Category Archives: Updates and Admin
Front Porch Forum featured at SXSW next week!
Are you headed to South by Southwest 2019 in Austin? Be sure to attend this session…
FrontPorchForum: Social Impact Thru Connecting Neighbors
March 13, 2019; 2-3 PM
JW Marriott, Salon D
Michael Wood-Lewis, Front Porch Forum
Tom Walsham, TWG
More than 75% of households in most Vermont towns use FrontPorchForum.com to communicate among neighbors and increase civic engagement. Operating since 2006, this locally owned social network has successfully helped neighbors connect and build community by rejecting the Silicon Valley addiction-and-surveillance business model. In this session, we will discuss the challenges of increasing impact while maintaining civility, implications of a sustainable neighbor model, and how the dynamics on FPF might inform better real-world dialogue.
Seating is limited to 500, so don’t be late!
FPF is Hiring: Business Manager
Front Porch Forum is seeking a Business Manager to join our growing team.
FPF is hiring: Software Developer
Front Porch Forum is seeking an Intermediate or Senior-level Developer to join our team of 17 Vermont-based staff.
Almost there! Pitch in before midnight Halloween
Wow! The response from Front Porch Forum members has been amazing. We’re about $12,000 shy of our October Supporting Member Campaign goal with one and a half days remaining!
Please chip in today or tomorrow. Thanks much!
FPF Hiring Ruby on Rails Developer
Front Porch Forum is hiring! We are seeking a Ruby on Rails Developer to join our team. This position is full-time and based in Burlington, Vermont. Be part of a world-class team of software engineers, and help us fulfill our community-building mission. Check out the details and apply here.
FPF Reaches Million-Posting Milestone
2017 marked the moment when Front Porch Forum saw its one-millionth posting! Celebrating 10 years helping neighbors connect and build community, FPF has experienced tremendous growth and accomplishments to serve every community in Vermont.
Take note of these FPF Milestones:
• More than 1 million postings made by our members
• 3.5 million e-newsletters sent every month
• More than 130,000 membersin a state with only 260,000 households
Co-Founder, Michael Wood-Lewis notes “we couldn’t be happier about the impact FPF has had across Vermont. Once people have an easy and safe way to communicate with neighbors, they do! And that simple act adds up. The cumulative impact is huge… after months of FPF, people often report feeling more connected to neighbors, more tuned in to local goings on, and more a part of their community. And in many cases, people then become more active… organizing a group yard sale, mentoring a local kid, volunteering for a park clean-up, voting on election day, and, most recently, helping each other during Blizzard Stella. That’s what FPF is all about!”
FPF is hiring… Online Community Manager
Do you love helping neighbors connect? Do you value a strong sense of community among neighbors?
Front Porch Forum is looking to hire a reliable, organized, and self-motivated addition to our highly collaborative Vermont-based team.
Learn more today and apply by March 24, 2017.
Effective online tools are the ones that keep people engaged
“A successful first experience using Fix My Street is associated with a 57 percent increase in the probability of an individual submitting a second report, and the experience of bureaucratic responsiveness to the first report submitted has predictive power over all future report submissions.”
This jibes with what we observe with Front Porch Forum. People stick with it because, simply, it works. They post a request, question, call for support, etc., and they get results. So they keep participating.
FPF Hires, Achievements and Promotions: Sales Team Dedicated and Moving Forward!
As Front Porch Forum celebrates 10 years helping neighbors connect and build community, our team has grown and evolved. FPF serves every community in Vermont, and 130,000 members participate out of the 260,000 households that exist in the state. Our staff has grown and evolved to better serve our members and business community. Take a look at our dynamic sales team.
New Additions
Jodi Harrington is an 8th generation Manchester, Vermont gal and 5th generation graduate from Burr and Burton Academy. Previous owner/editor of the Winooski Eagle newspaper and marketing director for both Onion River Co-op and Opportunities Credit Union, Jodi’s small business marketing skills are a great advantage to businesses utilizing FPF. She’s a strong activist in her communities having served on both the Winooski School Board and City Council. She loves the mountains and can be often found on the slopes (she is a level 3 PSIA ski instructor who has taught at Bromley, Smuggs, Whiteface, Bolton, Stowe and Burke).
