| An online petition serves the same purpose as a | | | | changes. This is what potential signers will look for |
| conventional petition but it is different in that it is | | | | and what will cause them to want to sign their |
| posted online for viewers to read and sign | | | | names in support. |
| electronically. | | | | With a conventional petition, you do have to ask |
| While you may dismiss the value of petitions | | | | the signers to actually sign their names. While you |
| posted online thinking they are frivolous, the fact | | | | don't have to spend time canvassing |
| is that these petitions do carry an enormous | | | | neighborhoods and setting up kiosks in areas |
| amount of clout with authorities. Since they are | | | | where you can have contact with a large number |
| posted on a website, they are visible to people all | | | | of people you do have to promote an online |
| over the world and are valuable in that they can | | | | petition letter. |
| gather a larger number of signatures than you | | | | Simply posting the petition online will not do the |
| could ever hope to collect in a conventional | | | | job you want it to do. One of the common ways |
| petition. | | | | of promoting such petitions is to send the link to |
| With an online petition, a signer types in his/her | | | | the petition to everyone on your contact list |
| name and the email address is the signer's | | | | asking them to sign the petition and forward the |
| address. For the most part, each signer of a | | | | link to all their contacts, and so on. In this way |
| petition posted online has to have an individual | | | | you will help to give the petition the exposure it |
| email address because most sites will not allow | | | | deserves. |
| more than one signature for each email. | | | | Many organizations and government agencies now |
| There is no guesswork involved in starting such a | | | | do accept an online petition. However, there are |
| petition because the petition websites provide you | | | | organizations who do not accept petitions by |
| with the form to use. You don't need to purchase | | | | email. In order to make sure your efforts are not |
| any software. All you have to do is enter the | | | | wasted, you should check this out before you |
| text in the appropriate sections and the software | | | | start. If an organization does not accept an |
| used by the website will format the petition for | | | | emailed petition, then all your efforts and the |
| you. | | | | signatures will be in vain. |
| You do have to follow the same guidelines in | | | | An online petition also needs to be monitored |
| creating an online petition as you do with a | | | | because it is open to fraud. You have to check |
| conventional petition. The title should be short and | | | | the email addresses to make sure they are valid |
| capture the essence of the petition so that when | | | | before you submit the petition signatures. |
| visitors see your petition it will not take a long | | | | Otherwise, once you submit the petition and the |
| time for them to read what it is about. | | | | authority to which you submit it checks the |
| The statement of concern should describe the | | | | emails, if any fraudulent ones are found, the |
| current situation and explain why it needs to be | | | | whole petition may be dismissed and you could be |
| changed. When you request change in a petition, | | | | accused of fraud. If you take the time to |
| you should also make suggestions for ways in | | | | carefully monitor the petition, you will likely get the |
| which the authority can realistically make these | | | | results you want. |