Launch Of You2gov. Com Brings Power To The People In The Digital Age
Today, a first of its kind political social network, You2Gov. com, was launched to provide American citizens with an online forum where they can find up to the minute information on the issues they care about, form their own "interest groups" with others, and leverage their collective power to influence their representatives in Government. The announcement was made today by You2Gov. com CEO Alan Silberberg at the National Conference of State Legislatures Summit, where thousands of legislators, businesses, government officials and others have gathered to discuss public policy.
New Orleans, Louisiana (PRWEB) July 24, 2008
Launch Of You2gov. Com Brings Power To The People In The Digital Age
-- Political Social Networking Site Enables Everyday Americans to Form Groups, Share Ideas, Mobilize, and Act on the Issues They Care About --
Today, a first of its kind political social network, You2Gov. com, was launched to provide American citizens with an online forum where they can find up to the minute information on the issues they care about, form their own "interest groups" with others, and leverage their collective power to influence their representatives in Government. Most Americans don't have the time or the resources to launch campaigns, track legislation, connect with other citizens, write letters to their elected officials, or research news and information about specific issues. You2Gov. com aggregates all of this information together with tools so that with just a few clicks, every American -- not just big businesses and their lobbyists -- will have the power to act on and influence the national, state and local political issues. The announcement was made today by You2Gov. com CEO Alan Silberberg at the National Conference of State Legislatures Summit, where thousands of legislators, businesses, government officials and others have gathered to discuss public policy.
"You2Gov. com brings Power to the People in the new media era," stated Silberberg. "Every day thousands of decisions are made by political bodies around the country, from city councils to the 50 State legislatures to the United States Congress, while citizens sit on the sidelines because they aren't sure what is happening when or where or who will listen to their opinions before the decisions and laws are final. Most Americans don't have the money to hire lobbyists to get inside information and access to their elected officials. With You2Gov. com, regular Americans now have their own access to power, and it's free. The information on the issues, the research, the form letters and contact information for elected officials is all there. All You2Gov users have to do is log on, share their ideas and concerns, connect with like-minded citizens and take action, either individually or collectively. It's that simple."
You2Gov has received overwhelming support at the NCSL Summit from political leaderships of dozens of States, non-profits and education constituencies. Silberberg added, "We are very excited about the reaction we've received here in New Orleans. Everyone from elected officials to educators and non-profits executives have expressed that a website this comprehensive and powerful will better educate citizens and help them to become more civically active and effective. That is our mission and we believe American citizens are going to be just as enthusiastic about all that You2Gov has to offer."
As the Internet rapidly becomes integral to politics at all levels, You2Gov's non-partisan social network platform is designed to create access for regular citizens, where in the past only the connected have had influence. Individuals can build online communities around issues, access new research and information, share the information with friends and family, and organize their group to call, fax, email and write their elected officials, all using tools provided for free on the website.
You2Gov. com will provide one-touch communications with elected officials at the State and Federal Levels; government accountability office reports; Federal Election Commission data; Congressional Legislative Tracking, updates on Presidential actions; Congressional reports; and news stories, tv clips, feeds and information links to all 50 states. You2Gov also provides the framework for users to post comments, videos, and photos, form groups, suggest blogs, and link up to other social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace.
The idea for You2Gov. com arose during the Democratic primary, when it became apparent that the votes of unelected Superdelegates would control the outcome. You2Gov. com founder Ralph J. Shapira wanted to contact the uncommitted Superdelegates from his state, California, to express his views, but realized he had no idea who they were or how to contact them. He assumed countless other Americans across the country were feeling the same frustration, and he decided to devote his energies to creating a social network platform that would facilitate citizen mobilization access and communications with government officials.
Over the next several months, Los Angeles, CA-based You2Gov will launch a number of initiatives in conjunction with the Democratic and Republican Conventions and the November Presidential Election, a time of heightened political interest, in order to assist more Americans to participate meaningfully in their democracy. For more information on You2Gov, visit www. You2Gov. com or contact Lisa Cohen at lisa @ lisacohen. org.
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