Online petitioning - Good enough?
Is online petitioning good enough? Sites such as Change.org have helped cause some major change because of their petitions. Petitions can show backing for a cause, but there are some flaws to these platforms.
Opposition to the cause doesn't have a voice
With the majority of the online petitioning sites, there's no way to gauge the level of opposition for the cause. There is a signature number for the supporters, but the opposition gets no voice in the matter. Most petitions are on things the majority of the people can easily agree on, but there is always going to be someone with a different opinion.
No interaction other than signing petitions
The other major flaw of all the existing petition sites is the fact that they have no real social features to them. Sure, they all allow users to create profiles and make connections, but there are no ways to interact with the connections made under said platform.
You've shown support for the cause, now lets discuss and debate it, right? Featureless petition sites means that users are only able to show what they support. In order to voice an opinion or otherwise be heard on these platforms would require creating a whole new petition related to the matter you want to voice. What does one do when the matter needing to be discussed is not necessarily a petition to a specific party?
None of these sites contain features to drive actual discussion and participation. They are designed for petitions and that's the only interactions offered.
Votepedia - Online Petitioning AND Social media
Votepedia is an
online petitioning platform that is built off of a social networking site. This means not only can you create and sign petitions, you can actually discuss the causes behind them as well!
Right now our petitioning module is fairly basic. We are developing our platform (3 - 6 months) and our proprietary petitioning platform will include a number of improvements. Upon each signature, the cover-letter drafted with the petition will be converted into a fax, email and automated phone-call. Any decision-maker identified in the petition will receive these communications with each signature.
Votepedia will also have all the bells and whistles a social networking site is expected to have. Users will be able to post content, share media, form groups and make connections. We will have a message board, which is unique for most social networking sites anymore. It is a great way to broadcast your content to an audience outside your connections and to engage in discussion based on different subjects.