For Immediate Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 3, 2008

http://www.undiescontest.org

Deb Levine ISIS
deb@isis-inc.org
510-835-9400

Internet Sexuality Information Services (ISIS) Exposes Ideas for Preventing HIV and other STDs with an Underwear Design Contest

SAN DIEGO, CA (April 3, 2008) –Internet Sexuality Information Services, Inc. (ISIS), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting sexual health, and Brickfish™, a social media advertising platform, are inviting people to design intimate apparel to help get the word out about preventing HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, and developing lifelong healthy relationships. The “In Brief: What if Your Undies had the Last Word…” campaign, located at www.undiescontest.com, invites entrants to develop their own art and slogans for boxer shorts, women’s underwear, or t-shirts containing a message about sexual communication, including preventing HIV and other STDs. The Grand Prize winner will receive a $1,000 scholarship or cash equivalent, and twelve pairs of underwear.

With recent statistics published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that one in four female adolescents in the U.S. have a sexually transmitted disease, this timely contest tackles this public health issue head-on. “Talking about HIV and STDs is uncomfortable, especially in the heat of the moment, so we are excited at this opportunity to create a forum for bringing prevention to the forefront,” said Deb Levine, executive director of ISIS. “The ‘In Brief' campaign is designed to help sexually active people (and those thinking about having sex) communicate about the risks before they take their clothes off. We are confident the awareness raised by this campaign will encourage people to talk about their sexual health before they are in a risky situation.”

In addition to the Grand Prize winner, an ISIS expert panel of judges will award a $250 scholarship (or cash equivalent) for their favorite entry chosen from the top 100 generating the most buzz across the Internet. And, all people who vote or review in the contest will be eligible to win another $250 scholarship or cash equivalent awarded at the end of the contest.

The Brickfish marketing platform provides a forum to raise awareness of social issues through User-Generated Content (UGC). Brands, agencies and non-profit organizations use Brickfish’s patent-pending platform to launch online advertising and marketing campaigns that spark the creation of brand-focused UGC, such as blogs, images, video and audio.  Brickfish’s content sharing tools enable anyone to view and review submissions, vote on their favorites, and share them with friends and peers through email, Instant Message and by posting on social networking sites, creating a powerful viral conversation that spans the Internet.

“The most important step to initiate positive change with societal issues is to get people talking and sharing,” said Hyder Rabbani, vice president, sales and business development for Brickfish. “The ‘In Brief’ campaign will help enlighten people about the dangers of unprotected sex and introduce steps they can take to protect their sexual health. We are excited about the opportunity to work with ISIS and leverage the power of social media sites to promote a critical message. We are confident this campaign will be a vital and fun way to increase awareness about STDs, HIV and unplanned pregnancy.”

The “In Brief” campaign ends May 15th. For campaign rules and regulations, visit www.undiescontest.com. For more information about Brickfish, visit www.Brickfish.com, and for information about ISIS, visit www.isis-inc.org.

About ISIS

Internet Sexuality Information Services, Inc. (ISIS) is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to developing and using Internet technologies for sexual health promotion and to prevent disease transmission. ISIS provides leadership, innovation, educational resources and research in online sexual health promotion. www.isis-inc.org

About Brickfish
Brickfish, the social media advertising platform, has created a revolutionary new approach to consumer driven marketing that leverages the power of User-Generated Content and social media to connect brands with consumers. Brands and agencies use our patent-pending platform to launch online advertising and marketing campaigns that spark the creation of brand-focused UGC, such as blogs, images, video and audio. This content is shared from consumer to consumer via email, IM, and hundreds of social media sites such as MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, and more. Campaign participants are rewarded for creating, voting, reviewing and sharing content, resulting in high-quality brand engagement. The Brickfish platform then tracks consumer interactions with this content and provides detailed analytics on campaign reach, performance and demographics. This results in a powerful viral marketing approach that has proven to be 5 to 10 times more effective than traditional online marketing methods such as display ads or search optimization. Brickfish uses a Cost Per Engagement™ (CPE™) model, in which advertisers only pay for actions taken with the brand.

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 10, 2008

http://www.sxtechconference.org

Media Contacts:
Geoffrey Knox 212-229-0540 , 917-414-1749
Mona Finston 212-724-6117

Media Advisory

WHAT: More than 300 youth, sexual health educators, academics, and technology experts will gather in San Francisco January 22-23 for a groundbreaking conference, Sex::Tech: Focus on Youth. Organized by Internet Sexuality Information Services (ISIS) and the National Sexuality Resource Center, the conference will address the impact of technology on the sexual health of young people. Focusing on youth perspectives, including youth-led panels and presentations, the conference will examine how technology can be used for STD/HIV prevention; the successes and challenges of Web 2.0, text messaging, and video games as media channels; as well as the future of technological interventions for teaching sexual literacy to young people.

