Category Archives: Citizen Journalism
Decline of open web in favor of social media… “grim consequences”
Iran’s “Blogfather,” Hossein Derakhshan, in a recent interview on the NiemanStoryboard…
“The decline of the web in favor of social media entails grim consequences. Hyperlinks were the founding principle of the web; it secured a diversity, nonlinearity, decentralization and interactivity, which made the web so powerful. But social media’s very philosophy and monetization strategy, or the stream, cannot be friendly to hyperlinks, since they do not want their users to leave their space. This new environment, in addition to the currently dominant algorithms, which favors popularity and now-ness rather than diversity and quality, is worse than television in its potential damage to representative democratic societies, where majority is supposed to take informed decisions without jeopardizing minorities. The rise of identity politics and intolerance for diversity is directly linked to the current form of the internet. This is the deepest shock of this transition to me since my release. This shift from what I call books-internet to TV-internet.”
Unlike some other social media platforms, Front Porch Forum doesn’t aim to lure people in and hold their attention 24/7. FPF, for many Vermonters, is a 10-minute-a-day habit that leads to more face-to-face conversations with neighbors… and to friendlier, more informed, and more resilient local communities. Hyperlinks in FPF postings are an important part of that.
Town Clerk uses FPF… break-in alert, lost and found, library events
More than 2,000 local public officials across Vermont use their Front Porch Forums to engage with their constituents, providing public service, sharing information and increasing civic participation. Here’s an example from the Williamstown FPF yesterday…
Vermonters appreciate updates from their elected representatives
“I want to express my appreciation to Rep. Robin Chestnut-Tangerman for posting legislative updates on Front Porch Forum, and for his obvious commitment to his work on our behalf. It also seems clear that you (Robin) really enjoy what you are doing and your passion shows. I feel well represented by you, and thank you for keeping us all informed.”
• Paul & Margaret, Tinmouth FPF
Click local! When will “local first” arrive on digital shores?
I couldn’t agree more with former Vermonter, Dan Gillmor’s recent piece…
Journalists: Stop complaining about Facebook, and do something about it
Dan focuses on Facebook’s growing dominance as a news distributor…
How should we respond? From my perspective, two primary schools of thought have emerged. One is to embrace that dominance, albeit with some unease, and fully participate in Facebook’s ecosystem. Another is to persuade Facebook to take seriously its growing responsibility to help get quality journalism in front of as many people as possible.
Both of those approaches assume that Facebook is too big, too powerful to resist that we have no alternative but to capitulate to its dominance. But if that is true, the consequences will be disastrous. We will be living in the ecosystem of a company that has repeatedly demonstrated its untrustworthiness, an enterprise that would become the primary newsstand for journalism and would be free to pick the winners via special deals with media people and tweaks of its opaque algorithms. If this is the future, we are truly screwed.
I say: no. Let’s not give up so easily. Instead, let’s resist and find a way out of this trap… (click to read the full article)
And… to add to Dan’s call… let’s go beyond journalism. Let’s click local for retail, for discussion, for classifieds, for reviews, for sports, for entertainment, for networking and more. Many communities have local efforts underway, and they struggle to capture people’s attention as so many of us habitually scroll through our Facebook feeds, go to Amazon, Yelp, etc. Why not try local efforts? While the internet and mobile devices still hold the promise of decentralization of power, we now know that the digital juggernaut is also acting as a giant concentrator of wealth into a small number of pockets. Thousands of local taxi companies replaced by Uber and Lyft. Thousands of local bookstores replaced by Amazon.
To quote Dan one more time…
I say: no. Let’s not give up so easily. Instead, let’s resist and find a way out of this trap.
Social media and Vermont Open Meeting questions
The Rutland Herald reported recently that…
A proposed social media policy that would cover both town employees and elected officials was met with pushback last week in Rockingham, with Select Board members saying they felt the proposed policy was a threat to their First Amendment rights…
Abby Friedman, director of the municipal assistance center for the [Vermont League of Cities and Towns], said Friday that many larger towns and cities in Vermont have social media policies, but she said she didn’t know whether they had adopted the one drafted by the league.
She said Barre City, Williston and Colchester were among the larger communities that had policies.
“The policy was written back in 2010. It was before Front Porch (Forum) existed. We need to look at our policy too to see if it needs any updating,” she said, noting that a lot of towns were concerned about the social media issue.
Chris Winters, deputy director of the Vermont Secretary of State’s office, said his office so far had not given towns and town officials any official guidance on the issue.
“Eventually, this summer, we were thinking of putting together some guidance,” he said. “And give the towns some help on online and social media behavior.”
In many Vermont communities, more than half of the households participate on their local FPF. So many more residents of these Towns read comments on FPF than would ever attend selectboard meetings. If we want healthy local democracy, we should update state and local policies to encourage participation… not the opposite.
