Internet Advocacy Experts to Convene in Washington

Capitol Advantage to Host Conference Focused on Developing
and Executing Successful Online Grassroots Strategies

WASHINGTON (November 18, 2003) - Capitol Advantage, the nation's leading provider of print and online grassroots advocacy services, will host more than 200 public affairs professionals November 21, 2003, to discuss the innovations and success stories that are fundamentally reshaping the nation's public policy landscape. The daylong event will explore many of the online strategies and best practices that have helped to make "e-advocacy" a phenomenon to be reckoned with on Capitol Hill and in state governments across the country.

The conference will take place at the CSIS Conference Center at 1800 K Street NW, and will feature many of the industry's foremost thinkers and strategists, including: Scott Heiferman, Co-Founder and CEO of MeetUp.com; Serenety Hanley, Director of GOP Team Leader; and Brad Fitch, Deputy Director of the Congressional Management Foundation.

Panelists will discuss strategies and tactics for creating effective, interactive advocacy campaigns that leverage the power of online technologies to influence public policy. The annual event is offered as a free service to the more than 1,200 organizations that depend on Capitol Advantage's award-winning grassroots engine, Capwiz™, for their online advocacy and civic participation member services.

Other speakers scheduled to present at the conference include: Oscar Morales, Director of the eRulemaking Initiative; Lee Rainie, Director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project; Tim Petty, Director of Information Resources for the Senate Republican Conference; Mike Madison, Senior Political Organizer at Common Cause; Candace Cortiella, Director of The Advocacy Institute; Nina Ozlu, Vice President of Americans for the Arts; Jason Zanon, Development Coordinator at the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty; and Lorraine Ross, Vice President of Sales at USAToday.com.

The conference features four panels that focus on such topics as creating interactive grassroots outreach campaigns; effective strategies for mobilizing citizens to take political action; and best practices for using Capwiz. The featured lunchtime panel will focus on how lawmakers, regulators, and citizens have embraced the Internet as an essential part of the policy-making process.

e-advocates, the Internet advocacy strategy consulting firm affiliated with Capitol Advantage, organized the event. In addition to coordinating the day's program, speakers from e-advocates and Capitol Advantage will round out the expert panels.

About Capitol Advantage
Capitol Advantage is the premier innovator of Internet-based political tools, including the award-winning Capwiz. Its products are being used on the Web sites of some of the nation's leading corporations, media outlets, portals, associations, and unions, including 80 percent of Fortune's "Washington Power 25." Through the use of Capitol Advantage's tools and services, organizations can promote their agenda, educate supporters, and empower them to become engaged in the political dialogue. Capitol Advantage also publishes a series of informational guides, including Congress At Your Fingertips, Who's Covering Washington, and A Student Guide to Washington, D.C. For more information or a product demonstration, contact Capitol Advantage at (703) 289-4670 or (800) 659-8708, or visit their Web site at www.capitoladvantage.com.

About e-advocates
e-advocates, based in Washington, DC, is a full-service Internet advocacy consulting firm dedicated to helping public affairs and advocacy organizations harness the power of the Internet to achieve legislative and political priorities. The firm recently received the American Association of Political Consultants highest award, the 2003 Pollie Award, for the best Issue Advocacy Web site. Principals Pam Fielding and Nicole Duritz are leading experts in the field of cyberpolitics. Fielding is co-author of the acclaimed book The Net Effect: How Cyberadvocacy is Changing the Political Landscape, which highlights how the Internet is reconnecting citizens with government. e-advocates is a subsidiary of Capitol Advantage. For more information, contact e-advocates at (202) 955-3001, info@e-advocates.com, or visit their Web site at www.e-advocates.com.