Online petitions are becoming a more popular way for citizens to air their grievances and demand a response by the government. However, if they are not social media petitions, they will most likely fail.

Recent U.K. Social Media Petitions

Just last week, a man named Dominic Aversano in the U.K. was at home listening to remarks by a U.K. cabinet member. When he did not agree with what the cabinet member was saying, he chose to start a petition online and tweet about it. Within a few hours, that petition had over 100,000 signatures.

Now, that petition has been making national news in the U.K. Just one tweet about a petition that was being started has created a national sensation in the country. This is just one small example of how social media can make a huge difference in creating petitions.

What is even more impressive about petitions is that 100,000 people do not have to sign it for change to happen. Sometimes just a few thousand signatures will convince elected officials to respond. If social media can get over 100,000 supporters, it can definitely get a few thousands for most petitions.

How Can You Petition in the U.S.?

The White House currently has a site set-up for citizens to actively search for and start petitions. You can easily search for petitions related to the issue you want addressed and sign it online. If one does not currently exist, you are given the option to create your own petition and obtain signatures.

For petitions to be effective, they need to be well-advertised. Many are created every day, so something needs to be done to distinguish your petition from others. Simply spreading the word through social media can be extremely beneficial to maintaining support for your petition.

Although you can find other sites for petitions, or start one on paper, working through credible online sources is necessary. The next time you want to change something in the government, consider making a petition. Remember, Facebook and Twitter can be the difference in success or failure for any petition.