Online Petitions for Beginners

Thanks to our first amendment rights, we are allowed to write, sign, and submit any petition(s) that we want. A petition is a formal request bearing the names of many individuals that share the same goal in obtaining favor or mercy from someone in authority. A petition can be written by one individual or many, and it bears the signatures of a number of people who all share the same goal. In the old days, petitions were formally hand written or typed by a type writer, but these days, thanks to modern technology, petitions can all be done online.

Before the days of online petitions, it took a lot of door to door working to get them signed. Rallies would be set up in order to call on interested people to all gather in one place. Successful rallies were very massive and many people attended them with the purposes of signing a petition.

All though there still are occasional assembly gatherings for petitions, for the most part petitions are done online. Anyone who has an interest in starting a petition can type up a letter explaining its purpose and to whom its to be sent to. They can then submit the petition to an online petition site, such as Petition Spot, where many others with similar interests can read it and sign it.

So what all do people like to make online petitions about? Anything and everything. Whether it's serious issues such as protesting the war in Iraq to stopping their favorite television show from getting canceled, people start a variety online petitions everyday. The more serious online petitions are sent to the government, military, international organizations, etc. and the less serious ones are sent to those in charge of the entertainment industry. There are millions of people around the world that sign online petitions each and everyday. Starting petitions and submitting them online to sites such as Petition Spot is a great way to get a lot of exposure to the cause(s).

In the old days it could take a very long time to go around having people sign it. Petitions on the Internet can, and will, get many signatures in no time at all. Once the starter of the petition is satisfied that he or she has enough signatures, he or she will then directly send it to the proper agency or person that deals with the subject matter.

Online petition sites like Petition Spot host a number of different petitions and make them available for everyone to sign. There are currently 150,000 petitions with nearly 9,000,000 signatures hosted on Petition Spot! The types of online petitions hosted on online petition sites concern human and civil rights, animal rights, environmental protection rights, health, government, entertainment, media, etc. All you have to do is browse or search through them to find petitions that interest you. You can then read them right then and there at your computer and sign them! It's all it takes. You can even share them with your friends if you wish.

Some of the most popular petitions are written and signed by those wishing the government would pull troops out of Iraq, thus ending the war. Millions of Americans are dedicated to the anti-war movement, and petitions are being established, signed, and sent to the government everyday.

For those who still enjoy attending rallies and assemblies in person, you can still help out with online petitions by handing out flyers and pamphlets that contain the url to the petition(s)! Doing this, along with sharing information about petitions through email, will help the petition(s) become very popular. Sometimes online petitions will even gain media attention, which will help out even more with the cause!

If there is a cause that you would like to start a petition for, it's very easy. It's just as simple to create a petition these days as it is to sign one! That's how great online petition websites are. All you have to do is visit an online petition site, such as Petition Spot, join as a member, and begin! There are sample petitions for you to go by so you'll get an idea of what the format should be like when writing it. There are also forums for you to go and ask for advice. It is very simple for you to share your petition with others, thus bringing more attention to your cause.

Here are a few tips you should follow when writing your petition:

• Write your goal out clearly. Many potential signers may not have all day to read it. Get to the point.

• Make sure you use proper grammar and spelling. You will want to be very professional. How can you expect anyone to take you seriously with typos and grammar errors? Have a friend proofread it if you must.

• Get word out about your petition. Take advantage of email and online forums. Try not to spam, though. Try to get media coverage if you can. Write to your local newspaper(s), radio station(s), and news anchors.

• While you're at it, go around town posting up flyers and banners about your petition. Don't forget to include the web address to your online petition!

• Be very polite. Don't demand that people sign your petition. You can bring more sympathy to your cause if you act kindly. It's ok to be passionate about your cause, but try not to be too pushy.

Just remember that you can create a successful petition if you truly believe in your cause! Don't get discouraged if you don't receive as many signatures as you hope for; we must all begin somewhere. The more work you put behind your petition, the more interest that will be generated. Online petition sites will provide many useful tools to help you, so it may not all be as hard as you might imagine. There are currently nearly 9,000,000 signatures on Petition Spot alone, so it's obviously a good place to begin if you're hoping for a lot of interest and signatures for your own cause!