Meetup.com, I certainly had not heard about it till recently but it offers something very reasonable, a chance for people with similar ideas to meet and discuss their opinions and beliefs. Unsurprisingly, Ron Paul reaps most of the benefits of this website as he is very far out of the coverage range of the more common media. However, Micah Sifry says Meetup.com helps Americans create quasi-third parties and I'm inclined to agree. It's hard to imagine a third party ever gaining prominence in this country without being absorbed into the Democrats and Republicans. The internet provides a means for people of alternate opinions to gather and express themselves in an environment that doesn't select information based on potential positive ratings and other shallow measures. Furthermore, this promotes actually gathering together, an essential American right. Meetup.com has a positive effect on our Democracy by allowing for discussion, as opposed to polarizing reductions of ideas (such as Twitter and many Facebook posts) through both the internet and physical discussion.
Another notable outlet of internet activism is TechPresident, which shares the successes and trials of internet policy and programs. Notable mentions include a hackathon intended to reveal the frequency with which government requests Google content be removed and the effect of the web on a significant Mayor election in Italy. By publicizing the effects of internet activity, TechPresident motivates and informs the public to use it as a tool to push forward ideas.
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