Category Archives: Front Porch Forum

FPF Becomes an Example for Community-Building Tech in Canada

Posted on Tuesday, June 11, 2019 by No comments yet

Do you speak french? Check out this wonderful piece about Front Porch Forum from our neighbors at Radio Canada. Reporter, Janic Tremblay, shares his experiences speaking to FPF members at a screening of the film “The Story of Vermont’s Quiet Digital Revolution.” Attendees share how FPF has encouraged forming positive relationships with neighbors, neighbors who bring their hyper-local forums to life.

Read Janic Tremblay’s article in french here.

Sweet Notes of Spring

Posted on Monday, June 10, 2019 by No comments yet

Spring is in the air and folks are sharing their seasonal observations on Front Porch Forum. Among the leafy trees, fragrant lilacs and colorful, rolling hills, one Vermont neighbor spotted another, more humorous note of spring sweetness.

“I thought this might be enjoyed by more than me… ( I laughed all the way home about this…)… as I was driving to the Richmond Park, from the back way in Williston, through Fays Corners, you travel by a farm just as the road swerves left. There was a cow or a bull, large dark brown, standing in full view,… she/he had had her coat shaved with the words ………… “PROM?” : ) That made my day, and I wonder if the person for whom that was intended received the message……. Please share with your Richmond friends. : )” • Kathleen B., Hinesburg, Vt.

That’s one creative prom-posal!

“How Front Porch Forum is Empowering the Citizens of Vermont”

Posted on Tuesday, May 28, 2019 by No comments yet

Front Porch Forum’s co-founder, Michael Wood-Lewis, met with Patrick O’Keefe of Community Signal to discuss how Front Porch Forum empowers Vermont neighbors.

Michael shared, “a vibrant local community… part of it is a functional local government. You also need engaged citizens, and you need a vibrant local business sector if you want to have a healthy community.  It’s hard to do that in the age of Amazon and Facebook.”

Citizens of Vermont use FPF to get to know their neighbors, share, become informed about what’s happening in their communities, and actively participate in community projects and local democracy. Listen to the full interview or read the highlights here.

Documentary about FPF Spreading Interest Internationally

Posted on Friday, April 12, 2019 by No comments yet

Canadian filmmaker Peter Strauss’ new documentary film about FPF, “The Story of Vermont’s Quiet Digital Revolution,” has garnered international interest. After numerous screenings around the state and features in International film festivals, more and more folks outside of Vermont are eager to see just how FPF works.

“The film on FPF that’s in Middlebury on Tuesday must be good. Last fall I met someone in Nova Scotia who had just seen it at the Halifax Film Festival. As soon as she heard I was from Vermont she wanted to know if I was on it, asked a lot of questions, and had a good time looking through the posts on my phone.” • Polly D., New Haven, Vt.

Have you had friends, family, or new acquaintances ask to take a peek at your home forum? FPF is currently available in Vermont and Washington County, NY. Folks can learn more about FPF by watching the documentary at one of our statewide screenings or on Vermont PBS.

The secret? Staying local

Posted on Friday, January 25, 2019 by No comments yet

We’re seeing an outpouring of interest in Front Porch Forum in light of the recently published article on the Verge!

Andrew Liptak, author of the Verge article How a Vermont social network became a model for online communities,” writes “Vermont’s Front Porch Forum is a good example of how to create a positive, online community – staying local.” 

Creator of Ruby on Rails and founder/CTO at Basecamp, David Hanemeier Hanson, saw the article and tweeted on his feed.  Then Jack Dorsey, a founder of Twitter and Square, retweeted it.  Clearly the work we’re doing is being recognized!  Thanks @dhh, @jack and the many others who have shared this article.

“Front Porch Forum isn’t designed as a virtual replacement for one’s real-world neighborhood it’s meant to facilitate those everyday, in-person connections that form the basis of a community.”