Do you sometimes get down in the dumps about cruelty to animals? Me too. But to change that, we need to be gung-ho go-getters, not teary-eyed tissue-wetters. And it has never been easier to initiate changes for animals without even leaving home.

Getting active online takes just a few clicks of the mouse, and since we already use social media almost every day, getting animal rights messages out to hundreds—even thousands—of people is even easier.

See It? Share It!

A one-click way to spread animal-friendly content on any social-networking site is simply to "like" it, give it a "thumbs up," click "rate 5 stars," etc.

'Like' Animal Abuse?! Yes!

People sometimes hesitate to "like" content that describes or illustrates cruelty, such as an undercover investigative video showing circus trainers who beat elephants.  But by "liking" it, we aren't condoning the abuse—we're suggesting that others learn about it so that they will, hopefully, be prompted to act. It seems natural to "dislike" such horrific images, but that can actually discourage people from viewing important content.

Where to Share

Another easy way to help spread the anti-cruelty message is just to post it on your social-networking pages. Post PETA content on the following sites:

Facebook	Twitter	Google+	YouTube	Tumblr	StumbleUpon	Pinterest

And last, but not least: anywhere—we love it when people share our posts far and wide! 

Please sign up for our e-news—it's a great way to get new information to share with others.

Are you gung-ho yet? Go get 'em!

What do a tweet, a toy, and a Toyota have in common? They can all be used to help animals! Hey, times are tough, and while lots of people may be in the giving spirit at this time of year, their wallets may not be feeling quite so generous. With that in mind, we've thought of some great ways that anyone can give to animals simply by donating time—or an old car!

• Post one animal rights message to your Facebook or Twitter account each week.
• Support PETA's work for animals by donating your car, truck, boat, motorcycle, airplane, or motor home, even if it's not running! Giving through the "Cars for PETA" program is a simple process that will save you the hassle of selling an old vehicle, give you a year-end tax write-off, and, best of all, help animals.
• Give the toys and treats that your animal companions don't like to your local animal shelter. Or make tug toys for the dogs there out of old clothes, and use old blankets to cover small pillows for the cats to sleep on. And, of course, animal shelters always welcome your old towels and blankets.
• Offer to play with a lonely, chained dog in your neighborhood and take him or her for walks.
• Join PETA's Action Team for opportunities to send e-mails, distribute fliers, or join a demonstration.

Happy holidays from PETA!

Whatever Milwaukee is brewing, we want some of it. We were already rooting for the Brewers because of veggie royalty Prince Fielder, and now we learn that vivacious outfielder Nyjer Morgan, with whom Fielder shares this week's Sports Illustrated cover, attributes his out-of-the-ballpark energy and .306 batting average to his healthy vegetarian diet.

Could Roseanne Barr be the next star to "do a Clinton" and convert to a vegan diet? Extolling the virtues of faux meat and tweeting at McDonald's to stop abusing chickens sounds like a great start.

Eli Roth is such a talented tweeter for animals that we gave him his own web feature. (Wait 'til you see what he says about Go Daddy CEO Bob Parsons. #hilarious.) 

Fellow animal-friendly tweeters Pink and Tommy Lee took to Twitter to express their outrage over Indiana's barbaric "snapperfest." And Indiana native Bree Olson was so determined to stop the turtle torture that the Green Goddess posted the local sheriff's department's contact info on her website and asked people to call and complain.

Not to be out-tweeted, Glee star Lea Michele opined about her dream of retiring all the horses who are forced to spend long, hot days hauling around carriages full of tourists in her native New York City. 

The next time she visits New York, Lea may spot Whoopi Goldberg out buying toy and treats for the lucky kitten she adopted after he was tossed from a moving car. Adopting instead of buying is catching on across the pond, too, if we can judge by Camilla Parker Bowles and her new rescued pup, Beth. We think dedicated dog guardian Michael Vartan, who stars in this weekend's highly anticipated thriller Colombiana, as well as a new PETA ad, would approve.

While Michael steams up the big screen, fellow PETA pal Bethenny Frankel will be taking over the small one with her new talk show. Will she get naked for animals again? Stay tuned.

To stay up to date on all celebrity/animal happenings, follow PETA on Twitter.  

Written by Michelle Sherrow

Update: The people have spoken, and the new word cloud is here!

 If you could prevent animal suffering with just one word, would you? PETA is creating our own word cloud that will encourage Facebook and Twitter users to join the cause and help us end cruelty to animals, and we need your help deciding what the cloud should say.

Simply tweet a word that you think describes PETA and would motivate others to get involved, and use the hashtag #PETACloud. We'll choose the most inspiring words to create our cloud, which you can share with your friends. Not yet a PETA pal? "Like" or follow us for up-to-the-minute animal news, contests, and action alerts.

