Seth Godin’s recent post rings true to our experience with Front Porch Forum to date…
The irony of the web is that the tactics work really quickly… But the strategy still takes forever. The strategy is the hard part, not the tactics.
… If you stick at stuff that bores them, it accrues. Drip, drip, drip you win.
It still takes ten years to become a success, web or no web.
The media wants overnight successes (so they have someone to tear down). Ignore them. Ignore the early adopter critics that never have enough to play with. Ignore your investors that want proven tactics and predictable instant results. Listen instead to your real customers, to your vision and make something for the long haul. Because that’s how long it’s going to take, guys.
In fact, I’ve often referred to FPF as the “tortoise” compared to lots of “hares” covered in the dot.com press.
Posted in: Community Building, Front Porch Forum, Local Online, Social Networking, Start ups
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