Front Porch Forum | Ghost of Midnight

Breaking down social media

Posted on Wednesday, December 16, 2009 by Michael • 1 comment

How do you compare what Facebook does with Twitter, YouTube, or our own Front Porch Forum? Apples and oranges in many ways. Dan Schultz at MediaShift Idea Lab provides a framework for thinking about this today. Here’s his chart…

“Goats on the Lamb”

Posted on Monday, December 14, 2009 by Michael • No comments yet

Two goats took an unscheduled holiday in Westford recently. Read the happy ending.

Help distribute millions of dollars for local news projects

Posted on Monday, December 14, 2009 by Michael • No comments yet

Front Porch Forum is in the running again for a Knight News Challenge grant. Check out our entry here and please give it five stars! (Just click on the rightmost star.) We’d love to read your comments about the proposal too (scroll to the bottom of our News Challenge page to leave a comment).

Thanks and thanks too to the Knight Foundation… they catalyze and fund loads of important work at the intersection of local news, community, democracy and technology.

Ten helpful neighbors, 12 hours, and Scooby comes home

Posted on Wednesday, December 9, 2009 by Michael • 2 comments

Some heartening sample postings from Front Porch Forum in the past day or two…

First, a simple case from Meg in Essex Junction…

I wanted to extend a huge thank you to all who replied to my message posted just yesterday. I have been fortunate to receive at least 10 (yes, 10!) auto mechanic recommendations…happy holidays.

Second, from Sarah in Burlington’s South End…

Thanks to the Front Porch Forum and my fantastic neighbors, I recovered my stolen bicycle within 12 hours.

And third, from Allen in South Burlington to his nearby neighbors…

When neighbors help neighbors very good things can happen!

A month ago I posted a notice on Front Porch Forum about loosing our 12 year old tiger cat, Scooby (he disappeared the evening of November 8th). Well, on Saturday a minor miracle happened. I got a call from the Humane Society that someone had brought in a cat that matched Scooby’s description. The person who brought the cat in was Jay Pasackow, a person I knew of through his real estate business. Jay had had this cat hanging around his house in the Laurel Hill area near Shelburne Road (almost 3 miles from our house) for several days.

I excitedly, but apprehensively, agreed to meet with the Jay knowing full well that after a month this stray cat was very unlikely to be our Scooby. When Jay came to my house and showed me what was in the cat carrier I couldn’t believe my eyes – IT WAS SCOOBY! And, other than being emaciated from probably eating little in a month, he seemed to be in good shape!

Now Scooby is back in our house, curled up in front of a crackling fire, with a full belly and quite content. He hasn’t even asked to go outside once yet! So much thanks to Jay Pasackow for taking the time out of his busy day to help Scooby get back home!

When neighbors help neighbors very good things can happen!

Followed by…

To Allen – Thanks so much for sharing the story of your joyful reunion with your kitty cat. It was really nice to read. It came at the end of a tough day and was just the thing to lift my spirit. -Ellen

Must-read posting about… Free toaster

Posted on Friday, December 4, 2009 by Michael • No comments yet

I haven’t laughed this hard in awhile. From Matt Gang in Burlington’s Old North End tonight on Front Porch Forum…

Free toaster

Are you tired of your trust worthy toaster, tirelessly toasting your toast to the desired toastiness? Boring!!!

Are you ready for an adventure? My toaster won’t let you down. You won’t start every morning with loud expletives and a smoked filled kitchen, just enough mornings to keep you constantly paranoid, and your neighbors heavily invested in fire insurance. Yes sir, the folks at Silex Proctor really broke the mold with this one. This toaster doesn’t view it’s temp. dial as an order, more as a suggestion. Sometimes brown means it will burn your bread product to a point that would require dental records for identification. At other times brown means the moment after you exit the kitchen, it will fling the still white bread into the stratosphere. Sometimes brown means that it won’t even accept the toast, preferring to make a loud buzzing noise whenever it’s overly sensitive lever is depressed.

I’m sure that at this point most everyone is just waiting for information on where to pick up this little beauty, but my conscience requires me to unearth a few of it’s less redeeming qualities.

This toaster is possessed by several malignant spirits.
It may be a portal to hell.
It cannot stand bagels, british muffins, or any other bread products come to think of it.
It can shoot flames as far as it can hurl fiery hunks of crust.

Please, please, please, take my toaster. I’m afraid of what will happen if I throw it out. Don’t tell it that I wrote this.

FPF in the ONE

Posted on Friday, November 27, 2009 by Michael • No comments yet

From a family who makes the most out of FPF…

As Front Porch Forum is high on our list of FPF we appreciate about this neighborhood and this community, we decided to make a financial contribution to support this very worthy cause. We encourage you to do the same in whatever amount fits your budget. Clearly we all want this forum to be around for a long, long time!

Where else can you possibly find out about all of the amazing things happening right in the neighborhood, and engage in such lively dialogue with your neighbors about Burlington happenings? Our FPF is tailored to the ONE and its fantastic blend of personalities, opinions, and politics — so evident with each edition landing in our in-box. Our family calendar routinely fills up each week (and quickly!) with events and activities we read about on FPF — often they are free and within easy walking distance. Bumping into friends once there only further reminds us of the value of FPF.

