The nice part is the card will give you some information about treatment centers and options for dealing with your new situation. The bad part is pretty obvious. You might have to count yourself as one of the many who have been diagnosed with an STD.

This system has been used with the help of an e-mail notification system called inSPOT.

The system was developed in 2004 and since, it has been notifying predominantly gay men in major cities like New York and San Francisco that they might have something to worry about.

The e-cards are anonymous and simply depict a hand holding what looks like a sticky note with the message “I’m Sorry” on the front. The message inside lets the viewer see what sexually transmitted disease they might have been exposed to and other information about treatments.

Hopefully, if one were on the receiving end, it would not take long to figure out who might have their health interests at heart, but for the more promiscuous types, it might present some scary moments.

The system, while admirable in its quest to inform the public of possible disease, is flawed. The number of e-cards that might be sent purely as a joke would not help anyone — sexually active or not.

Perhaps if a fee were required to send the e-cards, visitors to the site might not be so inclined to send a few as practical jokes.

The cards are not even that believable to begin with. They are not presented very seriously or professionally, and surprisingly so, especially because getting and treating STDs should not be a joke.

STD notifications should not be sent via e-mail. This only eliminates the face-to-face conversation that should take place if an individual believes they might have exposed someone to any disease.

Laziness shines in this system. Pick up the phone do someone the favor of alerting them of their potential “condition.”

It would definitely be an awkward call, but seriously, an e-card?

The e-cards might be working as they are now, in smaller communities of people. If they were introduced as a free service to the general public, problems would definitely arise.

It is hard to find the seriousness in the idea. Getting tested frequently probably still stands as the most efficient and best way to prevent and become aware of possible STDs.
No one wants to get an e-card with such a personal and possibly life altering message attached.

The cards are comical in a way, but the whole idea is a little too off base.

Break up with someone online, but never, under any circumstances, let them know they might have syphilis in an e-card. Have a little sympathy.