More neighbors are talking about voting, ballot issues, and local concerns in the weeks leading up to Town Meeting Day. New candidates and incumbents are sharing their platforms too. While some members say it can feel like a lot of content (often heated!), consider what this member in Springfield, VT, shared recently on her Front Porch Forum…
“While I’ve posted numerous times over the last couple of years looking for referrals for home improvement projects—and gotten great tips—how cool is it that FPF has become a place to learn about community issues and the people putting themselves out there to make a difference!“
“I don’t have time to call five different candidates to ask how they feel about one issue or another in Springfield schools. In a town without a newspaper, I appreciate the back and forth on FPF and opportunity to learn from the candidates themselves and from community members who support one person or another.” • Kelly in Springfield
See more examples of Vermonters appreciating FPF during election season.
Learn more about FPF Paid Campaign Postings here.
Technology and the way people use it has the power to unite people or pull them apart. Ethan Zuckerman and Chand Rajendra-Nicolucci of Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University took a closer look at platforms that bring communities together on a local level, only to find that some designs work better than others.
Platforms that operate more like social media, where individuals can post whatever they want instantaneously, can lead to heated, attacking commentary, false accusations, or misinformation. This kind of content may cause civil discourse to devolve and it may disrupt the establishment of ties within a community.
On the other hand, Front Porch Forum is an example of a local platform that has systems in place to help keep conversations civil and community-minded, fulfilling its mission of helping neighbors build community. From Rajendra-Nicolucci and Zuckerman’s piece:
“That organic growth was key to maintaining one of the key differences between FPF and Nextdoor: proactive moderation. FPF uses a team of moderators that review each post to make sure it adheres to the site’s code of conduct (which bars personal attacks and behavior “counter to its community-building mission”) before it’s posted. That helps to keep the discussion friendly and constructive… We believe a platform that takes governance seriously, is designed for a specific purpose, and has ties to the communities it serves can be successful anywhere.”
The authors also share the criteria by which they evaluate various platforms. These platforms operate on a local level broken into neighborhoods, towns, or city blocks.
“Getting local social media right is important. Local platforms present an opportunity to strengthen social capital and civic life. At their best, they can keep residents informed about local issues, encourage civic organizing and action, and facilitate new connections and greater understanding.”
Read the full article on Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University’s blog here.
Only TWO DAYS left in FPF’s Supporting Member Campaign! Help us raise the final $38,000 by Thur. Oct. 31.
Donate today to support Front Porch Forum’s mission with credit card, PayPal or check: https://frontporchforum.com/supporting-members
Tom from Brattleboro shared the following:
“I didn’t have to donate. But I did because it has many attributes I value that are lacking elsewhere:
– It’s local
– It’s not anonymous
– It’s civil
– It’s straight forward
– It’s not pushy
What are your reasons for supporting FPF?”
Share why you value FPF by posting in your local forum, and make your contribution today:
Did you know that nearly one-third of low-income Americans don’t have a broadband-connected computer and can only access the internet by mobile phone?
FPF is committed to making it easy for all Vermonters to participate in their local Front Porch Forum. We’re building a mobile app to make FPF even more inclusive. We need to raise $30,000 by next Tuesday to accomplish this. Please help today:
https://frontporchforum.com/supporting-members
More than 160,000 Vermonters participate on their local FPF daily. With your help, even more will be able to join the conversation.
Please contribute $200, $100, $50, $27 or any amount. Credit card, PayPal or check: https://frontporchforum.com/supporting-members
Front Porch Forum
PO Box 64781
Burlington, VT 05406-4781
FPF is a Vermont business, with a staff of 18, that serves every community in the state. We are not a charity and contributions are not tax deductible. Most of our expenses are covered by ad sales to Vermont businesses, and your Supporting Member contribution helps close the gap. Thank you!
UPDATE: We surpassed our funding goal by our deadline! Thanks so much to the many FPF Supporting Members who chipped in. Stay tuned for news about the FPF mobile app launch coming soon!
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!
Front Porch Forum is seeking a Business Manager to join our growing team.
Front Porch Forum is seeking an Intermediate or Senior-level Developer to join our team of 17 Vermont-based staff.
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