This isn't necessarily bad as it allows advocates to be creative in their use of the Internet. But there is definitely a need for more studies on what works and what doesn't in online advocacy. Here's a study that's being done by a non profit organization founded by young adults to look at whether banner ads affect voting behavior. There'll be some useful info here when the study is completed. We've talked a lot in these newsletters about building online communities.
Membership organizations have a built in advantage because of their membership base.
To find out more about building an online community read this story. Consider getting it encoded and uploaded to your site. One of our clients, The First American Education Project, just went up on the air in eastern Washington and we've placed the ad on the site to maximize the ad's exposure. If not, establish one. In the latest in a continuing series of reports, Pew Internet and American Life has issued a report on privacy and the Internet.