Category Archives: Local Online
“Makeup for a Special Occassion” from FPF to RumbleStrip
Check out this romantic way to use Front Porch Forum. It’s too delightful not to share. Read this episode from RumbleStrip, a Vermont-made podcast that is top-ranked by The New Yorker and The New York Times, here.
Or listen to the episode on Spotify, here.
“A couple weeks ago on Hardwick’s Front Porch Forum, someone called Tiana asked if there was anyone who could help her with her hair and makeup for an important date with her boyfriend“… read more.
Keep Going Vermont Strong
The 2023 floods brought much devastation to Vermont. The recovery will be long and difficult, but not without signs of hope. Here are some snapshots of inspiring stories we’ve seen of neighbors coming together…
- “We have been stranded since Monday – no access to food, medical care, etc. However, the bridge that has been built is a human one. Our neighbors have all banded together in helping each other in any way needed.”
• Paul, Berlin
- “I have a Plethora of dehumidifiers now. That was quite the outpouring. Already feeling dryer inside. Thank you so much Waterbury neighbors.”
• Jim, Waterbury
- “Just popping in to say I have a working, unflooded car with 4 seats and spare time this weekend! I can’t fit much in the way of Stuff, but if anyone needs rides to work, appointments, errands, etc- please feel free to shoot me an email, I’ve been checking every couple hours lately.”
• Grace, Montpelier
- “Our road was hit very hard and it was not an easy job. Not only that, but the sense of community on our street was nothing like I have ever experienced. I met more of my neighbors in 36 hours than I had in the three years since we moved here. Me and my family received numerous check-ins, offers of places to park or stay, offers of food and water. The feeling of support all around definitely made weathering this whole experience much easier. Words can’t express how thankful I am to live on such a wonderful road surrounded by so many wonderful neighbors!“
• Nikola, Middlesex
- “I was driving though Plainfield, hoping to find an alternative route to Hardwick, when I spotted the sweetest sign in front of a black plastic bucket with flowers inside, at the end of a driveway. The cardboard sign stated “Bad day? Free flowers.”
• Rose, Woodbury
- “Hoping to find the man who came to my door last night, during the storm, to tell me that there were sparks right near the side of my house and he was worried about a fire to my house. A huge tree had fallen and turned out there was a live wire under the tree that was sparking. The fire department came immediately and took care of everything; they were great!! I am hoping this man may have told some friends the story and they might read this and I can find out who this kind man was who saved my house. I want to be able to thank him!!!”
• Joan, Woodbury
- “To the off-duty rescue worker who helped get a neighbor out of her swamped apartment. Even carried her dog to safety. Appreciation to the canoe couple who helped a neighbor on Franklin St with belongings and waited patiently for the flooded neighbor to get her things and self together to leave. Thank you to the guy who carried items out of an apartment to dry ground. Every person who walked flooded Franklin St and was asked for help, stopped to assist people. Thank you to all who asked if anyone needed help. Things were happening so fast and those caring folks were needed to do just what they did in that moment. You assisted many and asked nothing. Molto Gracia.”
• Barbara in Montpelier
Check out FPF’s new emergency feature: the Regional Disaster Response Board. It’s designed to facilitate mutual aid across communities and share vital updates. Just post to your local Forum, and any disaster-response-related postings will show up on your region’s board.
If you’re looking for ways to support neighbors, check out the Regional Disaster Response Board today. You’ll see requests for assistance (along with many updates) from all the Forums across your county.
Who wants to deal with a broken kitchen sink?
These handy-people recommended on FPF do! Many members turn to FPF to ask neighbors who they use to fix faucets, screen doors, broken heaters, you name it… Then, members share their positive experience back on FPF. See these success stories below.
What do you have that needs professional fixing? Ask for recommendations on your FPF, and check out FPF’s Community Directory with over 13,000 listings of local businesses in all categories!
- In Middlebury… “A valve malfunction shut down my kitchen sink and Shawn Frost, previously recommended here on FPF, went above and beyond in his efforts to get me out of my quandary the very same day at no small inconvenience to him and his plans. He is very experienced across the board in all things related to plumbing, pleasant, efficient, and professional, so I too am happy to recommend him.”
- In South Burlington… “We want to let everyone know that we had a great experience finding a handy person on FPF this week and would like to recommend him. Do not hesitate to contact Craig Bujold for any of your home projects. He’s a super nice person that works in Human Services and can tackle projects with competence and a smile.”
- In St. Johnsbury… “Several weeks ago I found a listing here on FPF for a handyman and I reached out to Isaac Poe. Now I am back to tell you what a positive experience it is to work with him. He was very responsive, on time, reasonably priced but most of all he did a high quality job. I could not be happier with the work he did for me. I highly recommend him.”
Want a Response? Try Front Porch Forum!
Members get an amazing response when they post on Front Porch Forum. Check out these examples just in the first week of June!
