Ghost of Midnight

… about neighbors, community and Front Porch Forum

Local Online: Authentic Impact vs. Fluff

Posted on Tuesday, November 20, 2007 by No comments yet

Lauren writes in today…

I just want to write and give my thanks for what you have created. The forum is great. For me it provides a sense of community and neighborliness that I didn’t think was possible to achieve anymore.

I am sure you have much evidence by now of the Forum actively changing communities as well, and I wanted to toss in my own example. I’ve just learned that my community (Westford) doesn’t currently have a food shelf in operation. Thanks to Front Porch Forum, having a community-wide conversation about how best to fill this need is a cinch. I have no doubt that, with the help of neighbors rallied to the cause, we’ll have one up and running in no time.

You must know that not a community meeting – or practically any public-oriented conversation – goes by without FPF being tossed into the mix.

What a wonderful gift you have given to us all.

You know, Front Porch Forum stands conventional Web 2.0 thinking on its head on many points. I’ve heard from several Silicon Valley experts about how we should change course and line up like every other local social networking attempt. It’s a full-time job tracking all these vowel-deprived start-ups and the countless millions of investor dollars that they’re spending.

But sites that make a genuine difference in people’s lives and their sense of local community… that’s something altogether different. We’ll gladly keep moving along our path… and thanks to Lauren for this latest example of everyday folks making great use of Front Porch Forum in their home town.

Posted in: Community Building, Economic Development, Local Online, Neighborhood, Social Networking, Stories


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