Category Archives: Community Management

Methodical design of online communities

Posted on Monday, September 7, 2009 by • No comments yet

Plenty of food for thought in this slide show from Joshua Porter (via Richard Millington)…

Designing For Social Traction

View more documents from Joshua Porter.

Magic Number

Posted on Tuesday, August 18, 2009 by • 102 comments

A guest post today from Front Porch Forum’s most recent hire, Jamie Seiffer.  Take it away, Jamie…

For those of you familiar with De La Soul, y’all know that three is the magic number. For those of you unfamiliar, check this out. Three is the magic number for us because that’s how many pairs of tickets our friends at Higher Ground have graciously donated to Front Porch Forum. As a result, all of our neighbors (that’s you!) have the chance to enter a raffle for a FREE PAIR OF TICKETS.

Grammy award-winning hip-hop group De La Soul is performing at Higher Ground August 21.  If you’d like a shot at a pair of tickets all you need to do is comment on this post.* You can post about whatever you want – how you use FPF, why you like De La Soul, an awesome show you’ve seen at Higher Ground, whatever – any comment gets you an entry into the raffle (limit one per person).

Here at FPF we use this blog to keep our neighbors (and everyone else in the blogosphere) up to date about Front Porch Forum happenings. These include unique success stories, updates about our progress/expansion, and fun raffles like this De La promo. La la la la lah, this is a D.A.I.S.Y. age.

*TO ENTER:  Comment on this blog post below by 7 PM EST on Aug. 20.  Comments on Facebook will not get your name in the hat… you must comment at http://frontporchforum.com/blog Winners will be selected at random on Thursday night and will be notified via the email address attached to your comment.

If I had a raffle entry for every year… Here are the winners!

Posted on Thursday, July 2, 2009 by • 1 comment

Congratulations to the eight winners of the Front Porch Forum raffle to celebrate Lake Champlain’s Quadracentennial.  Here are their entries and the event to which they won a pair of tickets…

  • If I had twenty pounds of “Willis” for every year since Samuel de Champlain saw Lake Champlain, I would have a “Willis-ton”.  -Kathy Rude, Williston – July 5 – The Roots
  • If I had a moment for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have not yet enough time to say good bye.  -Lisa McGuire, Richmond – July 5/6/7 – Only Drunks & Children Tell the Truth
  • If I had a New Love for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have Big Trouble.  -William Muzzy, Shelburne – July 7 – King Sunny Ade
  • If I had a day for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a little girl who got to meet her Grandpa before he died of lung cancer.  -Lisa Seymour, Milton – July 8 – Counterpoint
  • If I had a side for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a quadradecadecagon.  -David Fontaine, Hinesburg – July 9/10/11 – Territoires Feminins
  • If I had a way to eliminate 65 nuclear warheads for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, Id have a planet with no nuclear weapons!  -Naomi Almeleh, Burlington – July 11 – Ween
  • If I had a hamburger for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I could have solved the Lake’s agricultural pollution problems!  -Don Meals, Burlington – July 12 – Water Music
  • If I had a penny for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have two large creemes at Al’s.  -Matthew Griffes, South Burlington – July 13/14 – Aurelia’s Oratorio

Thanks to our sponsors: Higher Ground, Burlington International Waterfront Festival and Burlington City Arts! Learn more about the Quadricentennial at http://www.celebratechamplain.org

And here are many of the other entries.  Thanks to all who participated.

