Online Petitions

03/03/2016 14:12

How many of us have signed and then posted a petition on a social media site only to be bombarded with messages - THAT SITE IS FAKE!! or THEY HARM ANIMALS!!

How many of us got caught up in the idea that this might be true and have, in turn, done the bombarding? I have to confess I have been guilty on both counts! However, after doing my own extensive research: checking ownership, origins, and the claimed successes of many of these alleged fake sites; I have come to the conclusion I was very wrong. (Incidentally, I found it interesting that one of the websites claiming to provide a list of "fake sites" was also hosting many of those "fake" petitions on a different page on their site, while another listed the same sites under both fake and genuine)

Common accusations about "Fake Petition Sites"

So-called "fake websites" collect / sell your email address. Right, they probably do, as do most websites on which you enter your email address. It is also claimed that they will bombard you with junk email, I have signed petitions on some of the so-called fake sites, and I can confirm I have not received any additional junk mail.

Another complaint is the idea that they make money from you clicking ads on their page... Again, this is usually the case with any site that has adsense or similar, there is nothing sinister about it, most sites don't make much from these types of ads as they often have a lot of terms and conditions surrounding the "clicks"  Simple solution- don't click the ads.

The owner/developer of the petition site is often cited as being a problem but then logically, no petition website owner is going to agree with every petition ever created on their site by the general public

So in the muddy, murky waters of Online Petition Websites how do we know what to do... what to sign? I can't give you a definitive answer on that, as there have been petitions left hanging and not submitted to their target on every site, just as there have been fully actioned petitions but hopefully, if you check the following points, they will help you make an informed decision:

• Treat each petition INDIVIDUALLY, not as the site on which it is posted

• Petition websites are NOT responsible for the petitions posted on their site. The person who authors the petition is the only one with responsibility to see that the petition is delivered to its target. Anyone, - YOU - can start a petition on any Petition website.  Your petition is only "fake" if you collect signatures and then do not deliver it.  That is outside the responsibilty of the website.

Things you can check and what to look for:

• Check who posted the petition. Is the organization or individual trustworthy? Although it is easy enough to check an organization, it is not so easy to determine if a person posting the petition is genuine. Anyone can use a fake name on social media. Sadly there are too many people out there who get some kind of sick pleasure posting horrific abuse pictures, and photos of unknown people and then making up petitions. Why? Who knows, only those of a perverted mindset know the answer to that one.

• Is the story a true situation or is it a made up with a photo of some unknown person. Check the story AND the photo.
  

        The Story: Sometimes the story is true but on doing some research, you might find that it is from several years ago and the case has already been resolved - sentences handed down etc. Nothing you sign will change that situation. Most genuine cases will include a link to a bone fide news site where the story appears. Make sure that link is to a real news website and not one of the hundreds of spoof news websites that have now sprung up. If there is no link - do a little research on the case to see if you can find any other information on it, but again, use caution about the site on which you find any information. If the petition provides no story, or if the information as to where or when the incident occurred is vague, then I would definitely be suspiscious

       The Photos: If photos are included you can right click on the picture and do a "Search Google for this image" Quite recently I did this on a petition that I found on more than one site because I noticed the "perpetrator" photo was different. After ignoring dozens of "Pinterest" results I found the original photos of both individuals; one was from a news story of several years earlier and the other was actually a photo copied from "getty images".

Is the "Target" (the place to which the petition will be sent) appropriate? I've seen many petitions where the "target" has been listed as "Animal Lovers Worldwide" or  "General Public" or "The President" or some other obscure target. A possible indicator that the petitioner doesn't quite know what they are doing. "Targeting" animal lovers? (I think they are referring to those they wish to sign) this tells us nothing about where the petition may end up, if indeed it ever gets sent anywhere. Signing would then become no different than clicking "like" on Facebook. Ask yourself... is the Target a department or organization that actually has responsibility for the situation or problem and can they actually do anything about it? If not, you're wasting time signing.

While there are many petitions on every petition site that never get submitted by the petitioner, there have also been many that have, and some that have resulted in success. You may never know for 100% that the petition you sign will be acted upon by its author, but hopefully a little research like checking the author (petitioner), the story, the photo and the target will help you in making the decision to sign or not.

Final note: "clicktivism" should never replace true "activism".

Just my opinion...