Monthly Archives: January 2018

Invite People You Know to Join FPF… Win an iPad!

Posted on Monday, January 29, 2018 by No comments yet

People join Front Porch Forum when they hear about it from someone they know. Spread the word to your Vermont and Washington County, NY contacts now through mid-day Friday, and you could win a new iPad!

Use FPF’s “Invite Neighbors” feature to invite as many people as you like (FPF is available in every town and neighborhood in Vermont, as well as in Cambridge, Jackson, White Creek and Argyle, NY). You’ll be entered into the raffle one time for each person you invite this way who actually signs up for a new FPF account by Groundhog Day, Feb. 2.

Invite more people to increase your odds of winning a new iPad! Try people from any walk of life… work, school, community, church, family, friends, social media, clubs and more. If your local FPF is already loaded with active members, think about people you know in other parts of Vermont and upstate NY who would be interested.

People tend to love their local FPF… so share FPF and give the gift of community. Thanks much!

Details:

Any current FPF member may enter by using the “Invite Neighbor” feature starting Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018, and ending noon ET, Friday, Feb. 2, 2018. Every new member that registers by the deadline due to your “Invite Neighbor” invitation will enter you one time in the iPad random drawing. Multiple entries per person are encouraged.

To enter:

  1. Go to https://FrontPorchForum.com and click LOGIN (if not already logged in)
  2. Click MY ACCOUNT
  3. Click INVITE FRIENDS TODAY under “Pitch In”
  4. Enter one legitimate email address of a person you know in each row.
  5. Click ADD ANOTHER if you want to enter more than three email addresses. (Don’t worry if you’re not sure whether your friend is already an FPF member… our system will NOT send invitations to email addresses already used by FPF accounts.)
  6. Click SEND INVITE to finish.

The winner of the random drawing will be presented with a gift certificate to Small Dog Electronics with sufficient funds to purchase a new iPad 9.7-inch 32GB Wi-Fi.

We will verify that the iPad winner adhered to the letter and the spirit of this contest (so please play nice!). It’s all about spreading the word about Front Porch Forum to more local folks — helping neighbors connect and build community.

Other ways to stir up interest in your FPF are located here: https://frontporchforum.com/about-us/pitch-in

Connecting with neighbors through the library

Posted on Friday, January 26, 2018 by No comments yet

Librarians have been making great use of Front Porch Forum for over 10 years!

“Here’s your chance to get out of the house and meet your fellow Moretownites at this after hours get together at the library. Bring a snack to share (you got too many holiday cookies perhaps?), and be prepared to play Apples to Apples as our first game.”
• 
Librarian, Moretown Memorial Library, Moretown

“The Friends of the Castleton Free Library are thankful to be able to use Front Porch Forum to connect and share with our community. FPF certainly is a great asset to our community!” • Liz in Castleton

Over 90 librarians participate on FPF. Does yours?

Pulled out of a ditch…. and thankful

Posted on Tuesday, January 23, 2018 by No comments yet

Across the state, Front Porch Forum members are thankful for their neighbors help.

“A huge thank you to the many neighbors – 5 in 15 minutes! – who stopped this evening to see if I needed help pulling my car out of the ditch.  I thank everyone for offering your help. I feel so lucky to live in this town, in this state, where people are truly kind.” • Martha in Shelburne

“Thank you so much to the kind, on-the-spot firefighter who just pulled me out of the ditch on the side of the road! Its dark and cold and you still stopped to offer assistance to someone you didn’t even know. Its people like you that keep our communities going and maintain my faith in the goodness of humanity.” • Charlotte in Hinesburg

“I got stuck in road-edge snow. At least a dozen neighbors stopped to offer help, and at least one called police, who came to stand by while I waited for the AAA tug out. Many thanks to the S Burlington police officer and to the many thoughtful neighbors.” • Mike in Shelburne

“Sliding into a ditch was made much easier thanks to the help of several good neighbors. My daughter and I are so fortunate to live in a place with good neighbors, ready and willing to lend a hand. SO grateful!” • Lesley & Molly in Plainfield

My husband’s car ended up in the ditch at the bottom of our driveway after the recent storm. Our wonderful neighbor offered to pull us out, which he did successfully. Thank you Bruce for taking the time to stop and assist us. Your help was greatly appreciated!” • Roxanne in Starksboro

When your neighbors come to the rescue, give them a shout-out on FPF!

Looking to gain traction to your website? Think FPF!

Posted on Monday, January 22, 2018 by No comments yet


“I want to say that my Facebook page saw a huge rise in clicks since my Front Porch Forum ad campaign started one week ago. I am confident I have seen some new inquiries. I am very happy with the activity I am getting, and will keep my advertising dollars with FPF!” –  Livingston at Century 21 Jack Associates

If you’re interested in learning more, contact our sales team at localbiz@frontporchforum.com

Strike a difference for Rutland county youth

Posted on Friday, January 19, 2018 by No comments yet

Join us as we team up with the Mentor Connector to #STRIKEADIFFERENCE at the 11th Annual Mentor Bowl on Jan. 27, 2018! 100% of the money raised directly supports mentoring for Rutland County youth, and Front Porch Forum is proud to be a sponsor.  Create a team and join the fun today!

The January Posting Flurry is OVER and the Lucky Winner is…

Posted on Friday, January 12, 2018 by No comments yet

Front Porch Forum members submitted hundreds of clever entries into FPF‘s January Posting Flurry, all wearing their earmuffs! Thanks to those who entered, and to all who enjoyed this bit of fun. Entries received before 1 pm on January 12 were entered in the random drawing. Please DO keep posting to your local FPF as the spirit moves… but the contest is done at this point.