  • If I had a Front Porch Forum neighbor for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a very big community of friends.
  • If I had 162 MILLION DOLLARS for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have NEARLY ENOUGH MONEY TO REIMBURSE THE 8,000 PEOPLE SWINDLED BY MADOFF.
  • If I had a thousand dollars for every year since Samuel de Champlain firstsaw Lake Champlain, I’d have a house on Lakeview Terrace!
  • If I had a lollipop for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have two very happy kids!
  • If I had a dollar for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, i would still be short ten dollars for one months rent.
  • If I had a beaver pelt for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a hard time explaining it to the Fish and Game Dept.
  • If I had to listen to F-16’s take off for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have gone crazy. 🙂
  • If I had a 17 billion gallons of water for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have enough to fill another Lake Champlain!
  • If I had a miniature donkey for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a whole lot of poop.
  • If I had a balloon full of helium for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have enough lift to take my couch (and my dog) on a floating tour of the Old North End. (assuming 3ft diameter balloons, 120 pounds of furniture, 230 pounds of person and dog, correct calculations, and a favorable breeze)
  • If I had a letter for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have enough for 2.86 tweets.
  • If I had a smile for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have our wonderful five sisters neighborhood!
  • If I had a vacation day at a ranch in Crawford, Texas for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have been President of the United States for eight years…
  • If I had a pint of blueberries for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have plenty of blueberry pies to share with my Front Porch Forum neighbors.
  • If I had a MOTOR BOAT for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have MY VERY OWN CHARTER SERVICE. (I’d be the “Skipper”, Tim would be my “First Mate” and “Max” would be our “Mascot”. Any takers for “The Millionaire and his wife”, “The Movie Star”, “The Professor” or “Mary Ann”)
  • If I had a FRENCH FRY for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have HEARTBURN.
  • If I had a gallon of sap from a sugar maple tree for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw the Lake, I’d have 10 gallons of maple syrup.
  • If I had a pothole for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have Ledgemere Street 😉
  • If I had someone who wanted a pail of topsoil for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have enough to get rid of the pile of top soil taking up space on the blue tarp next to 117 N. Champlain Street. Please come and take it! Thanks!
  • If I had 1 foot for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw lake Champlain I’d have the bottom of the lake.
  • If I had a fox or coyote for every year since Samuel de Champlain saw Lake Champlain, I’d have only half the wildlife in Orchard Neighborhood spotted in 2009.
  • If I had a share of stock in Green Mountain Coffee Roasters for every year since Samuel de Champlain saw Lake Champlain, I’d have enough money to go to the Turks and Caicos : )
  • If I had a leg for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have four centipedes.
  • If I had a THREAD for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have A GREAT SET OF SHEETS!
  • If I had a weed for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have my garden!
  • If I had a knick-knack for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a lawn sale.
  • If I had a 0.00785398163th for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a piece of the “pi”! 🙂
  • If I had a smile for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have my life in Burlington.
  • If I had a zebra mussel for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, my water line would be clogged.
  • If I had a house for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have the slated Larkin development in the Southeast quadrant (almost).
  • If I had a Champ sighting for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have to have had a lot of cocktails…
  • If I had a monkey for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a big mess.
  • If I had a clever idea for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a pretty good chance of winning this raffle.
  • If I had a quilt for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have enough to give a quilt to 1 out of every 10 homeless people in Vermont.
  • If I had a pickle for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have barrel of pickles.
  • If I had a rose for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have the gardens of Versailles.
  • If I had one representative like Bernie Sanders in Congress for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have single payer health care this year for ever man, woman and child in the United States at a fraction of the cost of our current system that leaves so many people uncovered or partially covered.
  • If I had a gallon of road salt for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have sea lamprey in my estuaries.
  • If I had a BEER for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have A FRAT PARTY.
  • If I had a pint sized canning jar for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have have enough jars can jam for the whole neighborhood! I’m looking jam size canning jars if anyone has some they no longer use! I’m planning to make lots of berry jam this summer to give as wedding gifts next spring 🙂
