2009 has been nothing short of an extremely loud wake-up call for conservative and freedom loving people all around the United States. Many people, who never in a million years would’ve thought that spending their weekend at a protest or tea party would be on their to-do list, are doing exactly that. It’s an exciting and frightening time in politics, as the current administration is proving to be more radical than everyone initially thought. They took us by surprise, but fortunately, there are ways you can fight back in a civilized and highly effective manner.

Being a conservative activist doesn’t necessarily mean making your way to Pennsylvania Avenue every weekend and holding a sign (although there certainly isn’t anything wrong with that). There are plenty of ways you can join in the fight from the comfort of your own home, and below, we’ll show you 10 ways to get started.

10 Easy Ways To Be A Conservative Activist

Blog Your Heart Out

Blogging, just in case you’ve overlooked it, has had an incredible impact on politics in the last couple of years. As a matter of fact, blogging and social media played a massive role in the successful election of Barack Obama. While the right-wing were sticking to time-tested methods like telephones and pamphlets, the left mobilized online, and it payed off handsomely.

A blog is simply an online journal, short for “weblog”, where an individual or even a group can voice their opinions, spread important information, and yes, even make a nice side-income (more on that in the future). Blogs are extremely popular compared to traditional news articles, because they’re easy and quick to read, and are easily shared among the community, and allow for commenting on the articles. How many times have you wanted to voice your opinion after reading a newspaper article, but never had the opportunity? With blogs, having your community and even the opposition comment on what you write makes it fun, informative, and can have major influence on what people say, think and do.

Getting started with your own conservative blog is easy. There are plenty of free blogging services that have extremely large user bases. Two that come to mind are Blogger.com, and WordPress.com. These sites make blogging so simple that you could realistically be blogging within minutes of signing up. Simply pick a title for your blog, pick out a template, and start speaking your mind. You really can make a difference this way!

Also, AlarmedCitizen.com is always looking for guest authors, so if you have something you want to say regarding current politics, use our contact form and get in touch, we’d love to post your article!

Social Networking

Chances are probably good that you discovered this article through a site like Twitter or Facebook. These social networking and micro-blogging sites have a rapidly growing impact and influence on modern day political events. Successful protests like teaparties and even the 912 project wouldn’t have had a fraction of their success without organizing and promoting the events on Twitter, Facebook, and other social networking sites.

Voicing your opinion on social networking sites is extremely easy, with very small learning curves. Head over to Twitter.com or Facebook.com to sign up and get started right away. If you’re already a member of a social networking site, you can help your cause by linking to helpful articles, important conservative information, videos and anything else that helps spread the word. These sites are about sharing and turning individuals into large groups that have measurable influence on local, state, and federal issues.

Viral Video

Perhaps you have video editing or producing skills. Even if you don’t, nearly anyone can become politically active simply by sitting in front of a web cam, voicing your opinion, and uploading the video to a site like Youtube. As your comfort level rises, you can create your own video blog and have a channel on Youtube that people can subscribe to – essentially creating your own conservative online TV show.

Videos that are well-made or otherwise extremely unique often have a chance of going “viral” – meaning that the video gets spread around as fast as a virus, reaching a large audience through online buzz and word-of-mouth. Nearly every night on my local news station, I see them feature some type of viral video that has caught the attention of the world. Sometimes the makers of the video never intended it to go viral – but thanks to social networking and blogging, getting your video in front of the eyes of thousands (or sometimes, millions) of people is more possible than ever, and you can get started by picking up a $30 web cam from your local Wal-Mart or Best Buy.

Call Your Representatives

Sure, this may not be anything new, but calling the Congressmen that represent your district or state is still a very effective way of getting a message across. The chances of you actually getting through to the Congressmen when you call are slim, but that doesn’t mean you can’t leave a message and either demand they call you back, or at least acknowledge your attempt at voicing your opinion. But we won’t stop there…

You can use the concepts above to increase your chances of said Congressmen getting in touch with you. How? Tell them that if you don’t hear from them in a reasonable amount of time, you’ll have no problem announcing it to the world through Twitter, Facebook, videos, blogs, etc. Right now, public officials have quickly caught on that one small bad experience can rapidly become a large problem thanks to people’s willingness to tell the world about it. It’s not like you’re asking them to go on a dinner date – maybe you just want to know why they voted on a particular issue, and if they realize that their vote on that issue could cause you not to vote for them when election time comes around. You may not think they care, but they do. One call may not do much, but if you get 500 of your online friends to do the same, then we’re talking major influence.

Don’t be afraid to call them regularly, as long as you have real issues that need attention. Afterall, you elected them, you pay their salary, so you deserve to be heard. This kind of activity (especially when combined with everything else mentioned here) will make a difference.

To find out who represents you, as well as their contact information, check out this USA.gov resource.

Start a Conservative Podcast

Another popular way to voice your opinion, literally, is to start your own internet podcast. Basically, a podcast is a recording (which you record, like a radio show) that is distributed episodically and downloaded through the internet. Podcasts are more popular than ever because some people, instead of taking or having the time to read an article, prefer to listen to the same type of content on their iPod’s, through their computer, a cell phone or other similar devices. Again, having your own podcast is pretty much the same thing as having your own radio show, except it’s managed through the internet.

