The Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO) has released evaluation of a six-month trial project called Netreach, which used popular Internet chat rooms such as Gaydar to offer Sexual Health Information and referral, deeming it a success. Netreach was set up in response to the plethora of people using gay chat sites to meet people for casual encounters. The project reached many people from rural and regional areas and allowed them to ask questions which they may not have felt able to ask in other settings. The service was similar to an earlier WAAC project, Cyberreach, which was trialled in WA last year.
According to WAAC CEO Trish Langdon, ‘While some people feel that chat rooms should be a private space and that it is inappropriate to bring in health educators, opinions do vary’ adding that ‘the outreach workers are instructed not to harass people, but make it clear that participants are free to approach them.’
Trish Langdon identified that one of the problems of providing outreach services in chat rooms is the fluctuation in popularity of specific sites. In response to this, the service is constantly attempting to keep up with the current trends in chat room usage with ongoing reviews.
Ms Langdon was quick to reiterate that chat room based services would not replace traditional Sexual Health Education services such as phone help lines and drop-in services. Overall, however, the service is seen as a successful addition to the choices available to people seeking advice and information.