  • If I had a Arquebus for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have an Ancient Weapons Museum!
  • If I had a fish for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a school.
  • If I had a dollar for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a night out on the town in Richmond.
  • If I had a KID for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have JFK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN WINOOSKI.
  • If I had an onion for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have an onion city called Winooski.
  • If I had a PIECE OF BACON for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have DANGEROUSLY HIGH CHOLESTEROL LEVELS.
  • If I had ONE MILLION DOLLARS for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have ENOUGH MONEY TO COVER MICHAEL JACKSON’S DEBT. and if you think that’s a lot…
  • If I had an inch of snow for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d be in Skiers’ Heaven!!!
  • This one is from Ethan… If I had a Rock for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a Rock Garden.
  • If I had a Lake Monsters game for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have 400 Lake Monsters games to attend at Centennial Field!
  • If I had an acre of land in Charlotte for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d give it all to Habitat for Humanity to build affordable housing with LOTS of Common Land.
  • If I had a dollar for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have enough money to purchase something wonderful from all the excellent vendors at the Williston Farmer’s Market.
  • If I had a rain barrel for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have enough rain to supply one inch of water to all of Archibald Neighborhood Garden’s plots for 58 weeks (assuming my math is correct).
  • If I had an ounce of power for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have all sidewalks and streets fixed in Burlington so pedestrians could be safe.
  • If I had a square for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have: 20 squared squares.
  • If I had a plane ticket for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a lot of adventures. Or one adventure with 399 friends.
  • If I had a dead indian for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a big graveyard.
  • If I had a couple of degrees for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have enough heat to clean my oven!
  • If I had a squirrel for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have my backyard on a good day. 😉
  • If I had a half a mind for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a head that’s 200 times bigger.
  • If I had 1 gallon of sap for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw lake Champlain I’d have 10 gallons of maple syrup.
  • If I had a tray of brownies for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have to consume 1,152,000 calories!
  • If I had a rabbit for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have Vermont overrun by rabbits.
  • If I had a pair of hands for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a gang sufficient to prepare the rail causeway for full-time ferry service across the cut, linking the Burlington bikepath and points south with the Champlain Islands and points north.
  • If I had a friend for every year since Samuel de Champlain firs saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a neighborhood.
  • If I had a peeper for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a symphony.
  • If I had a drum of VT maple syrup for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain I’d have enough to send 22 gallons with every VT Nat. Guard Soldier headed to Afghanistan this winter to enjoy and share with their hosts.
  • If I had a mature tree planted around Burlington for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have 19,200 pounds of carbon dioxide absorbed each year and release enough oxygen back into the atmosphere to support 800 human beings.
  • If I had a MENTOR for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have REACHED MOBIUS’ GOAL OF OVER 1,200 MENTORS FOR KIDS IN CHITTENDEN COUNTY
  • If I had a fruit or vegetable for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have the Intervale.
  • If I had an acre for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a much longer walk to get the mail.
  • If I had a champ sighting for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a cottage industry bigger than BigFoot.
  • If I had a Champ for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have my own Lake Jurassic.
  • If I had a tree for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have Eastwoods Forest.
  • If I had a BABY CHAMP for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have LAKE FULL OF MONSTERS.
  • If I had a TREE for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a FOREST in Pinewood Neighborhood park!
  • If I had a tree for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a nice little forest
  • If I had a grad for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have experienced one revolutionary year.
  • If i had A TOE for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw lake champlain, i’d have an 80 foot stride.
  • If I had a tomato for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have tasty salsa all winter long.
  • If I had a dollar for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have the new (to me) computer I want! But, seriously… does anyone have an older laptop they aren’t using anymore (that you’d like to get rid of at a very reasonable price?)? My desktop is dying and I’m moving into a much smaller place and would like a laptop to save space…I just can’t afford to go out and buy new. I’m not going to use it for anything too extreme…just some internet surfing, document prep and email…maybe a few pictures. If you have something you aren’t using and you’d like to pass along to someone who would really appreciate it and get a lot of use out of it… I’d be interested in hearing what you may have and what you’re asking for it. Thanks much!
  • If I had a nickel for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a lot of nickels.
  • If I had a BICYCLE MILE for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have A PRETTY GOOD RIDE.
  • If I had a CAT for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have A CAT-ASTROPHE.
  • If I had a house on Airport Drive and listened to F-16’s take off for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have gone crazy. There – that’s better!! 🙂
  • If I had a birthday candle for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a serious conflagration.
  • If I had an APPLE TREE for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have ONE BIG ORCHARD. Remember folks, if you don’t win the raffle you can still get a FREE concert ticket to one of the shows below by VOLUNTEERING for 4+ hours for the quad! Go to the website (google it or find it from the city of Burlington’s webpage) to learn more and sign up! Volunteers also receive a free t-shirt.
  • If I had a phosphorous reduction plan in place for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a supper duper clean lake to swim in!
  • If I had a dragon boat for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a beautiful regatta.
  • If I had a Tree for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a Forest. 🙂
  • If I had a new car for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I would have a junk yard.
  • If I had a candle for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I would have peace in the world.
  • If I had a dollar for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have $400 dollars.
  • If I had a wild black raspberry for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a nice, full belly and maybe a pie or two.
  • If I had a FISH for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have A WHALE OF A GOOD FISH FRY TO CELEBRATE THE PAST 400 YEARS.
  • If I had a lobster for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a big neighborhood cookout!
  • If I had a dinner for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a start in feeding the hungry in our City.
  • I do not know how to copy and paste . Here is my entree: If I had a Friend for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain I’d have RICHES BEYOND COMPARE.
  • If I had a note for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a song.
  • If I had a day off for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have enough time to sail around the world for a year.
  • if i had a camera for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw lake Champlain I’d have a lot of pictures.
  • If I had a pea for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have pea soup.
  • If I had a WAVE for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have A GREAT DAY OF SURFING.
  • If I had a flower for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a stunning yard well worth whiling away the hours in. (A worthy goal!)
  • If I had ten strands of hair for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a hairdo like Farrah Fawcett.
  • If I had a bag of cement for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have almost enough to fill all the potholes in Burlington.
  • If I had a MIRACLE for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have HEAVEN ON EARTH.
  • If I had a coyote for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a pack of coyotes.
  • If I had a stone for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have my So. Starksboro garden.
  • If I had one deer tick for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have 400 deer ticks to destroy.
  • If I had a refreshing beverage for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have party.
  • If I had a smile for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a great summer home with my new baby boy.
  • If I had a new photo for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a big fat photo book on Lake Champlain.
  • If I had a helium balloon for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a way to fly around in the sky.
  • If I had a toe for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have trouble walking.
  • If I had a songbird for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have an sweet cacophony that you would all love.
  • If I had a grapevine for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a vineyard Chantal-14 Elizabeth (the one with the grape vines:))
  • If I had a day off for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have a year plus 35 days of vacation.
  • If I had a penny for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have four dollars.
  • If I had a picture of a snowflake for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have Snowflake Bentley’s Collection in my home.
  • If I had a green-up bag and a person help pick litter for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, we’d all have an even MORE beautiful New North End.
  • If I had a BLOCK PARTY for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I’d have FUN with a Capital F.
  • If I had a song for every year since Samuel de Champlain first saw Lake Champlain, I would be able to sing a different song every day of the year, and share the extras!