One correction… FPF has been serving Vermont Towns since 2006, and we’ve had public officials participating during each of the past ten years.
Local TV news… fear-mongering or reporting on crime? (Burlington burglaries)
One day and 3,000 miles apart, two local TV newscasts took diametrically opposed approaches covering crime and local online forums.
KGET-17 in Bakersfield, CA asked multiple times in their story (Neighborhood safety apps and websites, are they actually safe?) if services such as Front Porch Forum, NextDoor, EveryBlock and AmericanTowns are safe to use. While a local police sergeant advised caution about what a user shares — which is good, common sense, advice — his point that the Bakersfield Police Dept. has “only seen the programs used in a positive way” was buried in the closing sentence.
Meanwhile, in an unrelated story the next day in Burlington, VT (Police see city-wide spike in burglaries), WPTZ-5 reported that the local police chief had just posted on Front Porch Forum — to which more than 75% of local households subscribe — about a string of burglaries. The Chief provided details and told his FPF readers that “the department is using plainclothes, unmarked and patrol units to track down those responsible.”
We’re pleased that law enforcement in Vermont finds value in Front Porch Forum, and that local media here mine FPF for story leads. FPF is part of a healthy local media ecosystem and we’re glad to play our role.
#THISisJournalism highlights Front Porch Forum
Andrew DeVigal & Mike Fancher report today…
It was a presentation months in the making.
Titled “T
HIS is Journalism,” the presentation carried enormous expectations as the ending plenary to our conference that asked that very question: What is Journalism? Luckily, we had help from many whose tweets illuminated emerging forms of journalism in unexpected places.
Earlier this year, the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication‘s (SOJC) Agora Journalism Center launched the #THISisJournalism social media campaign and website. #THISisJournalism is a collection of transformative projects that challenges our definition of journalism while also serving the functions of journalism to enhance public knowledge and enrich civic life…
They go on to share summaries of a many new online services that contribute to journalism today, including Front Porch Forum.
Threatening IRS phone scam reported in Essex Junction, Vermont
Recent discussion on Front Porch Forum in Essex Junction…
“Received today a voice mail ,supposedly , from the Crime Investigation Unit of the IRS threatening vague immediate action unless I or my lawyer called them back immediately. I didn’t fall for it. Wrote down phone # from CID & call back #. Wondered if anyone else has received this call. Don’t know who to report this to. Essex PD or State Atty. General? Any ideas?”
• Robert
“Yes, we received a similar call with the person claiming they were from the Treasury Dept (didn’t say IRS specifically). And we’d be in “big trouble” if we didn’t take it seriously and the cops will come to our house shortly (at which we had a good laugh).”
• Eve
“This is a pretty far reaching scam. My parents in Michigan received the same call a couple of months ago. Good job managing the panic reflex. My mom had already given them her SSN before her “something’s not right here” radar went off. Thanks for sharing on the Forum. The more people that hear about it – the less likely their chances of victimizing someone.”
• Jessica
“Yes, other people have been receiving these IRS phone calls. The State Attorney has had warnings in the news alot lately.”
• Robin
Business owner offers $5,000 reward on FPF for info about fire
The Stowe Reporter used the Morrisville Front Porch Forum recently to learn…
A Morristown man is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for a fire that destroyed his business last year. But state fire investigators say the blaze wasn’t suspicious and there is no active investigation.
Most traditional media outlets in Vermont use their local FPFs for leads to stories that they investigate and report on. We’re glad to play this role… and others. Further, we appreciate when proper attribution is included in the piece, e.g….
He posted a notice on Front Porch Forum last week, offering a $5,000 reward in hope that someone would contact state police with information.
Stowe and the surround communities are fortunate to have the Reporter and the Record digging into local stories.
Vermonters speak up about Morrisville Bypass
Reported by VPR yesterday…
AMY KOLB NOYES VPR
The Vermont Agency of Transportation has reversed a decision to close the Morrisville Bypass to non-motorized uses, at least until the agency’s Traffic Committee meets in December to discuss the issue.
The two-mile bypass, also known as the Alternative Truck Route, opens to traffic at 2 p.m. tomorrow afternoon. And now “traffic” will mean cars and trucks and bicycles and pedestrians.
“We have heard loud and clear from our customers who feel that bicycles and pedestrians should be allowed on the new Morristown Alternate Truck Route. VTrans, the Regional Planning Commission and the Town all agree and the prohibition will be removed as this road opens to the public on Friday,” Vermont Agency of Transportation program manager Kevin Marsha posted on Morrisville’s Front Porch Forum…
As the bypass neared completion the newly-posted limited access sign drew lot of attention over the past couple of weeks. Much of the conversation took place on Morrisville’s online Front Porch Forum and on discussion forums below news posts on the issue…
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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