Category Archives: e-Vermont
Better than a cesspool… Should Local Officials Engage Constituents Online?
#VT – The thing I’m noticing about the water in the village tonight is that as my kids are taking a bath, it smells like a chlorinated pool as far as about 6 feet from the bath tub.
I have no idea what this means. Better a chlorinated pool than a cesspool is how I choose to look at it.
I’m glad that public water supply quality is a topic of conversation on Front Porch Forum, and I do appreciate that town officials use the forum for disseminating information about it.
This was shared with 1,000 Bristol FPF members tonight by Gillian. Good for Bristol officials for engaging the public. We’re seeing more and more of this on FPF in towns across Vermont. I do know of one going the other direction… actually closing down communication with voters… but that’s the exception.
Neighbor Mob… in a good way
#VT #cashmob – Can online communication work too well? Lately we’ve been hearing from Front Porch Forum members with a similar comment. Neighbor response to postings is so strong that it changes the writers’ perceptions of their community. As one person put it… “I didn’t know I had this many neighbors! Now when I drive to work in the morning I see the houses I pass differently.” And here’s a posting today from Middlesex FPF…
I got such a crush of emails in response to the free fridge that I am replying here on FPF to tell you it’s gone… It makes me wonder if there are others with appliances gathering dust. If you do, there are people looking!
A bit like the Cash Mob concept that visited Vermont this month… but with staying power.
Can an online space remain vibrant and neighborly for years?
#VT – The lead up to Town Meeting Day each year in Vermont is a time for debate in many locales. In areas with active Front Porch Forums, this discussion starts earlier, involves more citizens, and provides access to more supporting materials.
And, it can bring more heat to the argument. Generally, FPF staff are hands off and let clearly identified neighbors debate as they like on our site. But we do step in when political points morph into personal attacks. We hold the posting and ask the writer to help us keep things civil and consider attacking the topic and not the neighbor. Often this does the trick, and the author thanks us for saving them the embarrassment of e-fisticuffs on the virtual town green.
But occasionally the anger that was directed at a neighbor swings full around to blast FPF staff. One of my colleagues compared it to working as a bouncer, trying to break up two fighting bar patrons… when suddenly the customers start pounding on the bouncer.
This happened the other day in Jericho. And, as usual, we stuck to our approach, stayed calm, and explained our approach. It didn’t go well… several nasty remarks were tossed our way. My colleague reported feeling anxious today then, when she spotted an incoming message from the troublemaker. But lo and behold, here’s what he had to say…
I wanted to take a moment to apologize for the tone of my emails earlier this week. I admit I was over reactive at what I perceived to be an unjustified censorship of my contribution to our forum’s conversation. I do understand the need to keep conversations civil and attempt to make them constructive. I really appreciate all the work you guys do to provide this important service to our communities and I am sorry to have been such a pain in the ass.
Success! What a champ to take the time to send his thoughtful note our way. Thanks to him who shall not be named.
Fully integrated in Starksboro
#VT – I thought it was pretty neat that at 15 minutes into the Starksboro Town Meeting, Front Porch Forum had been mentioned 3 times by town officials (Town Clerk, Selectboard Chair, and I think also by the Moderator), with things like, “Watch for updates on Front Porch Forum.”
And the thing that struck me, was that it was always said like everyone would know what they were talking about. Here we are three years after start up there, and it’s a fully integrated part of the way the community interacts (and has been for some time). Pretty cool…
That note arrived today from an observer of Starksboro’s March 3rd Town Meeting… and we’re hearing the same from other towns who met prior to Tuesday’s official Town Meeting Day in Vermont.
Weaving the web of community…
#VT – I signed up for Front Porch Forum about 3 months ago and made first response recently to a neighbor’s request for a place to store her car. I told her we didn’t have one but if she ever wanted to sell it we may be interested.
That started a series of emails and that led to conversations and then a face to face meeting. She understood my being nervous about my 16 year old son spending his entire savings account on a used car. How would we know if the engine or some other big part would need to be replaced soon after we bought it? Turns out we go by her house everyday – we began to trust each other.
She wound up putting in new brakes before we bought the car because she didn’t want my son getting in an accident! We even bartered a little – she needed the use of our truck and we needed a little off the asking price. It was a win win.
We are still in touch and she may be hiring my son for odd jobs. And the car – a Suburu – is still running great. Thanks FPF for connecting us!
Thanks to Pam in Richmond for sharing this today. We hear variations of this tale over and over at FPF. Building real community in a place doesn’t happen quickly and it takes many strands to form strong local webs.
Promise of Broadband…
#VT – Here’s an opening from an Alabama article about rural development using broadband…
Five years after borrowing $8 from her mother to start an online business, Michigan teenager Ashley Qualls has an annual income of more than $1 million. Her secrets? A creative idea and access to broadband Internet. In [Vermont], Michael Wood-Lewis invested $15 and invited neighbors to “share messages about lost cats and block parties.” Today, he is president of a thriving enterprise and lives in one of America’s “top-ten” neighborhoods. His secret? Leveraging Internet technology to create a space for community. These stories may leave you wondering how you could benefit from the opportunities presented by broadband technologies…
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.
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!
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.
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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