#BTV #VT - From Charles Lawton in yesterday’s Portland Press Herald…

… Two election cycles ago, Howard Dean introduced us to the financial aspect of this [e-government] revolution by showing how Internet-savvy political appeals could mobilize institutionally unconnected individuals into an effective donation and voting bloc.

Since then, Internet appeals and social media have become basic tools of political campaigns.

Another Vermont innovation — Front Porch Forum — has brought the same technological capability to what used to be the town meeting, the pancake breakfast and the church bean supper. It is a virtual meeting place for neighbors to share ideas on topics as mundane as a lost cat and as controversial as ATV trails and town charters. To judge by its glowing testimonials and rapid spread to towns across the Green Mountain state, it has been a great success.

Much is simply an expression of neighborliness — the loan of a sump pump, a reference to a native French speaker, thanks for a bigger-than-average turnout for church bingo.

But other testimonials speak to the forum’s value in building community — “I look forward to reading it every night. I’m not a Facebook fan but I LOVE Front Porch Forum.” And still other comments illustrate its value as a well-utilized source for varying but always respectful, never ranting, opinions on hot-button public issues.

In this last respect, the FPF represents e-government as a reflection not of a more efficient bureaucracy but of a more involved citizenry. And that is its greatest contribution and the one we ought to seek to promote here in Maine.

Increasingly people use FPF to tackle some of the tougher challenges faced by their communities… street crime, school and town budgets, disaster recovery… and currently in Burlington, illegal drug use…

Hello Neighbors – Over the last few months, everyone in our household and that of our downstairs neighbors’ (and landlord’s) had noticed certain vehicles consistently parking on the quiet side street next to our house, and just sitting there for a long time. Of course, this sort of thing makes you wary, but we had not seen or experienced anything overtly suspicious or criminal… until yesterday, when I found two used needles and bloodied alcohol swabs discarded curbside, right next to our house…

Last night, after dark, a cherry red car with a loud muffler pulled up to the same spot and sat. Our downstairs neighbor noticed this, and after a few minutes walked out to have a look/be a presence. The car quickly pulled away, turned around and took off toward North Ave. Sure enough, another pair of used needles and dirty swabs were found on the street. We called the cops, and an officer was sent over to have a look; we described the vehicle to him, and he collected one of the syringes. His idea is that people are buying on North St and then pulling back into our relatively quiet, not-much-patrolled neighborhood to shoot up.

Needless to say, this is disturbing and disheartening, and we’re hoping to help bring a stop to it ASAP. Be aware of stopped vehicles lingering at the curbside in your neighborhood, and be very careful to watch out for discarded needles, especially for the sake of children in your area (“luckily”, the needles that we have found have bright orange plastic components and are easy to spot; also, the idiot users have been thoughtful enough to cap them before dumping). Obviously, direct confrontation is not encouraged, but notice patterns and take down license plates of repeat visitors. And, of course, be very careful and wear gloves when cleaning up after these losers (the cops will come to pick them up if you’re not comfortable doing it, but they do not want them as evidence unless they are still loaded).

Be careful out there, and teach your kids the same!

#VT -

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…

#VT - The thing I’m noticing about the water in the village tonight is that as my kids are taking a bath, it smells like a chlorinated pool as far as about 6 feet from the bath tub.

I have no idea what this means. Better a chlorinated pool than a cesspool is how I choose to look at it.

I’m glad that public water supply quality is a topic of conversation on Front Porch Forum, and I do appreciate that town officials use the forum for disseminating information about it.

This was shared with 1,000 Bristol FPF members tonight by Gillian.  Good for Bristol officials for engaging the public.  We’re seeing more and more of this on FPF in towns across Vermont.  I do know of one going the other direction… actually closing down communication with voters… but that’s the exception.

#VT - I thought it was pretty neat that at 15 minutes into the Starksboro Town Meeting, Front Porch Forum had been mentioned 3 times by town officials (Town Clerk, Selectboard Chair, and I think also by the Moderator), with things like, “Watch for updates on Front Porch Forum.”

And the thing that struck me, was that it was always said like everyone would know what they were talking about. Here we are three years after start up there, and it’s a fully integrated part of the way the community interacts (and has been for some time). Pretty cool…

That note arrived today from an observer of Starksboro’s March 3rd Town Meeting… and we’re hearing the same from other towns who met prior to Tuesday’s official Town Meeting Day in Vermont.

