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GENERAL
 Why
should I join iPetitions?
Because it's easy to use, and allows you to use the power of the internet
to promote your favorite cause. You also become part of a vibrant community
of civic-minded internet activists. Join the conversation at our discussion
groups: share your thoughts on internet activism, online politics, and ways
to use the internet to change the world.
Why
would I want an iPetition instead of a paper petition?
First, because an iPetition gives you instant access to an estimated 250
million internet users around the world. You get your own URL; it's like
instantly becoming a global activist. How are you going to do that with
a paper petition? Have you ever stood on a street corner and tried to collect
signatures? You probably got a few hundred signatures at most--and very
achey legs.
Second, because an iPetition allows you to use the power of viral marketing
to attract signatures. Every visitor to your petition can email a friend
about the petition; that friend can email another friend who can email another
friend who can email another friend... and so on. In no time, your petition
will have been advertised to thousands of people--and all for free.
Third, because an iPetition allows you to perform a statistical analysis
of your database and gives you instant information on who signed up, where
they live, their gender, their profession, and so on. Such demographic information
can be very convincing: try telling a corporation that 80% of people who
signed a petition to boycott its products has an income of above $50,000
a year. That'll get them listening!
How do I activate my membership once I've joined?
When you join iPetitions, we send a message to the email you gave us to confirm your account. You have seven days to activate your membership by clicking on the link in that email. If you do not activate your account within seven days your membership will be cancelled and you will lose all data in any petitions you have sponsored. If you are having problems with the activation process, contact us.
How effective is an online petition?
It all depends. A well-written, and well-publicized
petition can be very effective in gathering national
(and international) attention, and in the process
effecting real change in the world. Some of our
petitions have attracted attention from leading media
organizations like CNN, Fox, BBC, and a number of
local sources. While it is difficult to draw a direct
connection between such attention and actual change,
publicity (and of course a large number of signatures)
clearly helps. Remember, though, that a successful
petition depends largely on your input and energy:
it's upto you to write it in an effective manner, and
to publicize it fully.
iPetitions can help with these tasks. For more
information,
contact
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ADDING A PETITION
I'm
confused. Should I use a Quick Petition or a Custom Petition?
It depends. Both types of petitions are highly customizable and allow you
to add or delete questions in the Control Panel. A Quick Petition is free
and requires no knowledge of HTML; a Custom Petition is open only to paying
members of our premium services, and
requires basic knowledge of HTML. However, a Custom Petition includes a
number of enhanced features which make it the ideal option for individuals
or organizations who want greater control over their campaigns. These features
include the ability to custom design your petition (you are not restricted
to the template design that comes with a Quick Petition) and the ability
to display your petition without banner ads. Also, a Custom Petition gives
you access to our File Manager, which allows you to upload and edit the
files in your campaign.
Is Quick Petition free?
Yes. Our goal is to empower average users with sophisticated online tools. That's why we provide this free service. To support this service, we run advertisements on the petition and sometimes after the petition (i.e., after the user has signed). These advertisements are essential to providing the free services that thousands of users depend upon.
What
technical knowledge do I need to host a petition?
None, if you're using our Quick Petition. If you're using our Custom Petition,
you'll need basic knowledge of HTML.
Can
I add multiple petitions?
Yes, each user is allowed a maximum of five petitions.
Our
organization wants a petition but we want it stored on our servers and customized
to our specifications. Can you do that?
Yes. We've produced several customized solutions. Contact
us for more information.
I
already have my own petition but now I want to use your software tools.
Do I have to start from scratch?
No. We'll integrate your existing database with ours, and we'll help you
port your petition to our site. Just get in touch
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RUNNING A PETITION
I
set up a petition asking for signer's names and email addresses but now
I want to gather other information, too. How do I do that?
Just visit Question Manager in your Control Panel, where you can add new
questions and delete old questions. iPetitions is extremely flexible; we
try to give you total control. After all, it's your cause, and your
petition.
