Cybercitizen: How to Use Your Computer to Fight for ALL the Issues You Care About [Paperback]

Christopher Kush (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2000

The Internet's ability to break down barriers, connect people, and amass information is unparalleled and unprecedented. Perhaps the Internet's most important promise lies in its ability to re-connect American citizens with their government. Using the World Wide Web, anyone can now research issues, track legislation, and lobby the halls of Congress. It is easier than ever before to reach out to others who share your views and create a unified voice that legislators cannot ignore.

Cybercitizen is a practical, nonpartisan guide that cuts through the glut of useless information on the Internet and connects you with the people, the organizations, and the information that power America's government. Get online and become a force for change!

Cybercitizen includes:
* Insightful explanations of the new and powerful ways that online Americans can influence their lawmakers.
* Comprehensive listings of the best political, government, and news sites on the World Wide Web.
* How to find the funding, the voting records, and the issue positions of your local candidates before you vote.
* A sourcebook of the issues you care about and where to find them on the Internet.
* Strategy tips from professionals who know how elected officials think, work, and react.
* Information on how to use the Internet to identify, research, and counteract your political opponents.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This is a book of exhortation, and the subtitle tells it all. Kush, who runs Soapbox Consulting in Washington, D.C., presents a handbook on how to get things done in a democracy by using the tools of cyberspace: Web sites, e-mail, and so on. He gives good soundbites of advice on how to make a difference in both local and federal governments by studying, surfing, downloading, writing, and e-mailing. Much of the book comprises annotated lists of Web sites, and these are balanced in their coverage, from Al to George W., from coalitions to flash campaigns. Best of all is the chapter called "Your Own Private Idaho," where Kush outlines just how to proceed after you've stopped screaming and decided to do something. It's written on a basic level, and there's some repetition, but what he says is sound--and it works. The quotations that head each chapter, from de Tocqueville to Margaret Mead, are catchy and apt. The Web site that would be the perfect accompaniment does not seem to be operational as yet, alas. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

Cybercitizen was an AmericanWay "Paper Pick". -- AmericanWay

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (September 2, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312263058
• ISBN-13: 978-0312263058
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,728,085 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Motivating, April 11, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Cybercitizen: How to Use Your Computer to Fight for ALL the Issues You Care About (Paperback)

I've had an issue that I've been trying to put on my Congressman's radar screen, and I have had no luck. Cybercitizen gave me some great ways to convince my Congressman, or any politician for that matter, to do what I think is the right thing to do. It's not just web sites.. it's ideas that motivate!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource!, January 10, 2001

By 

Angela Taylor "ngrae" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cybercitizen: How to Use Your Computer to Fight for ALL the Issues You Care About (Paperback)

For anyone who wants to get involved with a cause and doesn't know where to start. It goes beyond finding websites and writing to Congress and gives a useful primer on how grassroots advocacy works. One of the best things this book does is to dispel all the myths about how the Internet makes the government more accessible to voters. It's as important to know what the Internet can't do as it what it can.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice to Have, January 3, 2001

By 

Patrick Kwan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cybercitizen: How to Use Your Computer to Fight for ALL the Issues You Care About (Paperback)

"Cybercitizen" provides a crashcourse in the ways that you can use your computer to make a difference, especially in ways that you can convey your concerns to government officials. I think a good word to describe this book is "index", for it provides an index of nice sites that you can check out. I'm kind of worried however, that given that internet information (from website to email addresses) changes all the time, the book may become quickly out of date. I was expecting the author to not only give examples of websites but also to write about ways that you can organize on the internet (like how to use email lists, websites, internet outreach, etc.), but it doesn't have anything like that. I think this is one of the first "how-to" book focusing on cybera-advocacy. It is a good attempt, but it leaves a lot of room for another book.