Category Archives: Community Building

“We’ve been googling but I trust my neighbors’ thoughts more…”

Posted on Friday, April 7, 2023 by No comments yet

The internet is an amazing tool, but sometimes you just want advice from the folks who live in your community! Here’s 2 recent of examples of members turning to Front Porch Forum instead of Big Tech:

  • “We had a new 8’x10′ shed installed on our property this fall. We erroneously assumed it would remain level if set on some cinderblocks and wood on gravel. The beginning of mud season has shown us otherwise! If you step one foot into the shed the whole thing rocks forward because the mud has sucked the back corner in so deep. What should we do? How do we fix this? We’ve been googling but I trust my neighbors’ thoughts more. Open to any and all suggestions! Thank you!” • Molly in Middlesex
  • “We had our third or fourth dogsitter move out-of-state, so we are looking for someone else to watch our tribe (four dogs of different shapes, sizes, and ages – all healthy!) We are looking for someone who is very experienced with dogs/ does this for a living. … If this sounds like you or someone you know, please be in touch! I have had way more luck on here than through any app like Rover, so I appreciate the help! • Erin in Moretown

Sweet and Simply Put…

Posted on Monday, February 13, 2023 by No comments yet

This posting from a member in Hardwick just came in and warmed our hearts.

“I am so grateful for FPF for the sense of community and support; any time I post, I am overwhelmed with responses that leave me feeling cared for and with a sense of belonging.” – Lisa, Hardwick

Neighborly Discussions about Difficult Local Issues

Posted on Friday, February 10, 2023 by No comments yet

Neighbors engage in productive, meaningful discussions every day on Front Porch Forum in communities all across Vermont.  In addition to finding lost dogs, selling used bikes, and recommending mechanics, FPF is a popular place to tackle local issues in respectful and neighborly ways.

For example, Connie shared on her Williston Forum this week…

“I am very grateful to FPF for allowing all of us the opportunity to vent mutual concerns and come together as a group to discuss potential ways to resolve these shared concerns. Thank you FPF!!! I now don’t feel alone in my discontent and I have learned new ways to address the USPS issues. Our shared concerns matter. Let’s keep communicating!”

Add your voice to your local Forum. Join and post at FrontPorchForum.com!

Fixing Digital Public Spaces

Posted on Monday, February 6, 2023 by No comments yet

Leslie Stebbins was quoted in a recent Salon article, “Our digital public spaces aren’t so healthy… Can we fix that?” (read full article here) that…

Tech companies maintain that they cannot moderate online communities because that would jeopardize our right to free speech and because there is simply too much content flying across these networks to track. Both these issues are false flags. We now know that the core infrastructure of these platforms is intentionally designed to amplify vitriol and misinformation because this increases engagement, keeps us online longer, and provides tech companies with billions of dollars from ad revenue. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Further, Stebbins adds, We should focus on creating new spaces that have explicit civic goals and are designed for equity and social cohesion. Real-world communities need to be involved in intentionally designing their own local digital public spaces rather than leaving this work to global tech companies.

Front Porch Forum gets a nice spotlight in the article…

Front Porch Forum […] focuses on real world community building. It is the antithesis of Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter. Rather than try to keep users online, it strives to get people offline and more connected to their local Vermont neighbors. Most people spend five or ten minutes a day online to get news that their neighbors have posted: lost dogs, bake sales and announcements of upcoming school board meetings. It is funded by donations and local ads based on where someone lives, but it does not track user behavior and advertising does not drive platform design.

Independent research on Front Porch [Forum] shows that it builds social cohesion and is improving the resilience of local Vermont communities. Building stronger community cohesion produces many intangible benefits such as high civic engagement, more instances of neighbors helping neighbors, and lower crime rates.

Neighbors Get Organized

Posted on Tuesday, January 17, 2023 by No comments yet

Everyday across Vermont, neighbors come together to fix problems, have fun, talk, and share. Increasingly, they use their local Front Porch Forum to get the conversation started. Here are some recent examples…

In Essex Town and Essex Junction this week, neighbors are meeting at the local police station to organize neighborhood watches in response to property crime incidents. Notices for this meeting reached 10,377 FPF members out of the 9,310 households in these communities!

In Charlotte, folks there are using their FPF to organize a backgammon league. The member’s posting below reached 4,037 FPF members in a town with 1,499 households!

  • Yahoo!…FPF is terrific for connecting with neighbors. So far we have 23 people on the list of backgammon players eager to launch a league at the Charlotte Senior Center!– Sally

In Morrisville, one neighbor is looking to find a local running group. Shannon’s posting reached 4,852 FPF members in a town with 2,810 households!

