Some light reading for the previous evening: the Congressional Management Foundation's study on Communicating with Congress. I didn't get through it all but started with the parts for grassroots organizers - that's the part that directly applies to my day job.
Lots of discussion about communicating with Congress online deals with opportunities; the CMF deals with realities. For instance, email to Capitol Hill is so routine that it has lost almost all effect. If you're a constituent hoping to make an impact, it's better to put pen to paper than finger to keyboard; yet citizens are eager to communicate with their elected leaders online because, well, citizens communicate with everyone else online, as well.
It presents daunting challenges for Capitol Hill. A well-funded grassroots campaign can generate calls or letters; an organic movement is more likely to be online. The study offers some solutions, but 535 offices will have to come up with answers of their own.
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