The poker advocacy group the Poker Players Alliance(PPA) received positive press last week, having been cited in PC World as an organization that has successfully used digital media to advance its cause. The PPA is in eclectic company, as also receiving a rating of “effective” or better from PC World were such high-profile movements as the 2011 Egyptian revolution, the ongoing Occupy movement, and the 2010 “It Gets Better” project.

In a press release issued on Monday, PPA executive director John Pappas said in part, “During an era of using online tools to bring about social, corporate, and political change, we are proud that our organization helped illustrate how the combined voice of many can turn the tide against unwarranted restrictions of freedom. This truly speaks to the dedication and passion of our members.”

Pappas (pictured) added, “As our community’s voice grows stronger, we are confident that we can further ignite lawmakers to take the right steps in protecting our basic American rights.” The PPA has over 1.2 million registered members.

The PPA encourages members and non-members alike to take advantage of social media to fight for poker rights and posts a “Daily Action Plan” here on PocketFives and other communities. This thread lists a number of activities that poker players can do every day to advance the cause. For example, Tuesday’s Action Plan included links to pre-written Tweets directed toward members of the House Subcommittee for Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade, urging them to mark up HR 2366, a pro-online poker bill.

You can look for this Action Plan by visiting the Poker Community forum.

The PPA has continually engaged its membership. Last week, the White House was scheduled to host a Twitter conversation to answer follow-up questions to President Barack Obama‘s State of the Union address. The PPA provided links in its Action Plan and on its Facebook page to pre-filled Tweets that players could send immediately and directly to the correct Twitter account. Unfortunately, the White House postponed the Twitter conversation.

Also last week, the PPA made a push to have a question answered by Obama (pictured) in a January 30th interview on YouTube. Citizens from across the country were able to submit video questions that could then be voted on by millions of YouTube visitors. Pappas created an official PPA video and the organization provided voting instructions on various poker message boards and on its Facebook page.

The poker community’s persistence does not guarantee a question will be fielded by the Commander in Chief, but the grassroots political activity is important in and of itself. The more the poker community makes its voice heard, the more people will hear the message, and the more people will join the fight.

The PPA has also made its website a convenient destination for poker players who want to know what they can do to stand up for the game. On its “Take Action” page, the PPA includes links to pre-written letters that people can send to Obama, members of Congress, and legislators in their individual states. These letters can easily be edited so that players can write whatever they would like.

Also on the PPA’s website are talking points players can use when calling their elected officials along with a phone number lookup. There are links to important Congressional committees’ Facebook pages, the PPA’s social networks, and the Daily Action Plans, such as the one found here on PocketFives. Free and premium PPA memberships are available.

Visit ThePPA.org for more details.