Over at the National Post, Matt Gurney recently stated that "Facebook groups are just about the dumbest way to advocate a political cause." His comments echo those of a number of pundits and politicians who give online activism – and Facebook groups in particular – short shrift.

For a variety of reasons online activism is discounted as not being “real” politics. Well, Facebook isn’t going to remake politics, but it does matter – something the explosive growth of the 150,000 person (and rising) group Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament and the first anniversary of the anti-coalition Facebook campaign offers us a chance to reflect on. So here are three lessons on online activism for the Prime Minister, the news media and the rest of us.

What a week this has bene for Facebook!
David Eaves here in the Globe makes 3 good points:

1. There are 150,000 members of the Prorogation Group - a built in audience and multipliers for any good story that follows - leverage is available

2. Joining a Facebook Group is easy - builds a bigger group than marching and you march to get an audience anyway don't you? Easy makes FB more attractive as a political amplifier as the PM of Britain said in his interview with Mark Z last week

3. FB groups are rallies - they make it very very hard to hide poor decisions in politics