Wendy Wilson brings her 20 years of experience in marketing, public education and communications to Front Porch Forum. She’s been actively involved in the fabric of Vermont through past work with Chittenden Solid Waste District, Vermont Commons School and Energy Action Network. In addition to her role at Front Porch Forum, Wendy also works part-time for VBSR. She has two teenage daughters and lives in Bristol where she enjoys cycling, traveling, cooking, reading and walking her dog Stella.
Celebrating Five Years
Suzie McCoy has helped local businesses connect with FPF members since 2012. She’s seen FPF membership double in that time, and has a genuine enthusiasm for the important role that FPF plays in our communities. Fluent in French, Suzie earned a master’s degree in education, and has taught at the high school and college levels. She’s an active volunteer and cofounded the Vermont nonprofit Action Coalition for Media Education, and currently serves as school board vice chair. Mom to her 12-year old son, you can find her pursuing a number of outdoor activities year round.
Promotion
Congratulations to Gisele Nelson, who after six years with FPF has been promoted to Sales Team Manager. Gisele started her tenure with FPF as an intern while she was a student at UVM. Her skills were quickly put to work as she took on a role in both Member Support and as an Online Content Manager. She built a strong rapport with many local businesses while in these roles which led her into the sales realm at FPF. Gisele’s strength in balancing her work and understanding of needs from both members and local businesses, combined with her strong inter-office communication skills, led her into this newly developed role at FPF.
Front Porch Forum celebrates 10 years helping neighbors connect and build community. Using technology to bring neighbors closer together, members of a local forum submit their own messages, which FPF distributes to nearby residents as an online newsletter. Because the service is moderated and real names accompany postings, the discussions remain civil, engaging, and relevant. FPF is popular, because it works. Ask any of our sales team staff how they can help put your business in the forefront of neighborhood conversations with our active, engaged membership.
10 Words for 10 Years – FPF annual word play and free prize drawing
FPF is ten years old now! Help us celebrate with our annual New Year word play and free prize drawing!
Submit your entry before midnight Thursday, January 5, 2017 — any posting consisting of exactly ten (10) words submitted before the deadline will enter you into a free drawing* to win one of these 25 great prizes:
• One overnight room at Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa• One $100 gift certificate to Hunger Mountain Co-op in Montpelier
Thanks to the local Vermont businesses who donated these wonderful prizes.
Now get creative! Make your neighbors laugh, cry, smile, think! — and POST AN ENTRY:
• Go to FrontPorchForum.com and click LOGIN (if not already logged in).
• Once logged in, click MY ACCOUNT.
• Then click COMPOSE POSTING.
• Select posting category “10 Words for 10 Years – FPF Raffle,” type your posting, and click SUBMIT POSTING.
*FPF welcomes up to two entries per day per person. Post about whatever tickles your fancy. Click on the links under PAST ENTRIES for loads of great samples.
Invite your Vermont friends, family, co-workers and others to join their local FPF and enter the raffle! They can sign up at FrontPorchForum.com. Check out flyers, social media tie-ins, and more on our Pitch In page. Spread the word!
UPDATE: This raffle is now CLOSED. Here are our lucky randomly drawn winners…
One overnight room at Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa
Mary O’Brien, Hartland
“Front Porch communication creates community, notifies neighbors, knits strangers together.”
One K250 Coffee Maker (in Red) from Keurig
Rita Muller, Peacham
“Despite digital distraction, community and neighbors still remain incredibly important.”
One Tower of Treasures from Lake Champlain Chocolates
Alec Slater, South End, Burlington
“I’m an apple-farming physician, so I keep myself away.”
Two cases of SAP! Maple Drinks
Berta Winiker, Bennington
“Oh, schizophrenic Vermont winter, what variety might we see today?”
