The Internet has provided us many unique and increasingly important outlets for discussion, factual analysis, and communication. With almost half of Internet users (48 percent) going online to look for information about a public policy or issue, open political discourse is essential.

We the people have the ultimate power and the party majority. So we should be uniting on a common ground — political parties and opinions aside — to generate change.

Here are three reasons why I believe this political discourse is important:

1. It allows for deeper dissection of opinions and issues. We can share, fact check, and debate on a larger level using the Internet.

2. It impacts our politicians’ campaigns. They use Internet technologies such as social networking sites, blogs, and online polling websites to reach out to us, initiate discussion, and gauge opinion – among other priorities such as volunteers and donations.

3. It encourages political activism that makes a difference.

So let’s find common ground in our discussions online and realize that the government is our responsibility. Generating change isn’t someone else’s problem – it’s ours and we do have the solution.

There are a few ways we can make an immediate impact with political discourse online.

Sign petitions.
It’s never been easier to find and sign petitions. We no longer need to go door to door to generate support for a cause. While this is helpful, especially for local causes, the online petition groups (try Change.org or SignOn.org) allow anyone to start or sign a petition. But in my opinion, petitions are a reaction to unhappiness in our current system. What else can we do prior to petitions to generate change?

Support or oppose bills.
An easy way to do this is to use POPVOX, a nonpartisan website that verifies and aggregates communication with Congress. You can connect with all bills hitting Congress with POPVOX. But again, this is a reactive response to government that’s not working. Did you have a part in writing that bill or the solutions offered within it?

Participate in online polls.
Most polls on the Internet tell us little about the actual state of opinion on issues or proposed solutions. However, there are a few polls, such as those provided on PeopleCount.org, that build a base of information we can all use. Find opinion polls that truly let you voice your opinions and, most importantly, offer valuable solutions.

We can all become involved in valuable online political discourse. But the distinction between what’s active and what’s passive is sometimes difficult. The Internet is often a very passive form of communication. But it doesn’t have to be.  It’s up to us.

How do you propose to become active in political discourse online?