How do you compare what Facebook does with Twitter, YouTube, or our own Front Porch Forum? Apples and oranges in many ways. Dan Schultz at MediaShift Idea Lab provides a framework for thinking about this today. Here’s his chart…
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
The post is actually a good one, I commented there, saw you did too. I agree that the place FPF wants to be is in the lower right. I think it would be a good start if FPF could get there, but the channel is getting in the way:
Dan’s article focuses pretty strongly (exclusively) on the channel used: “Is the tool’s functionality geared toward private conversations or group discussions? Is content sharing ego-driven, or is there a focus on discussion? For me, if the system is primarily designed for one-to-one or one-to-many communications, then it is individual focused.” – Email is right there in the lower left, and I agree with his observation.
Imagine everything FPF is, with pictures (of the bike for sale, the family, the house), Kids ages, sports enjoyed, specialties (knitting, painting, gardening) with more permanence. I am not talking about posting a daily status, or even a Tweet – I am talking about really knowing your neighbor with the tools available – email was a great start – but it could be so much more.