"No one wants to be the bearer of bad news...but I got diagnosed with STDs (You might have one, too)," is a message that can be sent to you by e-card through the inSPOT service.

Sex partners can now be informed by e-card if they are likely to have developed a sexually transmitted disease. Created in 2004 by the Internet Sexuality Information Services for the San Francisco Department of Public health (SFDPH), the inSPOT service has been already used by more than 30,000 individuals, who have sent over 49,500 e-cards since the Web site was launched. More than 750 people browse daily the site.

Habitually, letting someone you had sexual contact with know that you have exposed him, her or them to a STD has been done in parson or by phone. However, people would rather use the inSPOT service, which public health educators regard it as a positive fact because, this way, partner notification will increase.

The Web-based system is definitely a revolutionary and successful way “for us to enable people to communicate with their sex partners," stated Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, director of STD prevention and control services at the San Francisco Department of Health.

However, the number of cities that have signed on this service is rather limited. Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego count among such cities, according to a report published in the October issue of PLoS Medicine.

Sexually transmitted diseases include the common Chlamydia, genital warts, herpes, gonorrhea, hepatitis and syphilis.