#VT - A few weeks ago I posted on Front Porch Forum to get ideas for gifts for two girls graduating from college. I received wonderful responses. Thank you so much. The gift idea I chose was to get paintings from a local artist Nancy Stone. She did the most beautiful “pet” paintings for the girls and at such a reasonable price. I am so thrilled, I had to share.
Posted on FPF in Williston today by Linda.
#VT – Lost cat postings are a staple on Front Porch Forum. It’s easy to forget how effective they can be in reuniting pets and families… and in helping neighbors connect and build community. From Jenna today on FPF in Essex Junction Village…
My cat went missing a several days ago, we figured either someone took him in or he got “lost” (read: eaten by fisher cat) in the woods beside our house. Thanks to Front Porch Forum and a kind neighbor’s posting that there was a cat in a tree, we found him. He remained scared and “trapped” for 2 nights – yesterday this kind neighbor used tree spurs to climb the 25-30 feet in the air to rescue Max.
It’s hard to explain in words how amazing this was – thank you for saving our Max. He’s very happy to be home and adjusting to “indoor only” status. My son especially thanks you as Max is his cat. He was devastated when we couldn’t find him.
Thanks again -
Max and family!
UPDATE: Now Patricia adds a dog story from the same Essex neighborhood on FPF…
I just want to say what a great neighborhood we live in, as Jenna (owner of the treed kitty) can attest.
Tonight, my recently adopted Cairn Terrier, Toto, made another escape from my home, and happily ran like the dickens straight to Maple Street with me in pursuit. Some wonderful neighbor whom I have never met, stopped his car at the corner of East & Maple, got out, and apprehended the little rascal for me.
Another neighbor, seeing me quite winded and struggling to carry Toto home, offered me a much appreciated ride home.
This is not the first time a kind neighbor has helped me out in this way, and I am so happy to be living here and happy to have Maple Street Front Porch Forum at our disposal. Thanks to all concerned!
#BTV #VT - Posted by Peggy yesterday on Front Porch Forum to her nearby nieghbors…
Hi All… I left my tennis racquet at the Perley Collins Sports Center in St. Albans and wonder if anyone who travels between the Burlington area and St. Albans might be able to bring it down to The Edge Club at Farrell St in So. Burlington? A $10 delivery tip is included! Thanks!
And today she followed up with…
Thanks so very much to Marcia for stopping in St. Albans to get my tennis racquet and returning it right to my door in Burlington. So very kind and very much appreciated!
Thanks to Front Porch Forum as well… thanks for another successful connection… a really great community networking service.
#VT – Posted today on the East Montpelier FPF, where one-third of the town has joined in the five months since launching…
I read through the most recent issue of Front Porch Forum and could only feel gratitude for this community.
Thank you to the person who is offering chicks to people who lost theirs to the bears! Warms my heart to know we live in a community where this kind of thing happens.
Thank you to the people who so well articulated my mixed feelings about the elementary school facility project. I think that the public meeting tomorrow night should focus on some of the questions asked at the end of the letter on FPF not just the dollars and cents…
And thank you for all of the postings about dogs, bears, hummingbirds, town roads and more.
And welcome new members most of whom I do not know but feel that we at least have something in common – a good source of neighborly conversation and important information exchange.
UPDATE: And here’s another posting on the East Montpelier FPF…
I just want to say that I think FPF is fantastic. I have not caught on to Facebook (and have no urge to do so). This chatting between neighbors is wonderful.
The conversations that are currently taking place over the School Bond have been well written, informative, and respectful. Thanks.
#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.
#BT #VT - Most Front Porch Forum postings are simple matters of locating a babysitter or lost dog, selling a bike, or hitching a ride to Boston. We get lots of bear/moose/skunk/etc. sightings too.
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!
Good looking publication recently released from Vermont Technology Alliance, Vermont Technology Council, and Vermont Biosciences Alliance…
Tapping Tech 2.0: Transforming Vermont’s Economy
See pp. 16-17 for a write-up of Front Porch Forum.
#BTV #VT - Posted today by K.K. in downtown Burlington…
Sometimes I’ve worried that hard copy books will become obsolete, but I received 30 responses to my offer for my antique books from FPF members. They have found a new loving home and I thank everyone for their interest. Go Front Porch Forum!
#Calais #VT - Published on the e-Vermont site today…
Front Porch Forum Helps Calais Neighbors Connect
What if nearly every household in a small rural town were in daily communication with each other? What would change?
e-Vermont partner Front Porch Forum provides towns and neighborhoods with a virtual town green and bulletin board. Once FPF is set up in a town, it opens unlimited possibilities to connect
Calais is a great example.
Out of the 680 households in town, 570 people are members of the Calais Front Porch Forum, and they’ve shared 2,300 postings with neighbors since it began fifteen months ago.
Dozens of lost pets have been reunited with owners, cars sold, used strollers given away, mechanics recommended, break-ins reported and much more. Adoption has reached the point where most local institutions have come to count on it as well, as seen by this posting:
“I do not know if this will work, but my pastor referred me to this FrontPorchForum.com. My car died on me. I am trying to find a ride to work for 10am. If anyone could help it would be greatly appreciated.” -Danielle Duprey
In addition to transactions and news sharing, Calais citizens use their FPF to debate local issues, including exchanges about road conditions, WiFi in the school, and more.
“You know, Front Porch Forum at times may sound more like a lively Town Meeting than neighbors talking while they rock on their front porches, but in the end we seem to have arrived at a pretty good place.” – Elizabeth Davis
Each posting, almost regardless of the topic, weaves an additional strand in the web of community.
“I woke up this morning thinking about FPF… our collective community diary that records where we have been and help us work together where we are going. Thank you everyone for broadening our community, giving us a way to better understand each other.” -Peter Harvey
#VT - Some people assert that residents of condominiums and apartments are less inclined to be neighborly or care about community. I disagree. While these areas may have fewer postings on Front Porch Forum than some single-family-home dominated neighborhoods, many of their residents still value community. Here’s a note from Robynn today, writing from a condo development in Chittenden County to FPF…
…a commendation to you and your staff! What you produce is top quality, first class. I LOVE FPF! It’s how I found my eye doctor, was able to donate notebooks to a worthy cause, way to volunteer in the community, and even though my recent bike posting did not net a sale, it felt good to try and sell it before it heads to Earl’s bike swap on Thursday. I feel more connected to my community because of our FPF. Thank you for what you do for our community and all others in VT!!