use the Foursquare app to "check in " to restaurants and bars and log their minute-by-minute whereabouts for the world to see. They can even receive merit badges for different check-in accomplishments, like "Gym Rat" for going to the gym 10 times in a month or "Crunked" for checking in to four or more venues in just one night.
Well, now the location-sharing service plans to reward users who broadcast their visits to the health clinic for an STD checkup.
MTV and Foursquare announced Tuesday that they will be introducing a badge in September that encourages young people to "check in" when they get tested for sexually transmitted diseases. It's part of MTV's "GYT: Get Yourself Tested" campaign they launched in 2009 with the Kaiser Family Foundation in an effort to make these checkups just as commonplace as going to the dentist and teach teens that they shouldn't be ashamed of getting tested.
After Foursquare users "check in," they'll have to post the letters "GYT" to their friends to "unlock" the badge. Once they do, they're entered to win a trip for two to the MTV Studios in New York City and attend a taping of the show "10 on Top."
This is undoubtedly an admirable effort to reduce the stigma of getting checked out for STDs and promote sexual health responsibility of young people. But is this an overshare? In the minds of some, this is one activity that should be kept private from the land of social networking. Still, when users see their friends checking in and getting the badge, it might just convince them to follow suit and get on board, too.
So... great idea, or TMI?
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