PostBug could be the answer to getting your voice heard during the snap UK General Election

by Startacus Admin

Here at Startacus we’ve been thinking (not for that long admittedly, since it was only announced two days ago) about how we would cover the news (and 6 weeks’ worth of it) that there is to be yet another UK general election.

And as Startacus is a platform for startups, entrepreneurs and self-starters, we are of course keen to ensure that any election related editorial retains this as its primary focus and theme.

Therefore, over the next 5 or 6 weeks, we will endeavour to find relevant news, stats, facts, and opinion that keeps the startup community on track on many of the key issues that we all care about. We are also keen to use this time to highlight startups that have politics, elections, polling or political activism at their heart. Aware of any such startups that we should feature? Let us know by tweeting us @iamstartacus

And speaking of political activism, step forward, UK startup PostBug an ‘online-to-postage’ website allowing groups of people with common interests to send similar postcards or letters to public figures…such as politicians, for instance. Hmmm…

PostBug is potentially an ideal platform for campaigners wishing to make a mark and get heard.

Imagine if during this election campaign, postcards and letters with important messages, arguments, standpoints and opinions were to be delivered directly to the political elite. 500 odd letters and postcards arriving at a politician's constituency office would be pretty hard to miss.

But more importantly, perhaps if the postcard message is localised, the cards could offer hope to local constituents that a local politician could potentially be persuaded to listen to or even be swayed by their particular viewpoint or argument. For example, 500 postcards asking for the ‘local A&E to remain open’ or to protest against ‘school budget cuts’, might create real impact and change, rather than just being a soundbite on social media. A much more civilised and expressive way of expressing one's thoughts than a spur of the moment tweet perhaps!

Of course politics is not the only sector available to signed up users of PostBug, however whether you want to send a postcard or letter to a politician or a well-known celebrity, PostBug is charging only around £1 per item sent. A pretty good deal - whatever side of the political fence you might sit on.

The PostBug team monitor the news and social media to find relevant and ‘newsworthy’ people to potentially write to and in turn create ‘post bags’ for users to correspond with - much like ready-to-send templates.

You can however also create your own postcard or letter ‘post bag’’ and once your own worded post bag application is approved by the Postbug team, your postbag will be publicly visible on PostBug. You can, of course, then also share it with your friends and neighbours and watch it grow, knowing the person you want to reach is getting lots of mail - but just in person, instead of loads of tweets, retweets and shares!

We’d expect this startup to take advantage of the next few weeks and with this LABOUR free way of posting politically themed cards or letters, you don’t need to just get BLUE in the face on social media, you can LIBERATE (sorry, best we could do) yourself and express your thoughts or standpoints in a physical and well worded fashion too. 

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• #uk general election
• #postbug
• #political activism
• #postcard
• #letters
• #general election
• #startups and general election

Published on: 19th April 2017