Getting started in podcasting is relatively easy, and requires nothing more than a quality microphone (which you can find online or even at Best Buy), simple recording software, and something to say. Some of the popular podcasts out there right now have thousands or even millions of listeners. Many podcasters have been invited to do radio shows and other forms of media because of their popularity. Check out this primer on Podcasting 101.

Support Conservative Radio and Talk Shows

This is a simple one that most of you probably already employ – but it’s worth mentioning anyway. Simply tuning in each day to your favorite conservative talk show on television, radio, or internet goes a long way in keeping the movement alive. Just imagine if the Glenn Beck’s or Sean Hannity’s of the world were no longer around…it would be devastating. Encouraging your like-minded friends and family to tune in is an amazing way to support them – just imagine tens of thousands of fans telling just one friend to watch – that adds up very fast, and helps keep them going. Buy their books (most of the time, they’re very good reads), join their premium clubs, and help them to continue the good fight.

Boycott Companies that Boycott Conservative Personalities

Recently, there has been a rather large movement to get sponsors pulled from Fox News programs like Glenn Beck. The organization, called Color of Change, has had a few successful campaigns that end up with sponsors pulling their ads. While the numbers are exaggerated, and there isn’t any worry about shows being canceled, companies that actually do pull their ads should suffer the consequences for giving in to a radical left-wing movement. Advertising is business, and any smart company knows to go where the action is. Pulling ads is nothing more than a political stunt, but it’s also because the organization mentioned above managed to get large numbers of people to write, email, and call the companies in question and express their opinions.

Okay then, hate to sound cliche, but why not fight fire with fire?

Let’s show these companies, who chickened out and gave in to pressure that there are just as many freedom loving conservatives as there are whiny liberals, if not more. Oh, and did these companies forget who have above average levels of disposable income? Apparently so. At any rate, there are numerous lists of the companies that pulled ads from Beck, available online (easily found with this quick Google search). Pick a few (or all) of these companies, find out their contact information (again, use Google), and call, email and/or write to them expressing your dissatisfaction with their recent actions.  Don’t be afraid to tell them that you will never use their product or service again until they restore their ads. When they start receiving calls and emails from hundreds or thousands of people (like they did from the whining liberals), this will definitely get someone’s attention at the top of their internal leadership chain. Keep putting the pressure on, just like you would with your Congressman. Also, tell them you’ll have no problem spreading their reply among your thousands of online contacts. Trust me, they’ll pay attention.

Network Locally

Did you know that right now, there are over 50 thousand America loving conservatives that meet up on a monthly basis in cities and towns across the USA? One extremely important part of being an activist is networking with like-minded individuals. A very simple and convenient way to do this is to head over to Meetup.com, and type the word “conservative” into their search box (or you can just go here). You’ll find a map that shows the locations of thousands of conservative groups that meet up on a regular basis and discuss conservative issues. Remember, strength in numbers, and when you become an active member in these groups, not only does it give you something to do to help the cause, but it also presents the opportunity to make good friends, and even business contacts. Meetup.com groups are a great way to become active in what you believe in, and with the collective power of a group setting, there’s no telling what kind of influence you could have.

Read, Read, Read

Nothing is more important than being armed with the knowledge you need to take the fight all the way to the top. Entering a political debate with the opposing party can end very quickly and embarrassingly if you don’t know what you’re talking about. Recently, there has been a rash of anti-conservative videos that show average conservatives at protests being presented with questions that they should know the answer to, but didn’t. Sure, it’s “gotcha” journalism, but if you just take the time to read up on the issues, know names, know situations, and know how to answer, you’ll score points for the good guys. If you’re truly interested in being an effective conservative activist, take the time to read everything you can your hands on that deals with current conservative issues, and when you’re done with that, do the same with liberal issues! Yes, you need to know both sides, all sides if possible. Winning an intellectual debate can score big points, and it will feel good knowing that you truly believe in your cause, and how to defend it. No one is asking you to be a political scientists – just keep abreast of current issues, know them inside and out, and don’t be afraid to defend your position.

Stand up for what is right, even if you’re standing alone.

Support a Cause

There are many conservative causes and projects going on right now, and below you’ll find a quick list of five that seem to be popular. Go to their websites, read up on their goals, and do your part to support them. Much of what has been written above will help you be an effective member of any cause or project.

1. The Bill Of Federalism – The Bill of Federalism Project is a non-profit corporation. Our mission is to educate state legislators and citizens on the merits of The Bill of Federalism.
2. Nationwide Tea Party – Ten successive rounds of Tea Parties, or similar organizational efforts, culminating in a massive get out the vote effort in November 2010.
3. Fight Left Wing Media – Boycott advertisers who support left-wing media outlets (the “Fringe” media).
4. Join TCOT on Twitter – Become a card carrying #tcot Tweeter by registering at TCOT for free.
5. Conservative Radical University – Sign up for classes to learn how to be a highly effective conservative activist.

Bottom Line

This list should give you some ideas and strategies that you can put into action right away. There has never been a more important time in history to support your fellow conservatives and help make a difference. Let’s root out corruption, and get America back to the great country we know it can be.