[ILUG] MEPs responses

[Paul Biggar]

>> explaining the existance of http://www.kde.ie/patents/email-meps.php - the

This is a terrible idea. I understand that the purpose is not to
mail-bomb MEPs, but the page in its current form will do just that.
The last thing we want to do is to piss off the people we want to
support our cause. At the moment, the simplest way to use the form is
to send a standard letter to everybody. This is behaviour we want to
discourage. A thousand identical emails are far less effective than a
hundred original letters.

Here's what I suggest:

1.) Only allow the form to send an email to a single MEP. This will
help stop the MEPs being mailbombed.

2.) Remove the text of the message, except for the first line. This
means that people will give their unique point of view about why
software patents are bad, and how they will personally be affected.
Emails that look the same are just going to be ignored.

In place of the text, give a list of links, or important points that
people who email might want to discuss or be aware of.

3.) Suggest that people write to their MEPs, in the
letter-and-envelope sense. A letter signed with ink, which had to be
printed (or hand-written), put in an envelope and put in a post box
shows that you're not simply a me-too petition signer, and that you
care enough about the issue to make an effort.

Your move is well intentioned and can be helpful, but it is important
not to alienate the people who's help we require, and not to undersell
the importance of this issue to us.

Paul

-- 
Paul Biggar
paul.biggar at gmail.com