Facebook money-making challenge

Posted on Monday, June 29, 2009 by • No comments yet

An interesting piece by Bernard Lunn on Read Write Web recently.  In part…

… the thought that kept coming back to me is that Facebook’s bravado, its “grand vision” talk, is what you would expect from a concept-level startup. Surely by now, about 6 years into its venture, Facebook should show some substance? It is time to deliver some real financial results. The concept-level talk is great for attracting capital and talent. Facebook has done that brilliantly. But the point of attracting capital and talent is to be able to generate financial results.

Anybody who criticizes Facebook’s financial results gets accused of being small-minded, of missing the point, of (gasp!) “not getting it.” In digerati circles, not getting it is like having body odor. Facebook is changing the world, they say. It is a new form of communication, akin to the printing press. Once you get to scale, profits always follow. Google created a service without knowing how to monetize it.

In fact, far too much money has been invested (in both Facebook and hundreds of “me too” ventures) based on that one premise, that “Google created a service without knowing how to monetize it.” The statement is true. If it had not devised the AdWords revenue model, Google would perhaps have sold some kind of enterprise search technology to Fortune 500 companies and rented banner ads on its home page. With AdWords, it found the perfect native revenue model for search, meeting two contradictory needs at the same time:

  1. Do not irritate or interrupt the user, and even occasionally add value for the user.
  2. Provide a compelling value proposition to paying customers.

The problem is that Facebook does not seem to have a clue how to do that. Google did not wait 6 years to unveil AdWords, and when it did unveil it, revenue and profit took off like a rocket. Facebook keeps trying. But to date, its attempts look weak and subject to diminishing returns.

There is a world of difference between increasing returns (what Google gets) and diminishing returns (what Facebook gets with its current strategy). That one-word difference equals billions of dollars.

… Facebook’s revolutionary alternative is to allow consumers to invite brands to communicate with them, like we used to invite companies to send us emails. That would get over-used and spammy in a heartbeat. Highly innovative brands would do well, as they always do in a new medium, but the law of diminishing returns would apply. By the time this model scaled, and it would have to if Facebook wants to move the revenue needle, users will have switched off in droves.

These are the diminishing returns. The more the model scales, the more it will irritate users, and the more users will switch off, and the sooner growth will slow down and reverse. As with email, Facebook can “make up for this with volume.” But unlike with email, which is virtually free, Facebook has to pay money to serve each user.

Sorry, “Coca-Cola wants to be your friend” is in no way an enduring revenue model. If it sounds phony, maybe that is because it is phony.

The one lesson from social media marketing is that authenticity matters. What no one has shown — and methinks this would be impossible — is how to scale authenticity.

This is where behavioral marketing supposedly comes in. Wired calls this the “third rail of Internet marketing.” … Or, as Wired puts it, “As the Beacon debacle showed, there is a fine line between ‘targeted and useful’ and ‘creepy and stalkerish’ — and so far, not enough advertisers have been willing to walk that line.”

Facebook talks a great game about helping the world to communicate. It tries to sound like a group of benevolent revolutionaries. But then it turns to really old-fashioned tools to make money. Its basic message to marketers seems to be, “We have ’em locked in. Yep, Google can’t see them, so we are the only way to get to them. And not only that, we can tell you what every one of them is doing and saying right now. Step right up, folks!”

The one thing that Facebook has on its side is trust. Users trust the company with their real identities. That is massive. Break that trust and bye-bye.

FREE HIGHER GROUND TICKETS – FPF DRAWING

Posted on Monday, April 20, 2009 by • 74 comments

Front Porch Forum is giving away one pair of tickets for each of the following Higher Ground concerts…

If you want a chance to win these tickets, leave a comment below that completes this thought… “I deserve to win these tickets because…”

We’ll pick one winner from the comments for each show.  The first show is Wed., so make haste!  Thanks to Higher Ground.

P.S.  Make sure you leave us a way in your comment below to get in touch with you should you be a ticket winner.

UPDATE: We have our winners!  Sara Chesbrough from Burlington will be going to Talib Kweli’s show, and Ali Keener in Westford has two free tickets to Slightly Stoopid.  Thanks to all who entered and to Higher Ground.  Congratulations Sara and Ali!

I deserve to win these tickets because…

Sara: “… Talib Kweli and I are brother and sister in some strange musical/philosophical dimension and it’s been too long since we’ve had a family reunion.”

Ali:  “… i love these artists and i just cant afford to go see the shows. i don’t like how money decides music for me. music is so good for the body and soul…sometimes you just gotta dance.”

To everyone else… keep commenting below if you like, but the free tickets are G-O-N-E.