Theresa Butts, Tinmouth
“Palindrome love: Are we not drawn onward to new era?”
One $100 gift certificate to Jivana Holistic Spa in Burlington
Dan Elliott, New North End, Burlington
“So many engaged people; tell a friend to join FPF!”
One $100 gift certificate to Hunger Mountain Co-op in Montpelier
Ed Leszko, Barre
“My house has no front porch; internet does; thank you!”
One $100 gift certificate to Prohibition Pig in Waterbury
Elisabeth Walton, Stowe
“What did the zero say to the eight? Nice belt!”
One $50 gift certificate to Flying Pig Bookstore in Shelburne
Sarah Forbes, Williston
“Oh what nice people I have met borrowing and lending!”
One $100 gift certificate to Bluebird Barbecue in Burlington
Rachelle Gould, Old North End, Burlington
“FPF, the anti-Twitter: focused on local, no Trump, limitless characters.”
One $100 gift certificate for Troy West Carpet Cleaning in Barre
Quint Welters, Cabot
“Why did the chicken cross the road? Dunno. Ask FPF… ”
One $100 Gift Certificate to to Farmers to You in Berlin
Lava Mueller, Randolph
“I gave up social media… except for Front Porch Forum!”
12 pints of frozen yogurt (one/month) from SoYo Frozen Yogurt
Raven Grey, South End, Burlington
“Don’t feed loons poptarts, ‘they are endangered,’ people will yell.”
One “Year of Free Bread” card for Great Harvest Bread Company
Michelle Yargeau, South Burlington
“Let your words pass through three filters: kind, true necessary?”
One full makeover at Sequoia Salon in Burlington
Zachary Key, Winooski
“Have I ever bought milk from the same cow twice?”
One family portrait or signed print from Carolyn L. Bates Photography
Bobbie Moser, Milton
“Congratulations to Front Porch Forum! We are all better connected.”
One 5-punch treatment card to OPEN Community Acupuncture in Waterbury
Linda Jones, Warren
“A broken ankle showed me the true spirit of Vermont!”
One $100 gift certificate to the Vermont Comedy Club in Burlington
David Hobb, South Hero
“Sparks fly with impunity; Please grant immunity; Forum implies community.”
Two tickets to Joey Alexander April 22 at The Flynn Theater
Toria Reed, Salisbury
“Found a dog, lost a cat, everyone got pets back.”
Two tickets to Bal© Folcl³rico da Bahia Jan. 27 at The Flynn Theater
Leo Laforce, Westford
“President elect should learn to use FPF instead of twitter.”
Two tickets to Cinderella, by State Ballet Theater of Russia Jan. 28, Spruce Peak Arts
Richard Hamlin, Georgia
“Once a small forum; now a lifeline for many people.”
Two 1-Day Lift Tickets (no restrictions) to Sugarbush
Amanda Skull, Newfane
“Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet.” • Abraham Lincoln
Two 1-Day Lift Tickets (valid mid-week, non-holiday) to Bolton Valley
Julie Welkowitz, Richmond
“Lending a hand; selling tires; love the Vermont community spirit!”
One 1-month Family Membership to The Edge
Dale Lacroix, Essex Junction
“Be kind to unkind people. They need it the most.”
One $125 gift certificate to the Shelburne Field House
Carole Carlson, Shelburne
“This Front Porch Forum skeptic has become an avid supporter.”
Pair of Buy Local coupon books and mobile apps from Local First Vermont
Melissa Marcello, Charlotte
“You’ve outlasted the typical vacuum cleaner. FPF definitely doesn’t suck!”
Leah Pellegrini, Essex Junction
“We moved here one year ago. FPF has helped us!”
Laurie Newton, Bolton
“Bears hibernating, cats sleeping, frozen-fingered humans starting cold cars.”
About Blog
Ghost of Midnight is an online journal about fostering community within neighborhoods, with a special focus on Front Porch Forum (FPF). My wife, Valerie, and I founded FPF in 2006... read more
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