  • “Hello! I am new to Morrisville, and am looking to connect with other runners. Are there any established running groups in the area?” – Shannon

How about in your town or neighborhood? Any new hobbies or meetups popping up? If you’re trying to get people together, Join FPF (if you don’t already have a free account)! Click compose and post your message to nearby neighbors. 

Happy organizing!

Whatever the Weather, Middlesex Weathers Together!

Posted on Monday, January 9, 2023 by No comments yet

Two days before Christmas, Vermont braced itself for a Nor’easter. The storm brought snow, ice, rain, and strong winds taking out power in many parts of the state. In Middlesex the Town Clerk turned to Front Porch Forum to share daily emergency info and updates. 

Later, members wrote in applauding their Town Clerk and all the utility workers that got them through the storm. We’re impressed by all of them, too! Here are some highlights…

  • Appreciation for the Town Clerk: “Many thanks, Sarah! Aren’t we Middlesexers (?) Middlesexites (?) fortunate to have a Town Clerk who is always watching out for us? The link she just sent provides a wealth of information to help us understand what we’re facing with the coming storm. It’s scary, but Sarah has made sure we’re prepared. Brava!” •Jeri

  • Appreciation for utility workers:Sending a HUGE shout out to the Washington Electric Coop crews who worked through a horrible stretch of weather to get power back to 5,000+ customers in our region.  It’s easy to take the luxury of our electricity for granted… until you lose it for nearly 2 days. For those without any back-up heat, this must have been brutal. Thank you, thank you WEC and Merry Christmas to all!” •Linda

  • Appreciation for neighbors: “Thank you to our wonderful neighbors. I received several offers of help to get through the time until we have electric again. We were able to secure quite a number of gallons of water today so we could do dishes and flush the toilet probably for the next couple of days and hopefully by then we will have electricity. Once again, we are very grateful for all of the offers of help we received” •Carol

  • Appreciation for FPF: “Thanks for being there for our community.  It sure has been a lifesaver for some during the power outages in Middlesex.” •Another FPF member

We are always impressed to see how neighbors come together to navigate difficult situations. Storms like these are what FPF and Vermont community is for!

Gratitude for days…

Posted on Monday, November 21, 2022 by 1 comment

Kindness is no stranger to Front Porch Forum‘s members. Every day we see neighbors posting appreciation for the people in their community. We’re sharing a few recent stories of gratitude this week. We are grateful for all the people making neighborly connections happen. ♡ Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Today a large tree fell across our steep, twisty driveway. Carey, a friend and neighbor, offered to send her husband to clear the obstruction. A new neighbor, Doug, followed me up the driveway and attempted to move the tree. Eight hours later, Dakota and Andrew, a young couple and future neighbors, skillfully attacked the tree and opened up access for us. Our gratitude to all of them for demonstrating the kindness and neighborliness that makes Vermont a special place to live.
• William in St. Johnsbury

Thanks to all the folks who had seen hubcaps in the area, I got mine back! Yay for FPF!!!
• Sue in East Montpelier

Many thanks to all who reached out to provide a dog crate for my daughter’s visiting puppy! I have secured a crate for the week (and actually longer)! I am grateful to live in such a giving community where people reach out just to lend a hand. It’s a good start for Thanksgiving.
• Terry in Randolph

A couple weeks back I requested donations for a young couple that is new to the area, relocated from the deep south. They’ve never experienced winter in New England before. The donations were dropped off to them and they are warm and cozy as can be while navigating daily life with snow! Thank you so much to everybody who reached out and orchestrated getting donations to them, the generosity from this community is outstanding.
• Tanya in Randolph

One Vermonter’s Response to Inflation

Posted on Monday, July 11, 2022 by No comments yet

A recent Front Porch Forum posting in the Northeast Kingdom…

My favorite shopping place is FPF. As we are all struggling to get by, we think we can’t afford to buy what we need. But then the generosity of an FPF neighbor comes through. They have helped me several times! Thank you Neighbors 🤗

• Randall in East Burke

Clearing the garage…

Posted on Tuesday, June 28, 2022 by No comments yet

Sometimes you need just a little bit of something to finish one small project. For this neighbor, it was leftover paint.

Thanks to everyone who donated spray paint for my small projects! What a great way to get rid of unused paint cans. If people are clearing out their garages, consider posting things like this. There’s always someone with a half-finished project that could use your unwanted paint/nails/scraps of wood/etc. What a great forum we have here!

Catharine in Brandon