Category Archives: Front Porch Forum
Best bet for distributing neighborhood news?
Thanks to eNeighbors for pointing to this new study by eMarketer about eMail… color me eGrateful.
U.S. spending on e-mail advertising will grow to $2 billion by 2012 from $1.2 billion in 2007.
JupiterResearch estimated that about one-quarter of e-mail delivered to users’ main inboxes is now opt-in.
JupiterResearch asked why recipients stopped subscribing to opt-in e-mails. More than one-half said the content was no longer relevant, and 40% said they were getting too many offers.
It is also getting harder for marketers to figure out which e-mail address to use. Nearly two-thirds of US Internet users have three or more active e-mail addresses, according to a November 2006 Bluestreak-commissioned study conducted by ROI Research.
“E-mail, compared with other forms of interactive communication tools, is not only ubiquitous but also addictive,” Mr. Hallerman said. According to a November 2006 ROI Research report commissioned by Bluestreak, 90% of US Internet users used e-mail several times a day. No other communication tool comes close.
Maponics to provide neighborhood maps to Outside.in
Congratulations to Maponics, Front Porch Forum’s Vermont neighbors. From Greg Sterling today…
There are two providers of neighborhood databases: Maponics (which bought the capability from HomeGain) and Urban Mapping. Outside.in has selected Maponics to provide more accurate neighborhood information for its hyperlocal news site.
Urban Mapping works with all the major search engines (I believe) and is now being integrated on the ad-targeting side of the house.
Classic Neighiborhood Activity… Caroling
People are using Front Porch Forum this season to organize Caroling in their neighborhoods… I’ve seen several examples already. Here’s one from Burlington’s Old North End…
My neighbor and I on Pitkin St would love to carol on the solstice, Saturday Dec. 22, if we get a few more takers. We’re thinking of starting around 4:30, stopping at several households along the street, and ending with a little gathering (we can host, or we’re open to offers). We could use folks who can carry a tune or not, but have tolerant ears!
If you want to join us, or if you’d like us to stop and sing at your house, let me know. Happy solstice!
I’m looking forward to the annual Caroling with Carolyn on Caroline Street in our Five Sisters neighborhood.
“We don’t know our neighbors anymore.”
From Sebastien Provencher today…
“It is surprising. There is a crucial sense of community lacking in the metropolitan areas.” –William O’Hare, co-author of a new study (.pdf) released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, talking about the plight of poor kids in rich US states. (found in the December 10th 2007 issue of Time Magazine).
In my opinion, urbanization in the 20th century has reduced the sense of community in large urban areas. We don’t know our neighbors (and neighborhoods?) anymore. It actually has become awkward to introduce ourselves to our neighbors. But, as Man is really a gregarious creature (we like to live in “tribes”), I’m a firm believer that the local social web will, in the future, help re-build the social tissue in large cities. These new web tools will allow us to maintain a basic privacy layer while removing some of the awkwardness in the system.
I agree with the diagnosis, but I’m not as certain with the prescribed cure. Front Porch Forum is one effort working on a solution.
Craigslist: Slow and Steady Wins the Race
Greg Sterling reports on his interview with Craig Newmark today… lots of good stuff. I like this point because coincidentally we’ve been saying the same thing about Front Porch Forum…
Newmark said that “In the race between tortoise and hare, we’re the tortoise.” And he described the site’s now 12-year history as one of “slow, continuous, undramatic growth.”
Of course, craigslist is now in about 450 cities (50 more coming soon) and Kevin Abramson reports…
With 20 million monthly local visitors, Craigslist is the 28th largest Web domain in the U.S., according to Nielsen//NetRatings. And while the company does not disclose revenues, it will rake in an estimated $150 million in 2007. Not bad for a organization with 25 employees.
Babajob connects poor and elites
A fascinating article in the New York Times was brought to my attention today (thanks Hubert) about Babajob.com…
Babajob, by contrast, connects India’s elites to the poor at their doorsteps, people who need jobs but lack the connections to find them. Job seekers advertise skills, employers advertise jobs and matches are made through social networks.
Google’s First Local Symposium
I’ve been reading several postings about Google’s first Local Symposium that they hosted at their HQ the other day. Here’s one.
The Story of Stuff
The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute video that is worth seeing. It’s moral jibes with Front Porch Forum‘s mission of fostering community with those around you.
It’ll teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.
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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