Increasingly, the Internet itself has become the venue for protest -- the new Mall, so to speak -- where online-only activists deploy new technologies to challenge governments and corporations and promote causes mundane and sublime.

Where Have All the Protests Gone?  Online.  Washington Post, Feb. 4, 2007

Jennifer Earl's article highlights a particular corner of the emerging policy commons -- focusing on petitions to put topics "on the agenda".  She points out that the topics and targets will both be very wide -- ranging from calling on the Backstreet Boys to do a concert in Asia "besides China & Japan" to lobbying video game manufacturers to opposing the war.  I'd add that we'll increasingly see a global dimension as activists use online tools to tackle global povery, trade, climate, and more.