Category Archives: Front Porch Forum
Use FPF to Recommend Local Businesses
Front Porch Forum takes our members’ privacy seriously. When members post to their Forum, they know that what they write will be visible only to the members of their own FPF and of immediate neighboring Forums. This allows members to engage freely in conversation about local issues, which is central to FPF’s community-building mission.
There are a few situations, though, where it might make sense for members’ postings to be more broadly visible. One of these is when a member recommends a local business or nonprofit on their Forum. Recommendations on FPF are an important resource for our members, and making them more broadly available helps support the nearly 12,000 local businesses and nonprofits that are members of FPF.
With this in mind, FPF recently launched a new feature: Recommendation postings for businesses or nonprofits now show up on the business or nonprofit’s listing in FPF’s Community Directory! Those postings are visible to any FPF member who views that listing, even if they aren’t a member of the Forum where the recommendation originated.
So if you are a business owner or nonprofit leader, ask your customers and supporters to post a recommendation for you on their Forum. (While you’re at it, ask them to “favorite” your listing as well!) When it shows up on your Directory listing, FPF’s 220,000 members all over Vermont will be able to see how much FPF members value what you do!
Solving Social Media’s ‘Local Paradox’
A new article in a Stanford University journal underscores various failures of Big Tech social media, and highlights Vermont’s own Front Porch Forum as a better way.
In the bowels of social media giants, like NextDoor and Facebook, live online spaces for local social networks to take hold (e.g., a neighborhood based Facebook group).
One might think a healthy form of social connection would come from these local online networks because they’re grounded in real-world relationships and physical space — you could literally bump into that posting’s author on your way to school drop off — but in practice, as this article points out, local social media can be even more toxic than global platforms. It’s dubbed the ‘local paradox‘.
The solution to this local paradox, they say, is to build networks that are values-driven, closely moderated, trusted, and local. Further, they share Front Porch Forum as a leading example.
Vermont and Its Pigs
There’s a few great things Vermont is known for… If beer, pigs, and good neighbors aren’t near the top of that list, then we don’t know what is! Members in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom FPFs helped this little pig find its way home.
- “I just saw this pig wandering the highway between Red Barn Brewery and Goodfellas… He seemed bummed.”
- “We have a lost tan and black pig who has settled in at Red Barn Brewing the past day… Email or call with any owner info. Otherwise he seems fine and is hanging around in our beer garden area.“
- “”hanging around the beer garden” – This pig has found his happy place. He may never want to leave. : )“
Stay safe out there piglets!
One Vermonter’s Response to Inflation
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…
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
Sales & Marketing Director Job Opening at Front Porch Forum
Do you love leading growth in a dynamic company? Are community connections and a thriving local economy important to you? FPF wants YOU to join our team! This position will fuel FPF’s work to strengthen communities statewide. Help lead a seasoned team of 24+ VT staff.
FPF Now Has 215,000 Members!
Members are joining Front Porch Forum across Vermont every day… We just surpassed 215,000 members in a state with 270,000 households*. That’s a lot of traction!
Do you know anyone in Vermont that’s not on FPF yet? Tell them to sign up at FrontPorchForum.com!
*Household data is from 2020 Census
FPF Seeking Software Developer
Want to put your coding skills to great use for a successful mission-driven Vermont organization? Help us deliver high-quality software as you develop new features and maintain the Front Porch Forum web and mobile apps.
We’re hiring a full-time, primarily remote, full-stack developer to be part of our seasoned tech team and growing staff of two dozen employees.
More than Just a Garden Cart
What a lovely reflection of FPF’s use in this recent posting:
Need fulfilled, money saved, carbon footprint reduced, and neighbor connection created.
Many thanks for all the suggestions and offerings regarding my query about getting myself another Garden Way Cart. Mine lasted 43 years, and doesn’t owe me a thing, but is now saying “goodbye” by falling apart. Thanks to Donna, I now have an even larger cart that will allow me to get garden jobs done just that much faster. When hubby and I went to pick up the cart, we had a nice time chatting as a thunderstorm rolled in! It’s nice to get to know our neighbors and also nice to not have to shell out full price for something new when something used is right near by! Thank you!! • Devin in Grand Isle
A Big Shout Out to Local Business
A recent posting to the Williston Forum by FPF member Jeff:
I would like to take a minute to say thank you to Corey and Jake at JC Property Management.
On a recent early Sunday morning, on our way to go to a ski race at Sugarbush, we stopped at a parking lot in Hinesburg to grab something out of the back of our Suburban. Unknown to me, one of our bags fell out of the back. When we got to Sugarbush, we discovered the bag was missing.
After getting home and not finding the bag, we realized what had happened. After driving back to check the parking lot, we called the Police hoping someone turned it in. We also posted on Front Porch Forum. That was the best thing we did.
About a week later I received a call from Kory. He and his partner had found the bag while plowing that snowy morning. He had been searching for the owner. But, there was no identification tags on the bag. He was told by a friend to look on FPF.
Thankfully, he did. We were reunited with the bag. We had offered a reward for the safe return of the bag. Kory would not take the reward. He was just doing a good deed.
I want to thank Kory and the guys at JC Property Management. They are really good, honest guys. If you need work done at your property, I highly recommend giving them a call.
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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