Here’s my favorite use of Front Porch Forum out of today’s batch of neighbor-to-neighbor messages…
On Friday July 20, our neighborhood hosted lunch for folks at the COTS Daystation! People there expressed surprise and appreciation when I brought in cooler after cooler of bag lunches. One face in particular brightened when I said there was everything from PBJ to Roast Beef and Pastrami sandwiches in the bags. (It was the roast beef that got his attention.)
I know at our house, I had ambitious children separating grapes, wrapping sandwiches, packing and decorating the paper bags. Next time we saw a person begging at the exit ramp of I-189, we all felt better about doing our part to help a person in need. We have decided to carry some decent snack foods with us that we can donate when we drive by; we, like most, worry some about unhealthy choices people can make with cash, and it prevents us from reaching out.
Food showed up on my doorstep Thursday night and Friday morning not magically but with care and effort, which is better than magic. 5 different households pitched in to the 40-lunch effort. Thanks to all who did… you know who you are.
I will contact COTS and find a date in August we can do it again. I’ve learned a few things to help streamline the process and perhaps make it better for next time. I hope we can continue on a monthly basis.
Great job Maggie and Prospect Parkway Neighborhood Forum members! Not only are these folks using Front Porch Forum to pitch in and help their larger community, but by these very actions they are enhancing the sense of community within their own neighborhood… win-win.
Bob of the Starr Farm Neighborhood Forum wrote on July 13…
Softball, Soccer, Frisbee (Ultimate)… Is anyone in the “Neighborhood” interested in putting together a neighborhood game of some sort? Nothing ultra-competitive, keeping it fun, maybe even playing against another neighborhood. Any ideas?
Not much response. Then, some wonderful volunteers happened to distribute Front Porch Forum flyers and another 30 households signed up for this forum! So Bob tried again on July 23 and found a different reception…
Neighborhood softball Friday August 3rd at 6:45. I have a few bats I can bring one is a smaller one for kids. If anyone else has a favorite bat ball or glove they can bring that too.
We’ve had a good response, and everyone is welcome. I hope to see and meet many of you there. Feel free to invite anyone else that you want to bring.
That’s great! It’s wonderful to watch this kind of thing in one neighborhood after another… block parties, babysitting coops, neighborhood watches, walking clubs. There seems to be a pent up desire to connect with neighbors. Almost as soon as a critical mass of neighbors join FPF in one neighborhood, someone starts organizing a community activity through it there… that’s what FPF’s all about!
Julie from the Huntington Neighborhood Forum writes to us today…
You’ve done an amazing thing with [Front Porch Forum]. I have avoided all of those other social sites including linked-in (I have way too many contacts for business), etc, but this is really grounding. Do you have many forums outside of Vermont yet? What happens when this turns into the grown up facebook?
Since its launch last fall, Front Porch Forum has attracted wonderful people who join and put the service to great use. Then the praise flows in. Here are couple from today…
I joined this forum about a month ago but have been “lurking.” So, belatedly, “Hi, I’m Here”
The magic of the internet has made me feel much more connected to many of you whom I have never met. I tried to help find Jim’s laptop (never even knew the name behind the Smithy sign until then) and cheered (and blogged it) when it was recovered. I have been admiring the mailboxes along the main road, knowing the source of their new found beauty. And I have frequently passed on your queries to folks who are not on the list but I think might be able to help. -Julie, Huntington Neighborhood Forum
And from the stream of FPF comments on the PBS blog MediaShift…
Is there an echo in here? There oughta be for the Front Porch Forum in Burlington, VT. Not only is it a source for hyperlocal news, but it is also a record of our times a la Studs Terkel. All history is personal – isn’t that the premise. What Michael Wood-Lewis and family have created is nothing short of a perfect marriage between technology and community, from the banal to the profound – and everything in between. -Richard
Wow! Thank you Julie and Richard.
Gotta love surprises! At least good ones. Last night I noted a post by Mark Glaser of MediaShift, a PBS blog, that put the question to his readers… “What’s your favorite way of getting hyper-local or neighborhood news?”
