Dan Robinson, California based Howard Dean supporter, recently learned that Ralph Nader was considering a second run for the presidency in 2004. Using CitizenSpeak - a free grassroots email advocacy service - Dan launched an email campaign urging Nader not to run.

Dan posted his campaign’s web address on a couple of popular Dean mailing lists and invited people to participate. The response was overwhelming. Within days of launching the campaign, some 400 people had already participated.

Dan was particularly impressed with the CitizenSpeak Advanced Service’s reporting capabilities. “With CitizenSpeak Advanced, I was able to download a report with all the participants’ contact information. Keep in mind, I started this campaign by announcing it on a listserv. I had no idea who might care about this issue. Yet within one campaign, I had the contact information - names, email addresses, even personal statements - of over 400 like-minded people.”

Dan concluded that his message really hit a nerve. “The Internet alone is not the answer for political mobilization. It’s about solid content that can resonate with an identifiable constituency. The Internet and tools like CitizenSpeak expedite the coming together of these forces.”

“Using CitizenSpeak, I was able to identify and reach into a constituency that cares about this issue. I was able to harness the viral nature of the Internet and create a solid base for future campaigns.”