Everybody has an issue for which they believe in strongly.

The kind that when someone makes light of it or proffers a baseless opposing view every fiber in your being snaps to attention.  It could be of religious, humanitarian or political nature, regardless it’s almost guaranteed that everyone feels strongly about something.

However, just because an issue is important to someone does not mean that it will translate into a cause that is personally pursued. 

There is, of course, a spectrum of responsiveness.  Some may internalize their feelings, muster a snappy retort or pontificate politely from their living room recliner, while others opine in letters, organize by the dozens, take to the streets –and even pounce upon a corporate headquarters, City Hall, the halls of Congress, or 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Yep, you have got your arm-chair activists and your arm-chair-throwing activists.  It could be said that those who write online petitions fall under the former group.

Some veteran activists may complain that online petitions and letter writing campaigns cheapen their “legitimate” offline grassroots efforts.  They might try to argue that online petitions are just a form of “slacktivism.”

Come on, give me a break!

Online petitioning engages millions of people who would be clueless about a particular cause –let alone be willing to grab a sign and head to Washington, DC and risk getting arrested.   At the very least, online petitioning puts an issue on the radar of millions of casual surfers every single day!  In other words, but for online petitions millions of people may not know of or appreciate the gravity of a given issue.

In addition, online petitions may pierce a generational veil that traditional door knocking cannot do. 

Just look at a few of the popular petitions sites like Care2.com, ThePetitionSite.com, PetitionSpot.com, and Petitions.ws.  These sites reach a very broad audience –including the MySpace generation, and their petitions reach millions of viewers every day.

In just a few minutes you could create a free petition to advance or defend a cause for which you believe!

And better yet, if you own a website you can promote your cause AND your website at the same time potentially reaching millions of surfers.

Petitions.ws allows you to create a completely customizable petition that matches your website.  There is no limit to how many petitions you create.  Heck, you could literally create a complete legislative or non-profit action center on your website. 

Go ahead, get active and give it a try.  Find the web activist in you.

Make a difference and take a stand, while generating lots of traffic to your website.