Our newly redesigned HIV website is going viral! www.itsdifferentnow.org features an inspiring video empowering people to get an HIV test so that Vancouver can be the epicentre of a movement that aims to end HIV. This week, Communications Arts, a popular visual communication publication, featured our website as its web pick of the day.Communications Arts’ website receives 3-million hits a month, so we’re excited about the potential for views for www.itsdifferentnow.org and our video.
So far, the CHANGE HIVSTORY video has been watched 3,958 times. Local media outlets have donated free ad space and air time, to keep the momentum going. You may have seen the video play on Global TV or CTV; keep your eyes peeled for it on tv, on the radio and in newspapers and magazines.
Having people tested for HIV and diagnosing people earlier are the ultimate goals. Since June 2010, we have been able to increase HIV testing rates in Vancouver by 37%.
The website is a part of the STOP HIV/AIDS (Seek and Treat for Optimal Prevention of HIV/AIDS) project, which has been honoured with several other distinctions including a regional Premier’s Award in Innovation and Excellence and an Interactive Media Award (IMA).
www.itsdifferentnow.org is part of a larger social marketing campaign, which launched its second phase this summer, to build awareness about how recommendations for HIV testing and how the lives of HIV positive people have changed. The STOP HIV/AIDS (Seek and Treat for Optimal Prevention of HIV/AIDS) project is a four-year, $48-million pilot project funded by the British Columbia Ministry of Health Services to improve access to HIV testing, treatment, and support services in Vancouver and Prince George, with a goal of identifying innovative strategies to reduce the spread of HIV in BC.