Conference sessions will include:

• Pop Culture and the Power of Social Media to Influence Sex Education
• Sex Panic, How New Technologies Focus Public Fears about Sex
• OMG!STDs: Text Messaging for Sexual Health
• Podcast This! Podcasting for Sexual and Reproductive Health
• From Hip Hop to MySpace: Using Technology to Empower Black Young Women & Girls

On January 22, the conference will also announce the winners of ISIS' national "Fresh Focus: Sex Ed Digital Video Contest," where youth tell their own stories about dealing with the conflicting and often confusing information they receive about sex.

WHO: Key Conference Speakers and Presenters include:

• Deb Levine, M.A., Executive Director and Founder of Internet Sexuality Information Services
• Gilbert Herdt, PhD, Director, National Sexuality Resource Center
• Anastasia Goodstein, Founder Ypulse.com; and Author of Totally Wired: What Teens And Tweens Are Really Doing Online
• Derrick Oien, CEO and Founder, Intercasting Corp., Creators of Anthem and Rabble.com, Mobile Networking for Urban Youth
• Amy Brill and Pete Griffin, MTV, ThinkMTV Carla Stokes, President/CEO & Founder, Helping Our Teen Girls in Real Life Situations, Inc.

WHY: Technology is central to young people's lives—87% of all U.S. teens aged 12-17 use the Internet, 48% visit video-sharing sites, 64% create their own content (e.g., virtual diaries/blogs, video, digital music), and 22% of teens search for information that's hard to talk about, such as sex and drug use. The explosion of social networking sites such as MySpace has solidified the Internet's role in how youth communicate with each other and how they understand and express their sexuality. These sites also present new challenges and opportunities for teen sex education and risk prevention.

WHERE: Conference Keynotes will take place at the JW Marriott San Francisco, 500 Post Street. Additional conference sessions will take place at the Institute for Next Generation Internet (INGI), San Francisco State University Downtown Campus, 835 Market Street, Suite 605.

WHEN: Tuesday, January 22 – Wednesday, January 23, 2008

A full program schedule is available online at http://www.sxtechconference.org/schedule.html

To register or arrange interviews with conference participants, please contact Geoffrey Knox at 212-229-0540 or 917-414-1749 or gknox@geoffreyknox.com.

-- end --

Internet Sexuality Information Services, Inc. (ISIS) is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to developing and using Internet technologies for sexual health promotion and to prevent disease transmission. ISIS provides leadership, innovation, educational resources and research in online sexual health promotion. http://www.isis-inc.org

The National Sexuality Resource Center (NSRC) gathers and disseminates the latest accurate information and research on sexual health, education, and rights. NSRC advances sexual literacy by constructing new dialogues—both online and face-to-face—to promote social justice and to improve the quality of life in the United States. http://nsrc.sfsu.edu

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, September 20, 2007

Leading National Reproductive Health Partners Announce the Launch of...

Fresh Focus: Sex-Ed Digital Video Contest

Advocates for Youth (AFY), Internet Sexuality Information Services, Inc. (ISIS), SFSU's National Sexuality Resource Center (NSRC), RH Reality Check, and the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) announce today's launch of Fresh Focus: Sex-Ed Digital Video Contest, a contest for people ages 15 to 30 to highlight youth voices in the national dialogue on sexuality education.

"While the debate about the need for comprehensive sexuality education rages, millions of young people in this country are left without the information and education that can help them to live healthy lives," said Amie Newman of RH Reality Check. "We are asking youth around the country to use their voices - and a video camera - for change within their communities."

Young people are invited to submit new digital videos showing how they envision the sex ed experience. Content of the video can cover:

1) Your sex ed experience so far, the good and the bad AND/OR

2) New delivery models for comprehensive sex education (cell phones, Internet, console games, robots, etc.).

Videos will be judged on originality and educational value. Content and creative vision will be weighed more heavily than production quality. The grand prize winner will receive a $3500 scholarship or cash equivalent.

"Youth are online everyday creating content and communicating via blogs, digital videos, and text messaging. Fresh Focus: Sex-Ed Digital Video Contest asks youth to envision the future themselves so as to help teachers and youth advocates nationwide design Sex Ed 2.0 -- equipping today's youth with information delivered in a culturally appropriate way so they can form healthy relationships and protect themselves against HIV and other STDs."

The contest begins on September 20th and entries will be accepted until December 31st, 2007. Voting begins January 4th, 2008. Video finalists will be featured at the Sex::Tech Conference: Focus on Youth, January 22-23, 2008 at the Institute for Next Generation Internet in San Francisco. Visit the official contest page today for all the details and official rules.

