Online petitions aren’t something that everyone is entirely active in but most are aware of. Many of us receive a constant stream of emails asking us to save this or stop and prevent that and most of the time, these online petition requests end up in our dusty spam folder, never to be read again. On the other side of the spectrum lies the over-petitioner – the person that clicks and signs everything in sight, hoping that their contribution will make a difference in the world. Online petitions are a somewhat grey area with some enthusiasts believing that their click is making a difference and others believing that all online petitions are a sham and that no affect comes from these causes. Do online petitions make a difference or are you signing your life away for nothing?
Take Twitition. Created by Twitter, Twitition lets you create your own Twitition and get others involved in your cause. This however, can be cause for concern as any Twitter user can create a false petition and scam others into signing or even donating to a fake charity or organisation. All you need to do is create a Twitition title and cause description and you are good to go. Let me say that I am going out on a limb here, but how many of you think that some, just some people take advantage of this Twitition? It is unfortunate that Twititions are not used for worthy causes but rather used for “causes” such as “Get Justin Bieber to come to our city/town/daughters sweet 16th”.
Online petitions aren’t all for the wrong reasons, though. As we watch our mailbox at home empty and our email inbox fill up, there still are some online petitions worthy of signing and these petitions aim to bring change to an issue that lacks it. Some petitions are actually creating awareness and yes, others that are a spammy waste of time. What you need to do is know where to find these online petitions. When you want to sign a petition, do some research and do not be fooled by the pictures of kittens and puppies. Make sure that the petition that you are signing is connected to a registered agency or organisation and do your homework.
Experts suggest that you watch out for email petitions especially because in many cases, these online petitions are scams. Always check out the email address as well as the site and make sure to do some research into the petitions cause before you sign. For every legit petition, there are thousands that are scams and once you know this, you will be able to sift out the waste from the treasures and find a petition worth signing.
Do you sign online petitions? Which online petitions do you trust and continue to support?
Online Petitions – Do you know where to sign on the dotted line?
