E-mail is useful for alerting and reminding audiences of agencies’ hearings and requests for comments, or directing people to relevant websites for more information. OMB Watch maintains a number of e-mail lists that provide timely alerts on administrative processes affecting nonprofits. Web is useful for providing background, reference, and contact information on administrative processes.

The web is useful for providing background, reference, and contact information on administrative processes. Media Access Project provides resources and explanations of federal agency policy and proceedings with respect to media and telecommunications law in a manner easily understood by both lay people and policy professionals. Although it does not provide an online tutorial or primer per se, it provides brief summaries of current policy issues and extensive starting points in the form of direct links to trade associations, relevant government agencies, and nonprofit advocates.

The Web is more useful for providing ongoing monitoring and update functions. If e-mail messages are archived via a discussion list, which can be searched, the same functionality can be achieved. A particular interesting Web example is RegRadar, which tracks “midnight regulations,” rules that are either issued or in the final stages of review, in the remaining months of the current administration. Information comes from monitoring releases by regulatory agencies the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, and other sources, arranged by topic.

Web has been used by agencies (Federal Elections Commission, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) to receive public comments directly, and to provide live or archival access to agency deliberations. The success of these efforts depends on public comfort level and confidence with successfully submitting information online that reaches the appropriate contact and is considered a valid comment.