FPF has helped us to… meet our neighbors through buying, selling, and bartering, find a dog sitter, learn about nearby businesses we love to support, formulate our opinions regarding local politics, better connect our kids to local sports, theatre, music and art, sample new and delicious foods, and advertise a variety of school-related events with outstanding results. There is nothing else out there that helps us feel connected and stay connected in quite the same way, whether it be by posting information or by reading someone else’s news. Financially supporting this local venture helps to ensure that a quality service that we all increasingly rely on stays viable and strong during these trying economic times. Supporting this local Vermont venture just feels right.

We hope you too will support Front Porch Forum! Now’s the time.

-Siobhan Donegan
-Vince Brennan, Burlington School Commissioner

And another note just arrived from the O.N.E…

I’m also urging my neighbors to support Front Porch Forum. Look at what we all gain by gathering online to share tips, questions, and information that bind all of us together based on shared interests and concerns. During this season of gratitude, please consider donating to preserve the wonderful effort behind FPF. Thank you!

-Megan Humphrey

UPDATE: Another nice note from nearby the two above today… from Maggie…

I loaned a guitar to someone for four weeks and was unexpectedly rewarded with baked goods! Thanks for building community.

Stove Proceeds go to Neighborhood Forum

Posted on Friday, November 20, 2009 by Michael • 1 comment

Jeannette in Huntington posts on FPF today…

Hello Neighbors, We have a seven year old “Frigidaire” brand gas cooking range for sale. White. Excellent condition. Oven takes 1 to 2 hours to heat up to temp. You will need to arrange pick-up. $50…all proceeds from sale will go to Front Porch Forum.

Thanks Jeannette!

Finding what you need while building community

Posted on Monday, November 16, 2009 by Michael • 3 comments

Jeremy Bull in Burlington just posted this to his FPF neighborhood forum…

Just wanted to let everyone know that a neighbor from right across the street responded immediately to my plea for a used bike yesterday. She had exactly what we were looking for right in her garage! So we were able to replace the stolen bike, making mine available again for me to start a new job tomorrow. Another fantastic success story thanks to Front Porch Forum!

On a related note: if you love FPF as much as I do, but haven’t gotten around to donating yet, please consider doing so. It’s quick and easy, and feels great to support such a worthy cause.

UPDATE: Something about stolen bikes, Front Porch Forum, and happy endings! Here’s another. This one from Cindy in Burlington…

Greetings, From an earlier posting you might have read that my son’s bike was stolen last Wednesday in front of Edmunds Middle School. We were all upset by the theft, most of all my son, but then something wonderful happened. A neighbor offered us an old bike this weekend. It was a little rusty and in need of repair but an afternoon of father and son elbow grease and the bike works great. So I just wanted to share this “act of kindness.” We love our neighborhood, especially all the wonderful people in it.

Man vs. Coyote

Posted on Thursday, November 12, 2009 by Michael • 3 comments

We’ve been swamped with loads of postings on Front Porch Forum recently… about all sorts of topics. This one Charlotte by Cheryl jumped off the monitor today…

Hi neighbors, This is my first time posting. I wanted to let you all know that our neighbor’s small spaniel was snatched out of their backyard by a coyote this evening 11/12 about 6:00 pm. The owners were able to recover the pet by chasing the coyote across the fields behind our houses. We are on Mt Philo Rd north of the intersection of Hinesburg Rd. Please be careful of your pets. This is not the first time a coyote has come close to the houses. This one seems quite bold.

UPDATE: And this just into FPF from Ann in South Williston…

Hi – I saw a coyote walking through Meadowridge yesterday (walking in the street) during the afternoon. Are there an unusual amount tooling around? Should we be concerned? I’ve never seen them strolling around neighborhoods before.

New Pew Report: Social Isolation and New Technology

Posted on Thursday, November 5, 2009 by Michael • No comments yet

Kevin Harris reports on Keith Hampton’s new Pew-funded study today… Social Isolation and New Technology: How the internet and mobile phones impact Americans’ social networks. I look forward to reading it. From Kevin…

The study surveyed a nationally representative sample of 2,512 adults in summer 2008. It finds that Americans are not as isolated as has previously been reported. People’s use of mobile phones and the internet is associated with larger and more diverse discussion networks. Internet use in general and use of social networking services in particular are associated with more diverse social networks.

The researchers claim that the number of Americans who are truly isolated is at most only slightly higher than it was 30 years ago. Few people have no one with whom they can discuss important matters, and even fewer have no one who is especially significant in their lives. But they do confirm a more pronounced change, over the past two decades, in the size and diversity of people’s core networks.

These paragraphs, I feel, are important:

“Compared to the relatively recent past, most Americans now have fewer people with whom they discuss important matters, and the diversity of people with whom they discuss these issues has declined. There is a wealth of scholarship to suggest that the implications of this trend for individuals and for American society are starkly negative. Smaller and less diverse core networks diminish personal well-being by limiting access to social support. There are simply fewer people we can rely on in a time of need – whether it is a shoulder to cry on, to borrow a cup of sugar, or to help during a crisis.

“Small and narrow core networks also impede trust and social tolerance; they limit exposure to the diverse opinions, issues, and ideas of others. If we increasingly rely and trust only a small inner circle of likeminded others, it becomes increasingly difficult to recognize, accept or understand opposing points of view. A great deal of research has shown that diversity within our closest relationships – even in the age of the internet – is vital for the flow of information, for informed deliberation, and to maintain the participatory ideals of a democracy.”

UPDATE: Mike Lanza at Playborhood does a good job of digging into this issue and study.

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