#VT -

Headed into Town Meeting Day, folks in one Vermont community have been asking selectboard candidates to speak up on their FPF and share their campaign platforms.  In response, one candidate posted…

I hope you’ll vote for me on March 6th for… Selectboard. You can find out more about me and my positions [on my website]. Because I believe that Front Porch Forum is better suited to finding lost cats than it is to political debate, I invite you to contact me with questions or concerns by email or by phone…

Now today we heard from yet another citizen replying…

Front Porch Forum is so much more than a place to post about our “lost cats”.  FPF is like your living room or a place at the dining room table where people can come and discuss whatever is on their minds. Yes, right now there are a lot of political things going on but that’s okay.  Whether you are for or against something, everyone is given a chance to speak.  Everyone’s opinion or points are important.  The forum is a recycling center, a lost and found, a place to advertise your website (including politicians) and a place where people can come together on all levels, help one another, and find solutions.  Thank you Front Porch Forum for being a part of our community.

While each place is different, they all get more value out of Front Porch Forum as more neighbors sign up.

Recruiting new FPF members on Town Meeting Day has proven a great way to boost your own FPF.  Handing out flyers, passing around a sign-up sheet, speaking from the floor about your FPF during the meeting itself… we’ve heard of lots of successful approaches.  In fact, Jeff just sent this note in today…

I would say FPF in Richmond has been a smashing success.  My Town Energy Committee will have a table set up on Town Meeting Day.  While FPF is a little off topic for our group, I see no reason why we can’t have flyers on our table…  FPF has been a wonderful addition to our town and to the state.

When: Thursday, February 16, 2012: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
Where: Vermont Technical College, Randolph Center
Register: Visit http://evermontworkshop.org for details and to register

Join community leaders from around the state to share ideas and learn how online tools are being used to create jobs, reinvent schools, attract visitors, improve civic involvement, and enliven Vermont communities. The workshop is sponsored by the e-Vermont Community Broadband Project.

Anne Galloway of VtDigger.org will be the keynote speaker. Session topics include mobilizing community resources for emergencies, a hands-on lab exploring online tools for business, a showcase of how technology is expanding the classroom for 4-6th graders, a look at conducting town meetings in the digital age, and ways to increase public Internet access in your town (and why).

Registration is $20 and includes course offerings, refreshments, lunch and the chance to win a Kindle reader and other prizes in our raffle drawing.

For more information about the day go to evermontworkshop.org. Pre-register online, by phone 802-859-3090, or by e-mail joanna@snellingcenter.org.

As America’s cities become larger and life gets more complicated, some long for a return to a small-town lifestyle, where they are greeted by name, and the front porch — overlooking a picture-postcard main street — is a place to talk to neighbors. While this rosy view of rural living may not exactly square with reality — especially in hard economic times with high unemployment — the urge to enjoy a more rural lifestyle is attractive to many.

e-Vermont, a consortium of seven different organizations, has come together to improve the economic outlook of rural Vermont through technology, while at the same time preserving what’s most attractive about a region better known for its maple syrup, skiing and mountain vistas than Internet connectivity and job growth…

As for those conversations on the front porch, there’s a forum for that called “Front Porch Forum.” … “it’s a platform for neighborhood conversations, with the goal of things spilling over from online conversations to in-person conversations. Needless to say, public officials take a keen interest in that, not just to follow what’s going on but to have an engaged citizenry.”

Typical items on the forum might be someone selling firewood, eggs or a canoe. Missing pets are frequent items, as well as local government issues such as a proposed tax hike to pay for heating repairs at the school, which may be on the agenda for the next town meeting…

Susan Clark, a resident of Middlesex, is a sixth-generation Vermonter who co-authored All Those in Favor: Rediscovering the Secrets of Town Meeting and Community. She wanted more frequent connections with her community than the once-yearly town meetings. So when she heard about Front Porch Forum, she became a community volunteer…

Clark said that in keeping with the benefits of face-to-face meetings, Front Porch Forum isn’t anonymous, and the person’s street… is also listed… And unlike social networking sites like Facebook, she said, “Front Porch Forum wants you to know what’s going on in your community so you’ll get out from behind your computer and go out and go to the yard sale or the town meeting or the school play or the concert or any of those things.”

Clark said that the forum helps connect the public with local government, but she cautions against loading a forum with such things as planning commission documents at first. Wait until they are hooked on community events and items of personal interest, she said.

When Duane Sorrel, of Middlesex, moved to town he found out about Front Porch Forum at a town meeting. Sorrel, in a YouTube video, said that when he posted his information, he got a dozen customers for his automotive business in the first two days. “My favorite post,” he says in the video, “is ‘lately there’s been bears eating chickens.’ That’s been pretty interesting.”