I wondered how Front Porch Forum members would answer that, so I asked a group of them, specifically the FPF Neighborhood Volunteers. The surprise arrived this morning when I checked the comments on MediaShift… Nine of 12 remarks are from happy FPF members… lovely and insightful comments to the one. Here’s a sample from Jeff in Richmond…
Front Porch Forum is a local e-mail based newsletter in and around Burlington, Vermont. We use it to share whatever is in our garage, learn who is sick in the neighborhood and find out what is happening in local politics.
Why would an entire neighborhood need a canoe in every garage, when we can share, reduce consumption and create community by loaning our canoe to our neighbors.
We have collected 150 sets of silverware from garage sales and tag sales and let our neighbors know through Front Porch Forum that they can borrow our bucket of silver whenever they have a large gathering. So much better than using those petroleum based plastic forks and spoons.
We found out through Front Porch Forum when our neighbor’s son was shipped out to Iraq and were able to contribute to weekly care packages sent by another neighbor.
We find out about everything from public hearings to lemonade stands through this service and as a school board trustee I get direct feedback from my constituents.
We love Front Porch Forum.
Thanks Jeff and all who have and will add their two cents. Now I see that the PBS blogger has added a question specifically to FPF members…
Welcome all you folks from Front Porch Forum! Glad to have you on the blog. I’m curious if some of you can explain how you first heard about it, and why you trust the information there. Also, what new features would you like to see on that service or similar ones? And finally, can Front Porch Forum or other services really call out public officials or businesses if there are problems, or are they too tied in to those local power centers?
If you care to respond, add your comment at MediaShift. Also, if you’re an FPF member and so inclined, please share this link on your own neighborhood’s forum.
UPDATE: And respond you did! Thanks to all the FPF members who answered the PBS.org reporter’s questions. Here’s the latest one from Lorinda who participates on the Milton Neighborhood Forum…
My neighborhood Front Porch Forum is still in its baby step stages, but it is still the best way for immediate news. I also am connected to the Volunteer section of the forum which contains selected messages that may be of wider interest than just one neighborhood. I heard about it from my daughter who works in the neighborhood of the original forum.
I trust the news the same way I do when I meet someone in the grocery store (Vermont is still the kind of place where you ALWAYS meet someone you know at the grocery store). These are truly MY neighbors — and why would they lie to me about a lost cat, the time of the school board meeting, or wanting to borrow a garden tractor, for Pete’s sake?
And what was that about being tied in to the local power base? You have to be kidding, right? It’s people like us who ARE the local power base, whatever that is and if we have one. How is anyone going to tie up the collective voices of thousands of reporters, each speaking from her own heart and his own home? This is the most free form of expression and the absolute best use of the internet I can think of.
The simple message below appeared in all 38 of the Burlington neighborhood forums in the few days before this fun event…
Burlington Bocce Social July 22, 5 PM
Come join Burlington Parks and Recreation to learn about the game of bocce and how to use the brand new bocce courts at Oakledge Park. This free event is open to all ages and abilities. Reminder – park users can always bike or walk into the parks for free, however there is a $5 resident fee for parking.
I just heard this evening from someone at Parks and Rec that they had 50 people show up! When quizzed, 35 said that they had heard about it from Front Porch Forum (and perhaps other sources too). That’s about 1.2% of those who received the message via FPF showing up on a Sunday evening for a game they’ve likely never played… a great response.
In another case, a sponsor reported 70 new subscribers within a few days after their message went out to the Burlington neighborhood forums… about 2.4% conversion.
I know some catalog retailers expect that 1 to 2% of those receiving their catalog by bulk mail will respond. Others have reported a 0.2% conversion from bulk emailing to past customers (different than spamming strangers).
This is a promising start as Front Porch Forum works to develop its sponsorship options.
