Ghost of Midnight

… about neighbors, community and Front Porch Forum

What’s the demand for neighborliness?

Posted on Monday, February 18, 2008 by No comments yet

Various entrepreneurial gurus (Marc Andreessen, Paul ) point, when asked for the most important ingredient for a start-up, to the market.  That is, it doesn’t matter how clever your technology is, or your marketing, or how brilliant your team is if there is no demand for what you provide.  If you’re working in a market that does have a healthy amount of demand for what you deliver… success is more likely.  The existing market is the most fundamental driver of all.  So goes one view.

Front Porch Forum is in the business of helping people get to know their neighbors… and to enhance the sense of community within neighborhoods.  Ample evidence points to a growing desire from people who want just that (which I’ll save for another post).

And here’s a new documentary from England on the subject…

My Street
After 14 years of living on the same road Sue knew practically none of her neighbours. Intrigued by what stories might lie on her own doorstep, she began knocking on the 116 doors on her street and meeting some of the 300 people who are her neighbours.

What she found were remarkable stories, from millionaires living next door to people on benefits, to convicted drug smugglers and classical composers. Sue meets party animals and recluses, the very young and the very old, hears stories of success and tragedy and sees how illness and loneliness, hope and happiness have left their mark on the lives of her neighbours.

More from Kevin Harris about this.

Posted in: Community Building, Front Porch Forum, Local Online, Neighborhood, social capital, Social Networking


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *