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Some local officials embrace the enhanced citizen interest that FPF can bring, while others resist or even reject it wholly.  We had a selectboard and town manager withdraw from their town’s FPF in southern Vermont recently because their constituents were using their FPF to raise uncomfortable questions.  They also decided to warn their public meetings at the last possible moment mandated by state law.  In a different community, the town manager is taking a beating via FPF on local budget issues, but he tells me he’d much rather hear from his critics and be able to address their points — which he does via FPF — than not.

We see a similar pattern with citizens.  Most see the value in more local discussion on the variety of topics that FPF engenders.  But others grow frustrated when they read viewpoints that run counter to theirs… and unfortunately a small number quit.  We see this from both the left and right of the political spectrum.  We encourage folks not to retreat into their respective echo chambers, but to stay engaged with their neighbors.  But it’s not simple or easy.

We’re eager to work with local public officials and citizens to help them get the most out of their FPF.  We celebrate where this seems to be working well.  We appreciate Jim, for example, for his FPF posting today…

Thanks to Front Porch Forum for making Hinesburg a more transparent town.

The Cambridge/Jeffersonville FPF is super vibrant with about 60% of local households signed up.  Stowe, Johnson, and Morristown are going strong too.  And Hyde Park, which launched just last week already has 120 households (out of 1,200) participating with more joining every day.  And this just in from Cambridge FPF member Liz…

I posted a request for recommendations for a handy man to help us out and I got an overwhelming response!!! Thank you to every one!!!  Front Porch Forum is the greatest. I am also on the Johnson FPF but I think the Cambridge one at present is more active. I look forward to reading it in the evening…

And 25% of the households in East Montpelier are on board their FPF already, just three months after launch.  And they’re putting it to great use.  Here’s a note posted by Barbara today…

Hurrah for Front Porch Forum and the generous people of East Montpelier! Saturday we asked for a wheelchair and intercom and today we have both!  We had four offers of wheelchairs and two offers of intercoms.  Thank you all.

If you’d like to bring FPF to your town in Vermont, please enter your information on our home page, or contact Michael Wood-Lewis.  (Here’s a map and list of our current coverage area.)

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And, it can bring more heat to the argument.  Generally, FPF staff are hands off and let clearly identified neighbors debate as they like on our site.  But we do step in when political points morph into personal attacks.  We hold the posting and ask the writer to help us keep things civil and consider attacking the topic and not the neighbor.  Often this does the trick, and the author thanks us for saving them the embarrassment of e-fisticuffs on the virtual town green.

But occasionally the anger that was directed at a neighbor swings full around to blast FPF staff.  One of my colleagues compared it to working as a bouncer, trying to break up two fighting bar patrons… when suddenly the customers start pounding on the bouncer.

This happened the other day in Jericho.  And, as usual, we stuck to our approach, stayed calm, and explained our approach.  It didn’t go well… several nasty remarks were tossed our way.  My colleague reported feeling anxious today then, when she spotted an incoming message from the troublemaker.  But lo and behold, here’s what he had to say…

I wanted to take a moment to apologize for the tone of my emails earlier this week. I admit I was over reactive at what I perceived to be an unjustified censorship of my contribution to our forum’s conversation. I do understand the need to keep conversations civil and attempt to make them constructive. I really appreciate all the work you guys do to provide this important service to our communities and I am sorry to have been such a pain in the ass.

Success!  What a champ to take the time to send his thoughtful note our way.  Thanks to him who shall not be named.

You may be interested in the fun I had with the 12 pints of B & J ice cream I won a few weeks ago:

Jan 16 – Cherry Garcia & Heath Bar Crunch
Jan 22 – FroYo Phish Food & Half Baked
Jan 30 – Friends invited me to lunch; I took dessert, Coffee Heath Bar & Stawberry Cheesecake
Feb 7 – Gave 2 pints to daughter-in-law at my birthday supper
Feb 13 – What a Cluster & Boston Cream Pie
Feb 22 – Gave last 2 to g’son, who’s favorite is Cherry Garcia

What if we all kept ice cream diaries?

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Vermonters have so many digital media tools in the toolbox from which to choose.  That said, I’m partial to our Front Porch Forum for many applications.  Apparently Doris in Argyle, NY feels the same way (from her current posting)…

Thanks to everyone who posted or emailed info about the Pleasant Valley public hearings, which my husband will attend tonight.  I was pleased to see that Front Porch Forum published the info in a timely manner.

It  occurs to me that one week of following FPF has given me more positive information and ideas than several years of trying to negotiate Facebook.  With Facebook I have struggled to figure out who is seeing what information and I have not gleaned much of anything from a world of “friends” except for gossip and a lot of negative interaction.  So, goodbye Facebook, and hello Front Porch Forum!

And I’d be remiss if I didn’t share this bit about Twitter… just in fun, of course…

Click here to view the embedded video.

Update:  And from Carrie in Argyle…

Doris, I agree…been thinking the same thing about getting rid of facebook. I love that the FPF news I hear is local!!! I feel so much more connected.

So, I doubt if we are the ONLY household having issues with using fuel oil. It has gotten to be outrageously expensive to heat with… What are other/cheaper options? Do you know if Jeffersonville has Natural gas? Is switching to propane any better? Just wondered what other old homes are using these days to cut heating cost. Thank goodness for our fireplace insert! Using 100 gallons every week and a half is killing us.  Thanks for ANY info!

And now today she adds…

Wow! Thank you to everyone with different opinions for heating alternatives! I was bombarded with so many emails I couldn’t keep up. I see many of you have pellet stoves and rave about them… that is wonderful. I am going to heed the advice to check the age and function of our current furnace, and definitely find out about the home energy audit. It has been a long time since new insulation has been done also… so I suppose were in for a costly chore, but worth it in the long run.  Thanks again everyone you were very helpful!

Ask a question, get an answer… that’s the way it is with FPF.  Or, in Stephanie’s case, get LOTS of answers.  And get to know some neighbors a bit better along the way.  The Cambridge FPF covers all 1,500 households in that town and has 840 members.  And it’s finally getting cold this winter!

We’re grateful to our partner on this new feature, e-Vermont.

FPF is expanding beyond Burlington… we now serve one-third of Vermont.  More than 32,000 members participate in rural areas, suburbs, and cities.  Imagine this level of engagement in every part of Vermont and beyond!  Let us know if you’d like to help bring FPF to your town (just enter your address on our home page and complete the form).

Three cheers for the tens of thousands FPF members in Vermont… and here’s to vibrant neighborhoods in 2012!

It would be enormously helpful if you would post this announcement to your neighborhood Front Porch Forum — to date, FPF has been the BEST source of prospective families, so it really does make a difference.

We see this all the time from dozens of area nonprofits, political campaigns, small businesses, and various groups.  Give it a try to help your cause/event/organization/etc. spread the word to tens of thousands of Vermonters!  If your supporters aren’t yet on FPF, send them to FrontPorchForum.com to sign up.

Of course, you’re also welcome to purchase highly effective FPF ad space.