Book - USING THE INTERNET IN GRASSROOTS POLITICS (fwd)

[Robert Ukeiley <rukeiley@igc.apc.org>]

/* Written 10:53 PM  Aug 29, 1996 by lmactire@efn.org in igc:env.deep-ecolo */
/* ---------- "Book - USING THE INTERNET IN GRASSR" ---------- */
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 1, 1996

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT
Sara Winge
707/829-0515
sara@ora.com

           O'REILLY ANNOUNCES "NETACTIVISM" GUIDE TO 
           USING THE INTERNET IN GRASSROOTS POLITICS
  Veteran Grassroots Activist Shares the Secrets of Online Success 

SEBASTOPOL, CA--It's no secret that the American citizen is fed up with 
politics as usual. Less people are voting in every election, and those 
who do vote aren't sure it matters. During this presidential primary 
season, noted Internet publisher O'Reilly & Associates is releasing in 
"NetActivism: How Citizens Use the Internet," a book that will show 
ordinary people who want to reclaim politics--from the neighborhood to 
the national level--how to use the power of the Internet to make a 
difference.

Written by veteran political activist and former Philadelphia city 
councilman Ed Schwartz, "NetActivism" is a no-hype guide that shows 
readers how to use the Internet to find out what the government really 
does, as well as how to organize around a cause or a community with 
online tools like electronic mailing lists, online debates, and Web 
sites.

A leader in citizen movements for more than 30 years, author Schwartz 
embraced the Internet not because it's cool, but because it gets the 
job done. He has an extensive online presence: a Web site 
(http://libertynet.org/community/phila/natl.html) that serves community 
activists across the country, a mailing list that discusses civic 
values, and ties to a community network that organizes citizens across 
the city of Philadelphia. "NetActivism" features real-world examples 
from Schwartz's Institute for Civic Values and a host of other citizen 
groups, including the Downtown Minneapolis Residents Association and 
Project VoteSmart.

Community activists, politicians--and any concerned citizens who care 
about their community--will find "NetActivism" packed with advice on 
conducting online research, getting the right equipment and software, 
using online networks in local communities, and crafting political 
campaigns on the Net.

"NetActivism: How Citizens Use the Internet" will be released on 
September 24. Produced by O'Reilly affiliate Songlione Studios for 
O'Reilly's Songline Guide imprint, "NetActivism" includes a CD-ROM with 
Internet software and limited free online time.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ed Schwartz, founder and president of the Institute for the Study of 
Civic Values, has been a national leader in movements to revitalize 
neighborhoods and expand citizen participation in government for more 
than 25 years.  In the 1970s, he built a city-wide coalition of 
community organizations that led to his upset election to the 
Philadelphia City Council as a councilman-at-large in 1984. Between 
1987 and 1992, he served as director of Philadelphia's Office of 
Housing and Community Development, overseeing the rehabilitation of 
more than 4,000 houses and apartments for low-income residents of the 
City. In 1992, he returned to the Institute for the Study of Civic 
Values full-time to develop new models for community planning and 
citizen empowerment for the 1990's.

Dr. Schwartz, who received his Ph.D. in political science from Rutgers 
University, has written widely on problems related to civic 
participation, neighborhood development, and America's democratic 
heritage. His first book, "Will the Revolution Succeed?" has been 
followed by articles and reviews in The New York Times Book Review, The 
Nation, The American Prospect, Shelterforce, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 
and The Philadelphia Daily News. The work of the Institute for the 
Study of Civic Values itself is profiled extensively in Robert Bellah's 
award-winning book, "Habits of the Heart."

        # # #

NetActivism: How Citizens Use the Internet 
By Ed Schwartz
1st Edition September 1996
175 pages (est.), ISBN: 1-56592-160-7, $24.95, Includes CD-ROM

Ed Schwartz, Institute for the Study of Civic Values, 1218 Chestnut St., Rm. 
702, Philadelphia, Pa. 19107 215-238-1434 edcivic@libertynet.org

The ISCV home page can be reached at 
http://libertynet.org/~edcivic/iscvhome.html

Also check out  "Neighborhoods Online" at 
http://libertynet.org/community/phila/natl.html. 

It's the Institute's project with LibertyNet to support neighborhood activism.

To subscribe to the Institute's international mailing list send to 
majordomo@civic.net the one line message:

subscribe civic-values 

To subscribe to the Institute's  Pennsylvania mailing list send to 
majordomo@civic.net the one line message: 

subscribe penn-neighbor