Category Archives: Front Porch Forum
“Skepticism about ‘online community’?”
From Harvard’s Social Capital Blog…
New Local Leaders Connecting with Constituents
#VT – A fresh batch of local elected officials took office this month in towns across Vermont and many of them are embracing Front Porch Forum to connect with constituents. Posted today on FPF by the newly elected mayor of Vergennes…
Dear Friends and Neighbors – FPF is a great way to keep abreast of local issues and create an atmosphere for the productive discussion of municipal business. I urge all citizens of Vergennes to join FPF as a way of communicating concerns to your municipal officers and the public at large. Please tell all your friends to join.
I will be posting questions and comments as well as notifying folks of volunteer opportunities for the upcoming spring and summer. I hope everyone can find the time to offer their time or expertise in helping our city move forward. Thanks.
Bill Benton, Mayor
City of Vergennes
CHT to the rescue…
#VT – Many thanks to Champlain Housing Trust for generously sharing facilities with Front Porch Forum staff last week. What a great organization!
After 24 years, community connection blossoming
#VT – My husband and I have been living in Cambridge, VT for 24 years. We don’t have children of our own which has made it difficult to get to know people in our community and the events that happen here. Front Porch Forum changed that for us… thank you.
The Cambridge FPF covers all 1,500 households in this small rural town, and it has about 1,300 members who use it in wonderful ways. No wonder FPF packs such a wallop for the member quoted above.
How do Vermonters prepare for Town Meeting Day decisions?
#BTV #VT – Increasingly, the answer to this question includes Front Porch Forum. Ninety Vermont towns are served by FPF and public officials, advocacy groups and voters alike use their FPF to share information, state opinions and encourage participation in local democracy. Occasionally an FPF will get heated in the days approaching Town Meeting… but that’s how community works. Ideally neighbors pull together and move the community forward after Town Meeting Day, regardless of which candidates and ballot measures prevail.
FPF is popping up in traditional media this week. Two recent front pages (one and two) of the Burlington Free Press mentioned FPF’s role in Town Meeting issues. And Seven Days quoted former City Councilor Ed Adrian today…
In a February 28 posting on Front Porch Forum, Adrian lodged five points of criticism against Bushor, including: “To the best of my knowledge, Sharon has never posted on FPF. Anything.”
Ed will be glad to know that Sharon posted a campaign-related item to her FPF today!
Feeling connected…
#VT – “Thanks to Front Porch Forum for the first time I have felt truly connected to the people and happenings in the town I live and grew up in.”
That’s from Elias, who lives in a small town in Vermont.
Small-town NY social network rescues horses
The tiny Argyle Front Porch Forum continues to outperform expectations. See these two recent postings from Shannon…
Sadly I have been asked to help with a very hard emergency situation. One of our fellow Argyle residents is losing their home. They have tried all the options out there and the last effort to do a loan modification ended up not working out after all. It looks as though next Friday the 8th could be the last day this family can be in their home.
They have 5 horses who all need a safe place to go. They are looking for homes for them and they do not need to stay together. Each horse will come with aprox. 55 bales of hay. There are 2 horses who are 9 and could be ridable when properly trained. The other 3 are mainly companions although the oldest (30) could still work with kids.
I realize this is a tall order to fill in a week’s time. We just don’t have the space here for them either. If we split them up perhaps they can all land in a safe spot. Please pass this on, post it on your facebook pages or any place you think it would help. The 2 younger horses would be great training projects. The gelding needs all his training and the mare already has lots of training e/w and some dressage but freaks out if you raise your voice. She is an Adn. TBX. Gray.
Shannon – Double L Stable Equine Rescue and Sanctuary
And her follow up…
Wow! Was I surprised at the number of calls I got in regards to the 5 horses in need on Coach Rd. Over 100 calls! Not only did Argyle animal lovers step up but I had at least half a dozen calls from folks who thought they might have info that would help the family losing their home… I believe all the horses may be spoken for but I will update everyone if any of the homes fall though. Way to go Argyle! You picked up the post and really ran with it… I had more success just posting this on the Argyle Front Porch Forum to spread the word then I have ever had before, even posting it on our national Petfinder site!
It takes a village to raise a teenager…
#VT – “Looking for a loud and obnoxious (& cheap) alarm clock to get my teen up in the morning. I’m sure there must be a few of them out there?”
That’s my favorite Front Porch Forum posting of the hour… from Peter on the Waterbury FPF.
New Feature: Share Postings with Neighboring FPFs
#BTV #VT – Starting today, Front Porch Forum members can select to share their postings with neighboring FPFs. Look for the check box on the NEW POSTING page at FrontPorchForum.com (login required).
National gathering of community foundations feature FPF
#VT – Front Porch Forum is one of the successful services being highlighted today at the Knight Foundation’s Media Learning Seminar in Miami. FPF is pleased and grateful to be included in this prestigious event.
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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