FAQ
Introductory note:
Browsing and participating in a variety of petitions and campaigns posted on this site will make an excellent learning experience on petition and campaign quality and strategy.
What is an E-petition?
E-petitions (also online-petitions) are petitions carried out in the virtual world of the internet. Like conventional petitions, they are a good way of raising public awareness, gaining support and building a followers-network. And the best side is: they can have a significant influence on governments’ and economical decision-makers’ behaviour!
By posting the petition online, you will be able to miraculously increase its potential* reach.
You can do this in 3 ways:
1. Set up a website for the petition;
2. Create a petition page on your own website;
3. Create a petition on one of those E-petition hosting websites.
* and how let people know about it?
4. Spread the news about it via email, articles, campaign partner organizations etc.
Which are those E-petition websites?
There are official and non-official websites that house petitions.
Official websites are usually set up by local or national governments, and provide an avenue for the local people to raise issues of public concern directly with the governments.
Example:
The Scottish Parliament E-Petitions http://epetitions.scottish.parliament.uk/
The Australian National Forum Petitions http://petitions.nationalforum.com.au/
Unlike official petition websites, non-official, or “free and independent” websites host petitions on all kinds of issues from all over the world. The services are usually free, and they supply petition-sponsors with guidance, useful tools, allow a statistical analysis of your database and give instant information on the signers. Some also give you a community/forum where you can meet and discuss with other petition-signers.
Examples:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com
Please note that because of the simplicity to create a petition on these websites, it may attract frivolous causes and joke ones.
What criteria do petitions have to meet to be accepted as valid?
There are a few information petitions should contain, and will otherwise be considered as invalid.
- A clear, brief statement of what people are indicating their agreement to by signing;
- The target of the petition;
- The sponsor, including the full name and contact address/email for reply;
- The full names and e-mail addresses of each person who signs;
- the closing date.
Other Information may be required, usually by government sectors, for the validation of a petition. For instance, the UK Prime Minister’s Office requires that a website is set up to explain the purpose of the petition and to collect signatures. Furthermore, signers have to give not only their email-addresses but also full verifiable postal addresses.
Link: http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/page297.asp
E-mail chain letters and mass e-mail campaigns
E-mail chain letters and mass e-mail campaigns are not commonly accepted and may probably be considered as a hoax! Indeed, many ARE hoaxes! This is a big problem, since thousands of people DO add their names under those lists but they are no good, - so, credibility is in danger. Often, some thinking or research helps you distinguish between true, relevant and fake, useless, irrelevant campaigns.
Anyway, with free petition sites available, there isn't really any need for chain and cut-and-paste address collection mails.
What should I do before signing a petition?
Read the petitions thoroughly before signing, and see if they include all the informations needed. Check their privacy policy to make sure they don't release captured details to anyone.
Do some research. Websites like http://www.snopes.com, http://www.hoax-slayer.com, http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org scan the web for Hoaxes and Myths.
And remember, some petitions are not outright hoax, but contain false information or are already out-of-date. These may make even those best-written and well-intended petitions useless.
PNYV's Petition Portal attempts to provide some of the research for you, and lists credible E-petitions of local and global relevance, congruent with the United Nations Charters.
Can E-petitions help to remedy important issues?
It is important to note that E-petitions can be highly effective. Not because they have legal force, but because of their ability to raise the awareness of the public on the petition-aims, and thus to put pressure on political decision-makers.
Public opinion plays a big role in having vital issues appropriately addressed and solved, regionally, nationally and internationally. Many countries are very concerned about a positive international image (for tourism, business, export etc.).
E-petitions can serve as an efficient method to collect and express these opinions. It allows anyone with computer access to make their individual voices heard. That is why we strongly encourage the use and spreading of E-petitions for building the *missing link* between citizens of all ages, civil society, political and economical decision-makers.