Without further ado, the winning entry of this year’s random drawing for an iPad is
“Hello all neighboring beekeepers! Just wondering how everyone’s bee hives have been fairing through this cold spell?  Anyone thought of designing some sort of miniature bee earmuffs for the poor creatures? Hive a good day.” • Sarah in Tinmouth

Kudos, Sarah! In addition to her clever post, we received some other noteworthy posts shared here:

“Thank you to everyone who has helped us as my husband Jim recovers from a shattered wrist. Small tasks such as bundling up to go out in the frigid temps over the last 2 weeks can be daunting. An old pair of earmuffs have been invaluable as they are easy on and off so we would also like to posthumously thank Chester Greenwood of Farmington, Maine who invented the thermal earmuff in 1873, at the age of 15 reportedly coming up with the idea while ice skating. Chester was awarded patent #188,292 on March 13, 1877 for his design and provided jobs making earmuffs for people in the Farmington, Maine area, for nearly 60 years. Yet another clever New Englander!” • Sherri in Passumpsic

“Anyone have an unwanted simple record player? I am up to my earmuffs in good LPs and have nothing to play them with.” • Manfried in Newport

“Just a note to say that I so appreciate our community and the opportunity we have to connect and support each other through FPF. I gave up social media (except for FPF) after the election last year because I was appalled by the way I got sucked into a negative headspace during that time of such horrible mudslinging from all sides. (ALL sides!) I feel much lighter now – not that I am advocating everyone giving up social media, it definitely has its plus side. I am so happy that I have FPF as a way to witness my community and help out when I can. And ask for help as well! Thank you all and don’t forget to wear your earmuffs!”
• Lava in Randolph

“Redford is a Bloodhound who searches for lost pets, but when it’s so supercold out, I can’t let him go on a trail because he doesn’t have any earmuffs to keep his superlong ears from getting frostbitten.”
• Lisa in Albany

“I would like to shout out a huge Thank you to all those that helped with hats, coats, mittens and earmuffs this season to keep our neighbors warm!” • Jan in Johnson

“A huge shout-out to the Shelburne road crew during the recent snows and frigid temperatures! Living at the end of a cul-de-sac, the side of our driveway (understandably so) gets the big pile of snow from the street. This year, in particular, the drivers have done a terrific job keeping our driveway cleared more than usual. Thank you, Shelburne Road crew!! (I hope the trucks are cozy warm, so you don’t have to wear earmuffs!)”
• Patty in Shelburne

“I took my earmuffs off today
In honor of the sun;
I leashed my dog, without delay,
And frolicked just for fun.
My nose still froze and dripped with chill,
But oh the pleasure and the thrill!
It’s warm, I told my freezing toes –
Enjoy before that North wind blows!” • Martha in Middlebury

Warm Up with FPF’s January Posting Flurry… and Win an iPad!

Posted on Tuesday, January 9, 2018 by 4 comments

Brrrr It’s been cold! And we’re looking to heat things up a bit on Front Porch Forum. So, we’re running a simple contest through 1 PM, Friday, Jan. 12, 2018. Submit a posting on a topic of your choosing (“desk for sale,” “seeking plumber,” “ode to the cold”… you choose) and include the contest word “earmuffs” anywhere in your posting and you will be automatically entered. We’ll randomly draw a winner this Friday, Jan. 12. That’s it!

So, if you’ve been meaning to post a question, concern, announcement, offer, observation, advice, etc… do it now and you might win a new iPad!

Details:
1. Any current FPF member may enter by submitting a posting to their local FPF before 1 PM on Jan. 12, 2018. The posting must include the word “earmuffs.”
2. To be entered in the contest, postings should reflect a genuine effort to communicate, in the spirit of our mission “to help neighbors connect and build community.” The idea of the contest is to encourage legitimate postings, so please curb the impulse to post nonsense messages.
3. Limit one entry per day per member account.
4. The winner of the random drawing will be presented with a gift certificate to Small Dog Electronics with sufficient funds to purchase a new iPad 9.7-inch 32GB Wi-Fi.

To submit your posting:
Go to https://frontporchforum.com and click “Login”, then click “Compose Posting,” enter your message, and click “Submit Posting.”

 

Suggestions beyond your own neighborhood

Posted on Monday, January 8, 2018 by No comments yet

Reasons to scroll to the bottom of your FPF newsletter!

“When the first snows came this year I was desperate to find someone to clean our driveway, after 25 years the company that had done it could no longer do it. I got no response from posting it on our Front Porch Forum so I started looking at other neighborhoods. Joe A. from the neighboring neighborhood had someone and was recommending them highly. Joe was so helpful he actually brought the man to our house… I couldn’t help but give Joe a big hug, I had never met Joe! The man Joe suggested turned out to be very good…don’t just read your own forum get to know your surrounding neighborhoods as well.” • Shohreh from South Burlington

Read the “News from Neighboring FPFs”


Lost dogs happily found!

Posted on Tuesday, January 2, 2018 by No comments yet

Lost pet postings get priority treatment from Front Porch Forum staffers

“I am happy to report that all lost dogs are back home. Thank you FPF for pushing the found dog post through and for calling me to see if I had seen it. I am so very grateful. Thank you!”
• Shelly in Huntington

“What great news!! As I read the news I have goose bumps…I prayed Willie would be home by Christmas. The best present of all…..I am so happy for you.” • Jennifer in Middlebury

“Thanks to everyone who helped with the search. Our beautiful golden is under my desk as I write.” • Debby in Middlebury

Read more about how a community came together to find Willie