From mySociety, a UK charity dedicated to making the democratic system easier to understand and access — for everyone.

Welcome

You just took the first step towards understanding how constituents communicate with their representatives in the digital age.

This guide should take less than ten minutes to read. It tells you all you need to know about the channels of communication set up by mySociety, and what they mean for you, as someone who works in an MP’s office.

Perhaps you’ve already heard of our sites TheyWorkForYou.com and WriteToThem.com. These online tools cost nothing, and take very little effort to engage with — but there are huge benefits if you know how to use them to your advantage.

That goes for MPs striving for efficiency, the staff who support them, and the constituents looking for easier ways to communicate with you both.

So: cup of tea, biscuit, quick read. Then you might want to make sure you share this guide with your MP and your office colleagues, too.

Contents

• What is TheyWorkForYou? [average 1 minute’s reading time]
• Why we run TheyWorkForYou [30 seconds]
• What TheyWorkForYou means for MPs and their staff [20 seconds]
• How to make the most of TheyWorkForYou [1 minute, 40 seconds]
• What is WriteToThem? [25 seconds]
• Why we run WriteToThem [30 seconds]
• What WriteToThem means for MPs and their staff [2 minutes]
• How to make the most of WriteToThem [20 seconds]
• A shift in the way people communicate with their elected representatives [1 minute, 10 seconds]
• What is mySociety? [1 minute]
• Final points [30 seconds]