Blogging Positively

"Blogging Positively" is a collection of case studies, interviews, and tips about citizen media related to HIV/AIDS. According to the Introduction: "Citizen media tools - including blogs, podcasts, and online photo and video sites - present powerful new opportunities for activists aiming to spread awareness and promote discussion about HIV/AIDS and its societal stigma.

There are many ways in which blogging is a valuable tool for discussions and activism around HIV/ AIDS, including: 1) what you post is part of a permanent, stored record; 2) audiences are potentially global; 3) personal interactions take place at many levels, from the local to the international; 4) anonymity is possible, and not necessarily an impediment to influence; 5) replication and remixing make for creative storytelling; and 6) conversations can be both synchronous (real time) and asynchronous (across different time periods). There are also some potential disadvantages to blogging that are important to keep in mind, including 1) the risk of spreading misinformation; 2) susceptibility to online or offline negative comments; and 3) the necessary access to a computer, Internet connection, and electricity."

The guide contains tips for workshop facilitators and teachers and points readers to helpful resources for new bloggers just getting started. Contents include the following:

• Introduction: “Blogging Positively” Why Blog about HIV/AIDS?
  
• For New Bloggers
  
• For Facilitators and Teachers and Q & A for Teachers or Facilitators
  
• Legal Issues
  
• Case studies and Quotes and Excerpts from Positive Bloggers
  
• Getting Started: Resources for New Bloggers
  
• Advice From a Veteran Blogger