FPF on The Radiator

Posted on Friday, March 13, 2009 by • No comments yet

Thanks to host Jonathan Butler who interviewed me on his new radio show “The Browser” on The Radiator… fun times.  We discussed Front Porch Forum, Facebook, Craigslist, local online and more.  Click here to listen.

UPDATE: From Jonathan today on FPF’s Neighborhood Volunteers Forum…

I am a Volunteer at the Radiator 105.9fm, BTV’s community-access public radio station, where I host a weekly program called ‘the browser’.  The program is all about “the people who bring the world wide web to BTV & VT”.  My guest this week was Michael Wood-Lewis of Front Porch Forum.  You can hear the interview here: http://thebrowser1059.wordpress.com

The success of the FPF is a multi-angle story and I’m sure I’ll host future discussions or interviews about the Forum.  If you have any suggestions for guests/topics (related to the Forum or other), please feel free to drop me an email.  I can’t use the Radio to overtly and actively promote the Forum, but it is a great story that could merit additional coverage in the future.

What’s “local?” Define “neighborhood.”

Posted on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 by • No comments yet

U.K.’s Kevin Harris blogs…

Over on the Local democracy blog Dave Briggs asks, how close is local?

I’d say most people regard ‘local’ as geographically within reach, and obviously that differs individually, which is fine. If terminology is fuzzy it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s invalid. We need definitions for administrative areas (wards, cantons, parishes) but not to explain individually-variable experiences of the socially-charged space nearest to the home.

00 graphic av miles travelled And maybe it helps to think about what local is not. For instance, it’s not the same as nearness, and that’s reinforced in this image (courtesy of Indy Johar, 00 architects), which reminds us how transport efficiencies influence our sense of distance.

So why after generations and centuries of people gathering together in villages, towns and cities, are we suddenly struggling with the fact that terms like neighbourhood and locality aren’t rigidly defined? What has happened for instance that causes Dave quite reasonably to suggest that

‘it will be increasingly important to research how people’s notions of their own ‘local’ will determine levels of interest’? …

Harkens back to a post about neighborhood scale based on early Front Porch Forum experience.

Town Crier, Town Square, Town Expert

Posted on Monday, January 26, 2009 by • No comments yet

I’m intrigued by Steve Yelvington’s post today about possible functions that a local newspaper can fulfill…

Stimulus for digital bridges

Posted on Wednesday, January 14, 2009 by • No comments yet

Steven Clift today calls for federal stimulus dollars for Front Porch Forum-like projects across the country… to the tune of $900 million.  Go Steve!

A bridge is infrastructure designed to connect people to each other for social and economic growth. Digital bridges can do the same for a fraction of the cost.

Across the United States, a quiet revolution is connecting some local people to one another online. Let’s make it most people. Americans are using technology to:

• Create electronic block clubs to deter crime and keep their children safer.

• Establish online neighborhood and community forums, blogs, and social networks that promote community problem-solving, support for local small business and are beginning to be used for mutual benefit and support during these difficult economic times.

• Promote reuse of goods and materials through open exchange primarily at a regional level.

• Promote awareness of volunteer opportunities in local community and non-profit groups.

• Connect the public to local government services through e-mail newsletters, customized alert services, and other online systems.

Nine-Word Wonders

Posted on Monday, January 12, 2009 by • 4 comments

Wow!  Once Front Porch Forum members got the hang of our “Nine Words for 2009” contest, the entries started to roll in… 990 at last count!  And more than half were submitted from subscribers who had never posted before.  Hopefully, their neighbors will be hearing from them again, now that they successfully posted their first message to their neighborhood forum.