Furthermore, the effect of an E-petition can go far beyond the actual list of signatures. Successful petitions may get attention in the media, and inspire petition-supporters to take additional action in the “offline-world”. These can turn the petition into a campaign and demonstrations, put extra pressure on the targets, and influence the behavior of other “potential targets”.
In today’s globalising society, with decision-makers increasingly disassociated from local and global realities, where political integrity, corporate social and environmental responsibility and balanced consumption are an indispensable necessity for a sustainable society everywhere - but still need to be learned(!) – an active, free citizen’s voice for population’s priorities is a necessary step towards a better level of participative and true democracy.
How do I set up a good E-petition?
Here are some tips for those who are about to create their own E-petitions and -campaigns.
- Find the right cause / target. A misdirected petition is obviously of no more use than a undirected one.
- Write clearly and consicely, and contain the necessary information listed above.
- Connect with an established and respected organisation backing the information or even hosting the campaign / petition. It will add credibility to the cause.
- Include a public person to support the campaign with their voice and statement, if personally available. Of course, do not just quote someone. They have to consent personally and give a personal statement to you.
- Include information, - comprehensive and transparent - on the background of the cause to allow your readers to study the cause and know that it is neither a hoax nor a frivilous cause or – lie! You kow what kind of lies have entered the political arena on highest level around the Iraq War, so – be true and show it. Include links to information from respected institutions and websites.
- Let the signers add their own comment. Identical letters, even though they are from hundreds of individuals, may sometimes be considered as just one public comment. E-petitions that encourage the supporters to add their unique comments, allow individual voices to be heard and give signers the opportunity to get more involved.
- Promote your petition both online and offline, tell your family, friends and colleagues about it.
- Check the credibility of the signatures, false and funny names will make your petition invalid. Check the comments also, if you have allowed the signers to add their own.
- Often, like in any valid political process, the signature HAS to naturally be verified by a full name and street address, see the directions by the UK Prime Minister’s Office, which requires that a website is set up to explain the purpose of the petition and to collect signatures. Furthermore, signers have to give not only their email-addresses but also full verifiable postal addresses. Link: http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/page297.asp
- Print the petition and collected signatures and hand them to the directed organisation personally. This will add extra impact to the emails sent.
- Take documenting photos and post them on your website.
- Ask petition signers to write letters/emails. Follow the example of Amnesty International, - you can send your petition supporters an email containing a short mesage about the problem, and a form letter which the recipient can personalize and send it to the noted e-mail or postal address.
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What else can I do besides starting or/and signing a petition?
E-petitions are just the start, and it can be turned into a campaign, both in the internet and in the real world. Put in the effort to spread the message and make your voices heard!
You can also set up a blog, an e-group or an e-community with websites like Yahoo. This will provide a space to meet people who share your point of view, to get support, to exchange related documents, to discuss, to share links to relevant sites and etc..
Walk a Positive Future – every Day !!!
Your petition and campaign participation should naturally reflect in your every day support of positive causes. Your consumption and energy use make a difference. A sound political vote makes a difference. Studying relevant matters makes a difference, and sharing important information with other ones. In today’s world of dys-, half- and bogus-information, fake news, corporate news and manipulated media images, where many people cannot even differentiate between myth, show and reality, it becomes more important by the day to do self-guided reading and study.
With PNYV!, we are trying to build you bridges to some of the best from the worldwide changemaking movement. The included information, links and resources have been screened for their quality. However, nobody is perfect and even the best organisations and scientific institutions are usually specialised and have gaps of knowledge in this multicomplex world. So, stay awake and keep thinking for yourself, putting together puzzle pieces of information to attain a realistic worldview, draw approprate conclusions for your own decisions on your journey towards becoming a sound, active, responsible and – wise – Fair Global Citizen.
We are also developing a responsible Lifestyle Guide for the 21st Century. Go check it out & contribute.
Links:
http://www.petitiononline.com/petition_FAQ.html
http://www.e-legislativeaction.com/index2.html
http://epetitions.kingston.gov.uk/
http://www.ipetitions.com/how-to-write-petition.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_petition