Monthly Archives: February 2012
Radio listeners are responding…
#VT – Have you heard FPF‘s ad on Farm Fresh Radio? Give a listen.
Hurricane Irene, Town Meeting Day, FPF, and You
#VT – We learned recently that a group of tech students set out in the wake of Hurricane Irene to pitch-in whatever way they could. The first three Vermont towns they came to turned them away when the local folks, understandably, weren’t yet organized enough to take advantage of the offer. Then the students came to Moretown and were put right to work because the lines of communication were humming, and, we’re told, Front Porch Forum was a big part of that.
More than half of Moretown uses FPF now and people make great use of it. Further, FPF is like fertilizer for local networks, helping book clubs, car pools, neighborhood watches and other local groups grow and prosper. These are the connections that make a community strong and resilient.
As Elga Gemst, a Moretown FPF member said in the days after Irene, “we’ve lost half a house but gained a community. Thank you neighbors for your heart-breaking generosity.”
Help neighbors in your town connect BEFORE the next call to action for your community. Recruit new members to your Front Porch Forum on Town Meeting Day. Contact us and we’ll send you flyers, sign-up sheets and other tips. Act today… Town Meeting is in a few days! Also, consider speaking from the floor of your meeting and pointing your neighbors to http://FrontPorchForum.com
Talking local politics…
#VT – Some public officials love Front Porch Forum, because it makes it much easier to communicate with their constituents. Others don’t care for it much at all… for the same reason.
Headed into Town Meeting Day, folks in one Vermont community have been asking selectboard candidates to speak up on their FPF and share their campaign platforms. In response, one candidate posted…
I hope you’ll vote for me on March 6th for… Selectboard. You can find out more about me and my positions [on my website]. Because I believe that Front Porch Forum is better suited to finding lost cats than it is to political debate, I invite you to contact me with questions or concerns by email or by phone…
Now today we heard from yet another citizen replying…
Front Porch Forum is so much more than a place to post about our “lost cats”. FPF is like your living room or a place at the dining room table where people can come and discuss whatever is on their minds. Yes, right now there are a lot of political things going on but that’s okay. Whether you are for or against something, everyone is given a chance to speak. Everyone’s opinion or points are important. The forum is a recycling center, a lost and found, a place to advertise your website (including politicians) and a place where people can come together on all levels, help one another, and find solutions. Thank you Front Porch Forum for being a part of our community.
FPF is hiring!
#BTV #VT – Front Porch Forum is seeking an experienced sales rep. to join our growing team: http://bit.ly/FPFsalesopening
Neighborhood Synchronicity
#VT – Many of the 170 neighborhood Front Porch Forums that we host have 5-10 postings per day on a wide variety of topics. So it’s surprising how frequently we see some sort of ESP at work among neighbors, e.g., “Help! Plumber Needed” might arrive at the same time as “Boy, Do I have a Great Plumber for You.”
Today it happened on the Moretown FPF with these two items coinciding…
“Looking for a 20-40-ish gallon fish tank. Accessories a plus. Thanks.” – Sherry
“Aquarium 50 Gallons – Free! Still in use, excellent condition, external Fluval filter, and 4 fish!” – Norma
I hope those extra 10 gallons don’t squelch the deal!
TMI? Nah… B&J’s is a special case…
#VT – Last month Front Porch Forum gave away 60 pints of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to lucky raffle winners. Today, one of them posted to her Pownal neighbors…
You may be interested in the fun I had with the 12 pints of B & J ice cream I won a few weeks ago:
Jan 16 – Cherry Garcia & Heath Bar Crunch
Jan 22 – FroYo Phish Food & Half Baked
Jan 30 – Friends invited me to lunch; I took dessert, Coffee Heath Bar & Stawberry Cheesecake
Feb 7 – Gave 2 pints to daughter-in-law at my birthday supper
Feb 13 – What a Cluster & Boston Cream Pie
Feb 22 – Gave last 2 to g’son, who’s favorite is Cherry Garcia
What if we all kept ice cream diaries?
Burlington’s Five Sisters recognized by This Old House
#BTV #VT – Front Porch Forum‘s flagship neighborhood — the Five Sisters — was just named by This Old House as one of their Best Old House Neighborhoods of 2012. Nice…
The Five Sisters neighborhood is in the south end of Burlington near the shores of Lake Champlain. Its five primary streets bear the names of Caroline, Charlotte, Catherine, Margaret, and Marian, hence the moniker. Here you’ll find around 300 houses and cottages developed from 1900 through the 1950s for working-class families employed by the nearby Queen City Cotton Mill and the American Woolen Company, among others. These days, it’s attracting young families, who often take turns walking kids to school, a practice known as the “walking school bus.”
Vermonters have many choices…
#VT – Lots of great discussion of various online tools today at the e-Vermont workshop in Randolph. I was blown away by first-hand accounts of Moretown citizens responding to Hurricane Irene, as well as the folks of Westford self-organizing a food shelf to help neighbors in need.
Vermonters have so many digital media tools in the toolbox from which to choose. That said, I’m partial to our Front Porch Forum for many applications. Apparently Doris in Argyle, NY feels the same way (from her current posting)…
Thanks to everyone who posted or emailed info about the Pleasant Valley public hearings, which my husband will attend tonight. I was pleased to see that Front Porch Forum published the info in a timely manner.
It occurs to me that one week of following FPF has given me more positive information and ideas than several years of trying to negotiate Facebook. With Facebook I have struggled to figure out who is seeing what information and I have not gleaned much of anything from a world of “friends” except for gossip and a lot of negative interaction. So, goodbye Facebook, and hello Front Porch Forum!
And I’d be remiss if I didn’t share this bit about Twitter… just in fun, of course…
Update: And from Carrie in Argyle…
Doris, I agree…been thinking the same thing about getting rid of facebook. I love that the FPF news I hear is local!!! I feel so much more connected.
Drawing a crowd to your FPF on Town Meeting Day…
Each neighborhood and town is unique… we can testify to that fact through our hosting of 170 different FPFs across Vermont.
While each place is different, they all get more value out of Front Porch Forum as more neighbors sign up.
Recruiting new FPF members on Town Meeting Day has proven a great way to boost your own FPF. Handing out flyers, passing around a sign-up sheet, speaking from the floor about your FPF during the meeting itself… we’ve heard of lots of successful approaches. In fact, Jeff just sent this note in today…
I would say FPF in Richmond has been a smashing success. My Town Energy Committee will have a table set up on Town Meeting Day. While FPF is a little off topic for our group, I see no reason why we can’t have flyers on our table… FPF has been a wonderful addition to our town and to the state.
Neighbors to the rescue… lost dog and cat edition
#VT – We love happy endings at Front Porch Forum. Here are a couple from today. First, from Ben regarding a missing pup in Hinesburg…
I just wanted to extend a sincere thank you for your help. Charlie was located early this morning and is now warming up and having a bite to eat inside. The phone calls received from the network of Hinesburg FPF members were invaluable to the search effort. Katy and Charlie really can’t thank you (and the callers) enough for what you’ve done. Many, many thanks.
And from Joel in Charlotte…
Our grey tiger kitty has been found, thanks to connections made through Front Porch Forum. I thank everyone who played a part in her return, and I thank those who kept their eyes open.
About Blog
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
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