Ever wonder if our e-mail messages to Congress are being read? There was
a short article about this study "E-mail Overload in Congress" in todays
paper. The full report is online at:
http://www.congressonlineproject.org/email.html
Congress Online Project :Conducted by George Washington University and
the
Congressional Management Foundation - "E-mail Overload in Congress :
Managing a Communications Crisis"
The report included this advice to advocates:
"...e-mail to a Member of Congress has the greatest impact when it is:
* From a constituent, with a name, full
address,
and zip code included;
* In the constituent's own words, not copied
from
a form letter or Web site;
* From an individual, not an intermediary
organization or Web site;
* Regarding a single issue, not a group of
unrelated issues;
* In an easy to read format, with a clear
purpose
stated in the first paragraph;
* Not attempting to begin a dialogue, which is
better conducted on the phone or in person;
and
* Directed to the appropriate office:
committee
business to the committee, and constituent
business to the Member's personal office."
It also noted that : " e-mail messages often receive lower priority in
congressional offices than postal mail and phone calls. The general
assumption is that e-mail messages are just quick notes or unformed
thoughts. Offices figure that
constituents will take the time to call or send a longer letter about
issues that deeply concern them..."
Some other interesting findings:
" The explosion in electronic communications is
dramatically changing the way Americans interact
with one another, with businesses, and with
government. While virtually all institutions are
struggling to adapt to the demands of a
"paperless
environment," the challenges facing Congress are
among the most difficult and contentious. Growing
numbers of citizens are frustrated by what they
perceive to be Congress' lack of responsiveness
to
e-mail. At the same time, Congress is frustrated
by
what it perceives to be e-citizens' lack of
understanding of how Congress works and the
constraints under which it must operate. This
growing tension is exacerbated by several
factors.
First, the volume of e-mail to congressional
offices
has risen dramatically over the past two years.
The
number of e-mail messages reaching the House of
Representatives, for example, rose from 20
million
in 1998 to 48 million in 2000, and it continues
to
grow by an average of one million messages per
month. The heavy e-mail traffic generated by the
recent nomination of John Ashcroft as U.S.
Attorney
General slowed Senate servers to a crawl, causing
delays in e-mail delivery that lasted hours -
and,
in some cases, days. This flood of e-mail has
been
fueled by the ease and speed of online
communications, the electorate's growing interest
in
national politics, and the grassroots activities
of
lobbyists and e-businesses that are
electronically
motivating the public to "make their voices heard
in
Washington." Unfortunately, these advocacy
organizations are also encouraging the public to
engage in e-mail practices - like spamming
congressional offices - that result in
unmanageable
demands on Congress...
.... most congressional offices have not yet
taken
advantage of the software to efficiently process
constituent e-mail. Most offices continue to
treat
e-mail like postal mail, replying with stamped
letters rather than e-mail. They resist upgrading
their e-mail practices, in part due to outdated
misconceptions they hold about the drawbacks of
e-mail. Most offices are responding the challenge
of
managing rapidly rising volumes with marginal
budget
increases by maintaining a communications status
quo.
... Most offices on Capitol Hill could handle
e-mail far better by investing in more modern software packages and
more training for their Systems Administrators. More importantly,
offices
could handle e-mail much more efficiently by
better
using the hardware and software they already own.
... Most congressional offices underestimate the
importance of constituent e-mail. The general
assumption is that e-mail messages are just quick
notes or unformed thoughts. Offices figure that
constituents will take the time to call or send a
longer letter about issues that deeply concern
them.
***As a result, e-mail messages often receive
lower
priority in congressional offices than postal
mail
and phone calls.
According to a 1999 study by Juno Online
Services,
Inc. and e-Advocates, however, constituents do
not
view e-mail as less important than other modes of
communication. In fact, 93 percent of the
Internet
users surveyed stated that congressional offices
should treat e-mail messages as seriously as
calls
and letters. "
The full report is online at:
http://www.congressonlineproject.org/email.html
Linda
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