I
ask for name and email on my petition but I think more people would sign
if I just asked for name. Can I stop asking for emails?
Sure. Just visit Question Manager in your Control Panel and remove (or make
optional) the question asking for email addresses.
I've
gathered all my signatures. Now how do I send my petition?
You have two options. If you want to format the petition and mail it yourself,
you can download your database file from the "View Database" section of
your control panel and either print the names
or send them by email to the recipient of your petition. iPetitions also
offers its own petition output service. For a fee, we'll send a formatted
hardcopy of your petition and set up a special URL where your recipient
can view the signatures. Contact us for more
details.
I've
made changes in Question Manager but they aren't showing up on my petition.
This can happen if you are using a Custom Petition and have pasted in the
longer code snippet for your dialog box. If you are using the longer code
snippet, you need to repaste your code everytime you make changes in Question
Manager
How
can I view the signatures and comments submitted to my petition?
To keep track of your petition signatures, click on the Control
Panel icon (after logging in) and visit the Database
section. You will see a scrollable list of signatures, and you can download
your signature list. You can also view statistics on your signatures in
the Statistics section of the
Control Panel. iPetitions also offers a number of services to donwload and
format signature lists so that they can be submitted to petition recipients.
If you are interested in these services, please contact
us.
How do I delete a petition?
To delete a petition, you need to email us from the email account with which you
registered. Your email should contain the following text with the words "I
agree" and your full name next to text in the box below:
To delete a petition:
Please remove my petition, short title [specify short title] from your
website
(www.ipetitions.com). I understand that in doing so iPetitions will delete
any data
or information associated with this petition and furthermore that this data
will be
irretrievable. I further understand that iPetitions or any of its
employees or
partners will not be responsible for any losses arising thereof and that I
will be
the sole individual responsible for all loss of data.
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To delete your username:
Please remove my user name and all petitions associated with it from your
website
(www.ipetitions.com). I understand that in doing so iPetitions will delete
any data
or information associated with my user name and furthermore that this data
will be
irretrievable. I further understand that iPetitions or any of its
employees or
partners will not be responsible for any losses arising thereof and that I
will be
the sole individual responsible for all loss of data.
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PREMIUM
SERVICES
What
do I get as a premium member?
In addition to all the free services already available at iPetitions, premium
members receive a range of enhanced services, including ad-free petitions, custom designed petitions,
and tools to filter petitions for duplicates. Visit the Premium Services
page for more information and a complete list of Premium Membership benefits.
How much do the Premium Services cost?
Our premium tools cost $49.99 per petition. We have a 14-day money back guarantee in case you are not satisfied with our services.
Is
there a trial period so I can decide whether I want to be a premium member?
Yes. When you sign up as a premium member, you can use our services for
free for 3 weeks. After that, if you have not paid, your petitions will
be temporarily disabled.
Do
different categories of premium users get different privileges?
No. Each category gets the same service. We charge based on what we think
different types of users can afford to pay. Signing up for the appropriate
category is based on an honor system.
How
do I pay? Is my credit card data secure?
Your payments are processed using Paypal,
a major credit card processing company that uses industry standard security
to protect personal information. All information you enter will be processed
securely. We offer 14-day money-back guarantee in case you are not completely satisfied with our services. |
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GETTING INVOLVED
I
like your site. How can I help?
Thanks for your interest. You can help in two ways. First, by supporting us with your donations--any amount, no matter how small, helps us keep the site running. You can also help by spreading the word.
We're not a big company with an advertising budget--we rely on word of mouth
(viral marketing, as it's known). Tell your friends about us and encourage
them to join our community. Of course, if you've got any special skills
that you think might be relevant to our project, do let us know about them.
We rely on volunteer time! |
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iPetitions is
owned and operated by Angle Three Associates, LLC.
All material © Copyright Angle Three Associates, LLC, 1998-2009.
TERMS OF USE
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