We were touched the other day when a couple neighbors passed the hat at the annul block party to help support their neighborhood forum. More than 40 households contributed. Thank you Five Sisters and Dori and Lori!
Contributions to Front Porch Forum are welcome and they help cover expenses during this early stage of development. Some folks think of it as a voluntary subscription fee and pay on a monthly basis. To make a one-time or ongoing donation, check out our secure online contribution page.
Under the heading “Babysitter Needed – Urgent” this moving message circulated through the Village Green Neighborhood Forum a couple days ago…
Hi – We have a 14 month old and are looking for a baby sitter for tomorrow night. It’s my husband’s last night in town before he deploys to Iraq, and the baby sitter we had arranged for tomorrow just called and canceled.
I never know how neighbors will respond to various messages, especially postings that go out over a lovely summer weekend when people spend less time online. But now I see this follow up…
Two nights ago I posted a desperate request for a baby sitter, as my husband is deploying to Iraq, and our originally scheduled sitter had canceled. I wanted to take the time to thank everyone for the outpouring of support and help that was offered. We were able to find a sitter, and enjoyed a nice night together before he leaves.
The generosity and kindness of this community has helped reaffirm our decision to move to Vermont, and we feel lucky and grateful to be in such a great neighborhood. Thanks everyone!
I needn’t have worried! Not only was a sitter found, but the family was swamped with support from the neighbors, many I’d guess who didn’t know about the imminent deployment previously. That’s neighborhood and Front Porch Forum at their best.
Beverly writes in the West Kennedy Neighborhood Forum today…
I moved to South Burlington from Essex a year ago. My dog June and I have met a lot of other people with dogs. I have a piano that is sitting in my condominium waiting for someone to play it. It belongs to my daughter who doesn’t have room for it at this time in her life. I wondered if anyone (child or adult) in the neighborhood would like to use my “practice space.” Maybe you always wanted to take piano lessons but didn’t have a piano. Now you could use mine (no charge). I work during the day, but June is here and would love company. I’m sure we can work out the details to satisfy all of us. I look forward to hearing from my musically inclined neighbors.
Now that’s lovely… mighty neighborly. I’ve had several folks assume that condo associations are less amenable to Front Porch Forum… that somehow condominium dwellers are all hermits or otherwise uninterested in their immediate surroundings. The early evidence goes against this theory, with the message above the latest example. People are people and most of us want some connection to our immediate neighbors.
This sounds fun. From a posting on today’s ONE Central Neighborhood Forum. I’m pulling for the South End!
Field Days – North End Ramble – South End vs North End
Hey folks – as many of you know the North End Ramble is taking place this next coming weekend. JULY 28th. I believe the Studio STK people know a lot about the events – and the Crombie Street Block Party always rocks.
My particular part is helping to organize the Field Day Event. Where the North End hosts the South End in what is called “The Rumble at the Ramble” – or “War of the Wards” – whichever you like. Don’t let the names scare you though, last year was one of the most friendly competitions I have ever seen – water balloon toss – 100 (aprox) yard dash – hula hoop perseverance – standing long jump – shotput with a bowling ball – the mile – sack race – a race I invented called “20-20” where you spin around 20 times and have to run 20 yards and back – arm wrestling – possibly more events – and all culminating in a giant tug-of-war.
Last year the South End won – the trophy is at the Muddy Waters. Could the North End win this year and see the trophy displayed at the Radio Bean?
Details – meet and sign up and High Noon at Battery Park on Saturday. We will do some warm up exercise and get going around One. Stay for as long or as little as you want. To volunteer to help email me – ( we do need some things brought to the event still). Bring some watermelon! Last year it all took about two hours, was a ginormous amount of fun, and everyone went on the enjoy the North End Ramble, which is what we are shooting for this year too.
Will the South End rise again? Will the North End bring its “side pride”?
Confused about which End of Burlington you live in? Bank Street is the deciding line we decided on. Also – out of town guest are welcome – which side of (44°28’N) Longitude they live decides what team they are on.
Thanks!
Michael J. Nedell
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