- “Thank you to the over 2 dozen neighbors who wrote with suggestions about my hose leak! Turns out I needed to replace the anti-siphon valve. Multiple people sent helpful notes that walked me thru the process, and voila! No more geyser shooting out the top of the spigot and around the hose! Shout out to Martins for having the inexpensive part in stock. Gratitude to all of you who wrote, to Martin’s Hardware, and to Front Porch Forum!“
• Porter in Bristol
- “I want to express my thanks to those individuals who replied to my recent FPF posting requesting pressure washing help. I had nearly 30 replies (!) either offering to provide the service or making a recommendation.“
• Lee Ann in Salisbury
- “Wow, within minutes we had four offers of people willing to lend us their tampers for our patio project. And more offers still coming in! What a great community! And what a great resource Front Porch Forum is!”
• Doug and Renee in East Montpelier
Dog runs away. Dog comes home!
FPF helps many get the word out about run away pets. We really want those pets to make it home! See how this story in Monkton, VT unfolds…
- “A small white brown dog was seen about 11:15 on Mountain Rd in Monkton near the steep rise half way down. It was trailing what appeared a leash. It disappeared rather quickly.”
- “Foster dog escaped about 11. Smallish 6 mo. white and brown with orange leash. Dogs name is Rutger. He’s very timid.”
- “The escape artist has been found safe and sound! Many thanks to Moe from Homeward Bound and next door neighbor dog, Lucy! And thanks to everyone else I called or accosted on the road. And a big thank you to FPF for getting the word out FAST!”
Neighborly Needs and Quandaries
Front Porch Forum staff work seven days a week to review the flow of postings submitted by members across Vermont. While challenging content appears occasionally, the vast majority of submissions are simple exchanges among neighbors. And many times each day we see gems that leave a smile. Here’s what yesterday’s shift looked like to one FPF staffer…
“Lost pets and wallets reunited with owners, snow shoveling and mud season angels, and tires for sale are all commonplace on FPF. We’re used to that. Then, you come across these really interesting postings… Like today, I saw ones about bat sightings as a sign of spring, someone trying to figure out what to do with a WWII uniform, and a story about losing a peacock (which — no joke — also happened to a different member last week!). I’m constantly surprised at what’s going on out there.”
When you give folks a place to communicate their neighborly needs and quandaries, they can really deliver!
“We’ve been googling but I trust my neighbors’ thoughts more…”
The internet is an amazing tool, but sometimes you just want advice from the folks who live in your community! Here’s 2 recent of examples of members turning to Front Porch Forum instead of Big Tech:
- “We had a new 8’x10′ shed installed on our property this fall. We erroneously assumed it would remain level if set on some cinderblocks and wood on gravel. The beginning of mud season has shown us otherwise! If you step one foot into the shed the whole thing rocks forward because the mud has sucked the back corner in so deep. What should we do? How do we fix this? We’ve been googling but I trust my neighbors’ thoughts more. Open to any and all suggestions! Thank you!” • Molly in Middlesex
- “We had our third or fourth dogsitter move out-of-state, so we are looking for someone else to watch our tribe (four dogs of different shapes, sizes, and ages – all healthy!) We are looking for someone who is very experienced with dogs/ does this for a living. … If this sounds like you or someone you know, please be in touch! I have had way more luck on here than through any app like Rover, so I appreciate the help!“ • Erin in Moretown
Use FPF to Recommend Local Businesses
Front Porch Forum takes our members’ privacy seriously. When members post to their Forum, they know that what they write will be visible only to the members of their own FPF and of immediate neighboring Forums. This allows members to engage freely in conversation about local issues, which is central to FPF’s community-building mission.
There are a few situations, though, where it might make sense for members’ postings to be more broadly visible. One of these is when a member recommends a local business or nonprofit on their Forum. Recommendations on FPF are an important resource for our members, and making them more broadly available helps support the nearly 12,000 local businesses and nonprofits that are members of FPF.
With this in mind, FPF recently launched a new feature: Recommendation postings for businesses or nonprofits now show up on the business or nonprofit’s listing in FPF’s Community Directory! Those postings are visible to any FPF member who views that listing, even if they aren’t a member of the Forum where the recommendation originated.
So if you are a business owner or nonprofit leader, ask your customers and supporters to post a recommendation for you on their Forum. (While you’re at it, ask them to “favorite” your listing as well!) When it shows up on your Directory listing, FPF’s 220,000 members all over Vermont will be able to see how much FPF members value what you do!
Solving Social Media’s ‘Local Paradox’
A new article in a Stanford University journal underscores various failures of Big Tech social media, and highlights Vermont’s own Front Porch Forum as a better way.
In the bowels of social media giants, like NextDoor and Facebook, live online spaces for local social networks to take hold (e.g., a neighborhood based Facebook group).
One might think a healthy form of social connection would come from these local online networks because they’re grounded in real-world relationships and physical space — you could literally bump into that posting’s author on your way to school drop off — but in practice, as this article points out, local social media can be even more toxic than global platforms. It’s dubbed the ‘local paradox‘.
The solution to this local paradox, they say, is to build networks that are values-driven, closely moderated, trusted, and local. Further, they share Front Porch Forum as a leading example.
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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