 
Written by Michelle Sherrow

What's the best way to share your cat's reaction to a bird at the window or your dog's I-see-a-treat-coming happy dance? A recent survey found that more than half of U.K. companion-animal guardians share photos and videos of their four-legged family members online and that one out of every 10 companion animals has a Facebook page, Twitter account, or YouTube channel.

Considering how much U.K. animal guardians like online sharing, we wonder how many pooches and pussycats on this side of the pond are posting from the back of the sofa, tweeting from the dog park, and updating their statuses to "in a committed relationship with my Frisbee."

What has a little bird told you lately? If it isn't all the most important updates on animals, you're not following PETA on Twitter.
 

 
We are this close to reaching our goal of 200,000 followers. In celebration of Social Media Day, we're asking our supporters who aren't yet following @PETA to start getting up-to-the-minute news about victories and urgent actions needed to help animals.

After you've joined the conversation, just tweet about @PETA and our goal of reaching 200,000 followers so that your Twitter pals can join in. If you use hashtags #200K and #SMDay, we might even retweet you.

Now you can save animals with just 140 characters!
 

Written by Michelle Sherrow

Celebrities took to Twitter yesterday to make a huge splash for seals. We asked compassionate celebrity supporters to tweet a message to their fans telling them that the Canadian commercial seal slaughter had begun and including a link to our "It's Time to End the Seal Slaughter" donation page. So many of them responded that our Twitter page looked like an A-list party.
 

 
Supporters who spoke up for seals who are bludgeoned and sometimes skinned alive for their fur include Ellen Degeneres, who also posted it on her blog, Pink, Sophia Bush,  Daniella Monet, Jayde Nicole, Lea Michele, Vida Guerra, Alicia Silverstone, Dave Navarro, Stephanie Pratt, The Veronicas, Bill Maher, Ian Somerhalder, Diablo Cody, Sasha Grey, and, of course, Honorary PETA Director Pamela Anderson.

Get in on the action! Tweet this link to your Twitter followers: http://bit.ly/gNMLOJ. Or go to our donation page to help stop Canada's barbaric seal slaughter.

 
Written by Michelle Sherrow

Oh, how "tweet" it is to be loved by you! Thanks to your nominations, PETA is now one of the top five finalists for this year's Mashable Award in the Must-Follow Non-Profit category. We're really itching to break out the "We're #1" foam finger, so how about lending us a hand?

According to the Mashable Awards' website, the awards "celebrate major innovations and achievements in the digital and social media landscape by companies, people and projects via an open, multilingual, international, community-nominated voting platform."

All you have to do to nominate PETA for the award is sign in using Facebook or Twitter—or both. Select "@PETA" and hit "vote." (FYI: Retweeting PETA doesn't count as a full vote.) You can cast one vote for PETA per day, so please vote every day until the voting ends on December 15.

Thanks for your support. (If there were a category for Best Supporters Ever, we would totally nominate all of you!) Please vote now, and then check out what we're up to on Facebook and Twitter.

Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth

VICTORY! PLRS Closing; More Than 200 Animals to Be Freed.

"You could cringe watching this cat being yanked from a chain-linked fence. Or gasp in disbelief when you see this dog's tooth being pulled by pliers. Snapshots of sores on dogs—heartbreaking."

Those aren't PETA's words—they're some of the opening lines of a news story about our investigation of Professional Laboratory and Research Services (PLRS). Our undercover investigation documented the shocking abuse of dogs, cats, and rabbits by employees at PLRS. The story broke in this Associated Press piece, and the abuses have caught the attention of both local and national media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal's Law Blog.

Facebook fans have linked our video to their newsfeeds, and PETA pals Pam Anderson, Bill Maher, and Sophia Bush have Twittered about our campaign. Now we'd like to know what actions you've taken to get the word out about animal cruelty at PLRS. Tell us below.

Written by Karin Bennett

It's so hot in the city, you'd think I'd be making another batch of lemonade—but I've got a hankering for some Internet Soup. It's been a while since the last batch, so dig in!

• Scientists know that pigs prefer a life like Arnold Ziffel's—full of Green Acres and some "luxuries" …
• … but this pug is partial to that other 60s hit, Batman.
• This video by Frank Strick has it all: A catchy song, an important question, and a big dash of cute—i.e., kid hugs turkey.
• Fisher nets baby black bear—but never fear! Mama to the rescue!
• We've said it before, but it bears repeating: Meat is never "green."
• Sure, beefcakes might make women swoon for a moment, but broccoli wins love for a lifetime.
• We know that Polly wants to fly. I'm guessing that Pauley wants to run.
• "Hummus: The Rap" has inspired me to finish my own masterpiece, Guacamole, A Concerto.
• Professor Turtle weighs in on how to be a hero.

Oof! I don't know about you, but I'm full after all that soup—and guac. This Special K needs a siesta. Until next time …

Written by Karin Bennett