Front Porch Forum | Ghost of Midnight

Neighborly appreciation in Colchester #VT

Posted on Wednesday, February 23, 2011 by Michael • 3 comments

Thanks to Shirley in Colchester for her Front Porch Forum posting today…

Last week, Seven Days ran an article entitled The “Porch” Expands. It gives the “history” of the founding of our local Front Porch Forum and I must admit that I was truly impressed by all the work done by Valerie and Michael Wood-Lewis. The Seven Days article was well done and provided all the information I was hoping to find. Thank you to Seven Days and thank you especially to Valerie and Michael for a job well done! May your future endeavors be as successful – if not more so.

I also want to thank my neighbors who have graciously shared the names of your favorite service providers. I am keeping a list and will check it out once the need arises.

How to start a book club in #VT

Posted on Monday, February 21, 2011 by Michael • No comments yet

A few months ago I formed a book club via FPF — what a fantastic way to connect with neighbors — and while the attendees have shifted each month, the meetings have continued…

Posted by Kate on Front Porch Forum in Burlington today.

#BTV #VT Urban Bald Eagle Dogding Crows

Posted on Monday, February 21, 2011 by Michael • 1 comment

Reported on Front Porch Forum today…

Bald Eagle spotted today flying around Intervale compost mobbed by crows around 1:30 pm. I believe someone else reported spotting them at the Intervale on FPF a week or so ago.

#VT Heat Emergency? Neighbors to the Rescue

Posted on Wednesday, February 16, 2011 by Michael • No comments yet

Vermont is cold… about 5°F as I type. So this Front Porch Forum posting in Bristol yesterday caught my attention…

A family in need is about out of wood. We have donors lined up. But are in need of a truck to pick up the wood and deliver it in Bristol. The need is today, so it would be great if some can let me borrow a truck or drive with me for a couple hours.

That evening, Bob from the Bristol Energy Committee posted again…

Even with the posting of my request for a truck around 2pm Tuesday – very last minute – I did get responses. Thank you so much!

It turns out we could not wait for the truck – so a car trunk load was delivered this morning – enough for a couple days for the family in need.

We now have a truck lined up to deliver half a cord of wood on Wednesday evening, thanks to a very generous donor. More may be needed, but this amount should hold them for a few weeks.

Thank you all for your generosity – neighbors helping neighbors – YOWZERS!!! Bristol rocks!

Thanks to e-Vermont for bringing FPF to Bristol! Here’s the list of 60 Vermont towns where FPF is now available.

Who sets the tone for community interaction?

Posted on Saturday, February 12, 2011 by Michael • No comments yet

From Kevin Harris… “Here’s a little parable, offered in a blog comment here by Steve DeSanto:”

A man moved to a new town. He asked a local resident whether the people there were friendly or not.

The resident asked the man, “What were people like where you used to live?”

The newcomer scowled and said, “They were really an unfriendly and rude bunch, and I couldn’t wait to get away from that place.”

The resident said, “Well, I’m afraid you’ll find the people here are pretty much the same.”

A week later, another man came to town. He happened to meet the same resident and asked him the same question. The local asked this second newcomer the same question: “What were the people like in the town where you used to live?”

This newcomer smiled and said, “Oh, that town was the friendliest place you could ever imagine.”

The local returned the smile and said, “Well, I’m glad to hear it, I think you’ll find people here are very friendly too.”

With 24,000 local members and much success in our pilot community, Front Porch Forum is not without its critics. We’re always open for constructive feedback. When we hear a complaint about a recent topic or tone, or lack of postings, in a given FPF neighborhood forum, I always check the posting history of the person making the complaint. Typically, they’ve never posted… never contributed to the conversation… just complained offline to the moderators that some how we should police things differently. In response, we encourage these few critics to help set the kind of tone and vibrancy they want by posting frequent and positive items… and to encourage more of the same from their neighbors. Sometimes this works… but other times it feels like the parable above.

Seeking frozen rhubarb in #BTV #VT

Posted on Saturday, February 12, 2011 by Michael • No comments yet

A friend reported that one of the things he loves about Front Porch Forum is that it inspires him to be a better neighbor. For evidence, he cited this recent posting from Deb in Burlington…

A elderly friend is turning 88 this week and he loves rhubarb pie. Does anyone have rhubarb in their freezer from last summer that I can buy or trade for (pie or cookies)?

I see what he means. I especially love the way Deb’s posting will rope others into her act of neighborliness. Kinda makes me want to go clear the iced-up snow covering my neighbor’s impassable front steps. Maybe I’ll get a cookie!

Neighborliness in the snow

Posted on Friday, February 11, 2011 by Michael • No comments yet

From Sarah in Burlington’s Old North End today on Front Porch Forum…

I would like to thank my neighbor for helping to free my car from the snowbank at the end of my driveway this week. Relying on each other makes a neighborhood, and you came to my rescue when I really needed help, with my dog barking at you the entire time to boot! Thanks again for your help.

We’re seeing many such postings during these past few weeks of extreme snow in Vermont.

How to reconnect #VT neighbors?

Posted on Thursday, February 10, 2011 by Michael • No comments yet

Front Porch Forum has people from across Middlesex communicating in ways they haven’t in years.

Received this quote tonight from a very plugged-in person in her rural Vermont town. I love it. That’s a critical part of FPF’s mission… to help neighbors connect… and not just online. Rather, once FPF gets rolling in a community, people start talking with neighbors more face-to-face at the store, school, church, sidewalk, etc. This becomes ever more important with Town Meeting in a couple weeks.

Detaching from civic conversation

Posted on Thursday, February 10, 2011 by Michael • No comments yet

From Steve Yelvington today, responding to a question about contextualized journalism…

The unfortunate reality is that most of us who had the resources to take advantage of that opportunity have squandered it. Most of the journalism as practiced on the Internet fails to to take advantage of any of those capabilities. The writing is not significantly different from what you might have seen in 1955 — plain text, little use of media assets. Linking is rare. Incremental developments are not placed in context. What little “audience involvement” exists is limited to story comments left by angry, anonymous extremists. There is little actual interaction between journalist and audience, or with news sources.

I am very concerned that people are detaching themselves from the civic conversation, attracted away by bright shiny entertainment, driven away by poor reporting.

Random Acts of Kindness in Vermont

Posted on Thursday, February 10, 2011 by Michael • No comments yet

Here’s a Front Porch Forum posting from Winooski today. During the last few weeks of heavy snow, we’ve seen a lot of this kind of thing.

I wanted to extend a heartfelt thank you to my neighbors on Dion St who have cleared my driveway on several occasions this winter. Your random act of kindness is so appreciated, thank you again and again!

It’s heartening to read about these kind actions and the gratitude of the recipients… especially as we head into Town Meeting Day, a time when debate among neighbors inevitably heats up.

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