"We are proud to support the valuable work RH Reality Check and its partners are doing to improve sexuality education across the country," said Tamara Kreinin, Executive Director of the Women and Population Program at the United Nations Foundation. "This innovative contest offers students the chance to use their creativity and new media to tell parents and teachers what they need to stay informed and healthy."

Details, Rules, and Information on Submissions:

Contact:

deb [at] isis-inc [dot] org for press inquiries
andy [at] isis-inc [dot] org for contest inquiries
amie [at] rhrealitycheck [dot] org for more information

Visit the official Sex::Tech Conference website

www.sxtechconference.org

About Advocates for Youth: Advocates for Youth (AFY) is a long-time leader in the movement to empower young people to make informed and responsible decisions about their reproductive and sexual health. AFY is the only organization that works both in the United States and in developing countries with a sole focus on adolescent reproductive and sexual health. www.advocatesforyouth.org

About ISIS:

Internet Sexuality Information Services, Inc. (ISIS) is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to developing and using Internet technologies for sexual health promotion and to prevent disease transmission. ISIS provides leadership, innovation, educational resources and research in online sexual health promotion. www.isis-inc.org

About NSRC:

San Francisco State University's National Sexuality Resource Center (NSRC) gathers and disseminates the latest accurate information and research on sexual health, education, and rights for all. nsrc.sfsu.edu

About RH Reality Check:

As a progressive news outlet covering reproductive and sexual health news and information, RH Reality Check, with the support of the United Nations Foundation, has been on the forefront of this issue, covering the ongoing controversy of comprehensive sexuality education and the federal funding of abstinence-only programs. www.rhrealitycheck.org

About SIECUS:

The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) has been at the forefront of efforts to promote sexuality education for people of all ages, protect sexual rights, and expand access to sexual health for over forty years. www.siecus.org

For more information:
Deb Levine 415.215.6184 deb@isis-inc.org
Amie Newman 206-218-6094 amie@rhrealitycheck.org

Press Release

Cruise Control for Your Online Life: HIV Prevention Website Brings Gay/Bi Men Together with High-Tech Tools

San Francisco, CA – If your New Year's resolution involves spending less time cruising online, CaliforniaMen.net, a new website created by ISIS, Inc. and UCSF CAPS for gay and bisexual men has launched just in time. CaliforniaMen.net offers gay and bi men "cruise control for your online life" with a suite of Web 2.0 tools to share experiences of being gay men in California, post reviews of online cruising sites, ask the expert, and empower men to take charge of their sex lives.

The site was designed with the input from a lively, diverse group of men from around the State. "Men were clear they couldn't find the community they wanted in bars, clubs, or current online venues, so we created a place on the Internet where they can take a break from cruising and get to know other gay men away from the sexually-charged environment online," said Greg Rebchook, PhD, researcher at CAPS.

Four bloggers were recruited from around the state. One was diagnosed HIV-positive within days before he started blogging. He felt that sharing his real life experiences as a person newly diagnosed would help other men learn that HIV is no party. An excerpt from his first blog entry reads, "I am now positive. I am the same person. And yet everything I’d need to think about was drastically and cataclysmically changed."

A little black book is available so men can keep track of their sex lives. Before opening their personal book, men enter information about their "comfort zone" in terms of sexual risk-taking activities. As they add contacts into the book, their actual sexual experiences are compared to their comfort zone. Email STD and HIV testing reminders are integrated into this experience.

"We wanted to bring HIV prevention into the Web 2.0 age. Most public health sites are static information sources. CaliforniaMen.net empowers men to speak in their own voices about their experiences, without judgment or censorship," says Deb Levine, Executive Director of ISIS, Inc.

Funded by Universitywide AIDS Research Program, 40 men will be recruited from CaliforniaMen.net to discuss their experiences with the site and explain how it may have changed their awareness of HIV or their sexual risk-taking behaviors. ISIS and CAPS plan to launch a companion site, MassMen.net in Massachusetts in early 2007. [Project management by Reveal. Engineering by Relyon]

UARP provides funding for HIV/AIDS research throughout California and supports community-based evaluations of innovative HIV-related prevention and care interventions. http://uarp.ucop.edu/

CAPS was established in 1986 to conduct local, national, and international interdisciplinary research on methods to prevent HIV infection and its consequences. http://www.caps.ucsf.edu

ISIS, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to developing Internet technologies to prevent disease transmission and enhance the sexual well-being of individuals and communities. http://www.isis-inc.org

For More Information:
Deb Levine, Executive Director (ISIS, Inc.)
510.835.9400/1 deb@isis-inc.org
Jeff Sheehy, Press Contact (UCSF-CAPS)
415-597-8165 jeff.sheehy@ucsf.edu

ISIS Projects

Contact Us

Email: info@isis-inc.org

ISIS, Inc.
409 13th St., 14th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612-2607
510-835-9400
510-835-9402 (fax)
877-665-2250 (toll-free)