Comments for Why are internet petitions a bad idea?

Comment from James on 2011-11-15

2011-11-15T20:43:19Z

What about this one then?
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/

Of course, regarding many petitions, especially on Facebook, I absolutely agree with you.

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Comment from Fred Nerd on 2011-10-13

2011-10-14T01:29:00Z

There are SOME good uses. Mainly as feedback. For instance: if a facebook petition to save whales has 1 millon signatures, you can tell that the issue has public opinion. Now, the petition might do nothing, BUT some politician might be able to leverage this and will do something to get votes.

(Just like I KNOW that not many people care to Save the Woolly Mammoth)

In Australia we have the 'Get Up' organisation which often does online petitions. They can take it to whatever level of government and say 'there are a lot of VOTING people who want logging stopped, is this a good hint?'

But they're the exceptions to the rule.

Anyone with even a hint of internet familiarity should never pay attention to internet petitions because they are trivial to manipulate and falsify. So, no, you cannot and should not assume that any internet petition with 1,000,000 "signatures" means that 1,000,000 people care. Get 1,000,000 people to write a letter instead and you'll get someone's attention.

14-Oct-2011

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Comment from Timothy on 2010-06-03

2010-06-04T01:35:10Z

Maybe those Internet petitions won't get enough signatures. We want the gas prices lowered and there were petitions for that. Also I want to make my public transportation better and also have unfair rules repealed like portable DVD players allowed on the buses as long as those people with them use headphones and don't distract others with it. I also think that high gas prices cost me driving lessons.

Even if they do get "enough" signatures, internet petitions are ineffective and a waste of time.

05-Jun-2010

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Comment from Mike Mackintosh on 2009-02-09

2009-02-09T15:26:06Z

If mine is the first name on the list, on how many lists will my name have appeared if they all get 100 entries? Some mathematical genius might care to work it out. But I can only legitimately sign a petition once, so the lists are invalid anyway.
My wife is a British citizen and she was asked to sign a perition. You were sent a specific form on which to record your vote and given the e-mail address of the government department that was being petitioned. That makes sense.

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Comment from Noel on 2009-02-07

2009-02-08T01:20:59Z

Leo,
Do you think Facebook petitions and Care2 petitions are any better? I would be interested in your comments on how they solve or do not solve the problems you mentioned.
Thank,
ND

Nope. They might make you feel better, but in general the people you're trying to reach either never see them, or don't pay attention to the results.

- Leo
08-Feb-2009

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Comment from Lilian on 2008-10-07

2008-10-08T00:59:43Z

Leo, I always reply to my Dying with Dignity petitions & was really amused when they told us how to do multiple entries to a news paper petition ! [there is life in us old dogs yet ]
Don't YOU dare retire, or we will have to follow you to US, & I havn't won the lottery yet.
Lilian. O

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Comment from Cathal on 2008-10-07

2008-10-07T15:18:31Z

There is another factor in signing internet petitions if you are from outside the US. If you sign an internet or email petition that makes a criticism of the US in any way, it can come up if you have to apply for a working visa. This actually happened a friend of mine.

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Comment from John Fischer on 2006-01-30

2006-01-30T20:48:56Z

In all the writeups on internet petitions, no one mentions what I call the "geometric duplication of signatures". If Joe Smith starts a petition and sends it out to 100 people, his name will appear on all 100 petitions. If those 100 people send the petition out to 100 people each, Joe Smith's name will appear on 10,000 petitions and so on. And, a similar multiplier effect will occur for everyone who signs, albeit to lesser degrees depending on where their names appear in the list.

To me, this is the biggest reason for NOT participating in internet petitions.

Comments?

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Comment from Greg Bulmash on 2005-10-07

2005-10-08T06:58:29Z

THANK YOU LEO!!!!

Thank you for posting this. I try and try to explain to people why these petitions are stupid (especially the e-mail ones that say "add your name and forward this"). Now I'll just send them this link.

You are truly a wonderful person and a savior to all mankind.

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A comment on: Why are internet petitions a bad idea?

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