Does E-Advocacy Go Into a E-Black Hole?

One of the most common questions I'm asked is about those standardized emails that you can deliver to a long list of government officials directly from the website of one or another business advocacy group. Almost no one ever gets a response. Does that mean cyber-form letters get ignored?
No. It just means you need to be realistic about what they can and can't accomplish.
If you write about a hot topic, like health care, from the site of a national group, the likelihood is that every decision-maker will receive hundreds, possibly thousands, of the identical message. The recipients won't ignore it -- in fact, you can assume their staff will carefully note how many hit the in-box, on both sides of the issue.
But that's all they'll do. Even if you've spent time adapting or personalizing that standardized text, as most sites allow, the chances are miniscule that anyone will notice. Is your goal to be counted in favor or against some policy or piece of legislation? Then you've accomplished it. But if you want to ask a specific question, convey a piece of information, or simply make contact with a particular official, you must compose an original message -- and make clear that you expect a reply.