I intended to write a thorough blog post about the nine-word entries, but the 25 pages of brief missives proved overwhelming… there’s a book hiding in there.  So here’s a random sample of nine-word wonders… there’s more where these came from…

  • I thought we would be together by now, no.
  • At the summit of Libby’s Look, we were engaged!
  • Travel partner sought, will finance with laughter, heady food.
  • Gardens, once snow, will really become fruits and flowers?
  • I am the nine cents before passing Neighbor Five-n-Dime
  • If what you’re doing isn’t working, do something else.
  • Welcome 2009. Will you be more of the same?
  • He who snoozes looses and he who sows reaps.
  • Snow Snow Snow go away come again another day.
  • Wes White Hill, slippery when cold, please go slowly.
  • Shopping for an air conditioner she bought a convertible (true story).
  • Your success is measured by the lives you touch. Thanks
  • I’m looking forward to getting to know my neighbors!
  • Though it snows and snows, I still stack stones.
  • Twins, (7), seek great entertainer for occasional parental relief!
  • Grey cat around house at night, is it yours?
  • Ever get the feeling the economy’s gaining on you?
  • Ten wild turkeys marching across our yard last week!
  • Tree burning party! Saturday, 7:00 Dessert potluck 338 Thompson
  • Who lives on my street? Let’s have a potluck!
  • Nine words? Oh crap, those count. Notary Public Needed!
  • Season’s Pass. Mine’s for Bolton. Where do you go?
  • Please shovel your sidewalks of snow for winter walkers.
  • Whadda ya call cheese that’s not yours? Nacho cheese!
  • “I’m from the government and I’m here to help”
  • Summited Everest. We’re hypoxic. Storm. Why’d we climb here?
  • Goodbye Peter Freyne, you will be missed my friend.
  • school today, teenagers reluctantly drag themselves out of bed.
  • Recovering from mental illness the possibilities could be endless!
  • Sledding: North Beach– past high school, before bike path.
  • “Damn!” cursed the man known as Eight Word Sam.
  • My cat is not missing but I love prizes.
  • We must remember, nothing is obvious to the uninformed.
  • Want to share a blower with 2 other neighbors?
  • Shoveled, clear, ready to leave. Oh no! The plow!
  • Wintry Mix: atmospheric precipitation or a new Vermont cocktail?
  • Large dog on the loose, Lyman Ave and Wells.
  • It would be super fine to win in 2009!
  • “There is no bad weather, only the wrong clothes.”
  • 9 Words For Owner of Dog That Jumped On Me at 5:30 This Morning…
    Leash, leash, leash, leash, leash, leash, please. Thank you!
  • Looking for good, reliable babysitter for our two girls.
  • Ending stigma today, ends it for many who suffer.
  • The answer to life, for anyone who’s interested, is
  • Snow covered horses with manes blowing in the wind.
  • Free – large inflatable pool, good condition, couple patchable holes.
  • BUSH CLOCK: 13 days, 2 hours, and counting… HURRAH!
  • Finally some friends here; chickadees found the filled feeders.
  • Snow falls, no school, hot coffee brewing, movies today.
  • To catch a unique rabbit, unique up on him.
  • Lock up strollers on your porch, parents. Thieves abound…
  • Quiet! The flowers are fast asleep under the snow.
  • New economy. Buy less, have less, open your heart.Ouch!
  • My cat bites. Any suggestions for me? Thanks.
  • What a joy to live in Five Sisters Neighborhood!
  • I look forward to daily Front Porch Forum emails!
  • Nate and Danielle are getting married on September twelfth.
  • We breed miniature donkeys. Come and meet them today
  • where to sharpen hockey skates? Forum’s wisdom pour forth!
  • Watching your children laugh = Best cure for hard day
  • When in doubt, think of what Elmo would do.
  • Inaugural Ball at Town Hall January Twenty Come All!
  • in the snow blanketed yard, not one bone, alas
  • Wanted: Partridge in a pear tree. Needed last month.
  • Take care of your neighbors. No person succeeds alone.
  • “No one has become poor by giving.” – Ann Frank
  • Propane tank stolen from back porch. Ready to explode!

And on and on!  Here are a few more…

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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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