Online classifieds are a dime a dozen… but many of these services are failing lately. As reported on Local Onliner…
Jay Schauer, a friend who runs Ad2Ad.com, … complains that “people seem to assume that classified advertising is an easy business to understand and enter. It’s not. It’s a business that demands fierce commitment to localization, understanding the nature of the small local advertiser, and a commitment to small, individual sales.”
Schauer notes that it is “hard ground for start-ups driven by dreams of an IPO. In the past year I’ve seen three competitors drown. Two others are careening toward the treacherous shoals…
“What those failing groups seem to have lacked is the desire to get down and get real with the individual advertiser who will actually pay for classifieds. That customer is not rich, not sophisticated, not interested in pretty, elegant or cool.”
He goes on to note that “the bulk of classified advertisers live in small towns and tight neighborhoods. They don’t build social networks. They are typically the salt of the earth — and hence of little interest to VCs. This customer wants RESULTS FAST. They want to get information to their neighbors — who are also their customers. Most important, they will pay a reasonable price to do so.”
“Classifieds are not pretty,” says Schauer. “But the economic engine they support is large and remains robust. More important, the neighbor-to-neighbor business interaction is core to the strength of the greater economy and to our political well-being.”
While Front Porch Forum is more about neighborhood conversation than classified ads, many of the postings are, essentially, classified ads shared among clearly identified nearby neighbors. And FPF postings often out perform classified ads on Craigslist and other platforms. In fact, a member just posted this on FPF in Burlington’s Old North End…
Hi Neighbors, In my recent posting offering to sell several items (coffee table, accordion, shelves, etc.) I received way more response then I ever expected! I sold/gave the items to those offers which landed in my inbox first. I apologize to all those who I did not respond back to… if you did not hear back from me, the items are gone! Many thanks.
My favorite Front Porch Forum headline of the day comes from Penny in Essex Junction, VT…
Library Book Cart Precision Drill Team Seeking Leader
Brownell Library Is Looking for Book Cart Precision Drill Team Leader for its entry in the Memorial Day Parade Saturday 23 May.
Have you always wanted to drive one of those little cars in a parade? Brownell Library staff is hoping to put together a drill team of book carts, but we are short on “marching experience”. We DO Have a copy of The Library Book Cart Precision Drill Team Manual. We think this could be heaps of fun. Want to join us? Want to LEAD US?
Contact Penny Pillsbury 878-6955 or http://www.brownelllibrary.org
Those crazy librarians. 😉
Truth be told, this is one group of people who make great use of FPF… local librarians reach a sizable fraction of their constituents with the click of a button.
Lorna-Kay in Burlington’s New North End is using Front Porch Forum to call her nearby neighbors to action.
Dear Neighbors – Our neighborhood is suffering very badly from the effects of winter debris and scattered litter. Are you a civic minded resident of the New North End who would like to join me in a pre-spring clean up? We could work collaboratively or individually to make our neighborhood cleaner and neater. I will have bags and gloves for volunteers.
About 50 households in close proximity to her received this posting. How else could she accomplish this? Flyer door to door? Posters on utility poles? Start a Facebook group or neighborhood blog?
And when these folks do gather, bags in gloved hands, they’ll chat about the other postings they’ve been sharing on FPF… proposed development projects, recent local elections, the lost pet bunny that showed up on someone’s front stoop. This will further draw people into local involvement and getting to know their neighbors.
The lead up to this year’s Town Meeting Day was a busy time for the 130 FPF online neighborhood forums. Some folks groused about all of the political postings… and then there was Betsey’s response from Burlington’s New North End…
Thank you to the voters of Burlington for turning out on Town Meeting Day. What a great city this is! We have beautiful parks, terrific schools, an engaged citizenry, and an engaged and enthusiastic government. We work on our challenges together, and support each other in times of trouble.
Thank you to the Front Porch Forum for giving us a chance to connect with our neighbors and share our hopes for our city. I am looking forward to hearing exciting news from my neighbors about ways they are making a difference, and improving our yards, homes, schools, businesses, and futures. With spring in the air, good news should be shared.
I’m looking forward to putting away the shovel and picking up the rake. I would love to hear what you’re planting — and hope that if anyone out there needs a “barn raising” that we’ll hear about it in FPF first!
Amen!
A Front Porch Forum member in Richmond asked his neighbors if anyone was in need of his used minivan…
Thanks to all who responded. New Inquiries will not be considered. Between freecycle… and… Front Porch Forum, about ten people wrote to encourage me to donate to Good News Garage, which I had considered and chosen not to do, and about 15 folks or families have expressed interest in taking the van. In the way of need, several stories were redolent of hardship, and I do not wish to add more empathy strain than I now have. Several people wrote with thanks for making the offer, and one wrote to thank me, without wanting to receive it. Some stories were wrenching, and overall this is an interesting momentary adventure.
With each passing election, candidates for local and state-level office use Front Porch Forum more and more. We’ve been evolving our policy on this, centered on serving our subscribers’ interest and not giving incumbents or any other class an unfair advantage.
Many candidates are taking advantage of our posting policy leading up to the March 3 Town Meeting Day. Here’s a nice thank-you note from Amy Booher, who is running for City Council in Winooski…
Thank you so much for all that Front Porch Forum does, not just allowing local candidates a voice, but for all the online neighborhood forums. It is a wonderful service.
Burlington is bursting with civic-minded people who act on their convictions… from shoveling a neighbor’s sidewalk to taking on drug dealing. The City throws a great annual party — Neighborhood Night of Success — to celebrate people and projects, share a meal and music, and mingle. I recommend attending… March 25, 2009. Also, Ita Meno is looking for nominations!
To show how long we’ve been at this… Front Porch Forum was recognized at the very first NNS in 2001 and then again in 2007.
Ita, the key organizer, invited me on to her talk show to chat about it.
P.S. Ita is leaving her position with CEDO, so the NPAs won’t have her as a resource any longer… a real loss! Best wishes to her in her new position and I hope CEDO hires well when finding her replacement!
We’re thrilled with our recent expansion into Starksboro, VT. This is Front Porch Forum‘s first step outside of our Chittenden County pilot… albeit a small step. Apparently, we’re not the only ones excited… 50 households signed up in the first week (7% of the town), despite no real marketing effort. And here’s a lovely comment from one happy new subscriber…
I just signed up and can’t wait to start using Front Porch Forum. Some friends in Burlington have it and LOVE it. I think this will be an incredible asset for our community. Thanks to everyone who helped make this happen. Yahoo!
Elated in Starksboro.
We’ve seen time and again that one or two citizens can’t get much action out of City Hall. But put 20 or 200 neighbors together behind an issue, and voil¡.
Here’s a posting on FPF yesterday from Burlington City Councilor Russ Ellis…
A few days ago, Christy Lorraine called our attention to the problem of sewage backup in the Staniford and Western Avenue neighborhoods with a note in the Front Porch Forum. I exchanged several e-mails with Steve Goodkind at the Department of Public Works about the situation. You will be interested in his positive response which follows:
“Russ – I share your concern that cleaning alone might not necessarily be the whole answer. I have not gotten the records yet, but I have already asked staff to pull what we have to see if there is any pattern to the problem. It may turn out that the problem is less with the line on Western Ave and more with the line it feeds into on Staniford. We will look at the entire system in that area and see if we can solve this. Please feel free to pass this on to any of the neighbors you are in contact with.”
My hope is that this terrible situation in your neighborhood can be corrected.
People ask why some FPF neighborhood forums are more vibrant than others. Here’s one answer…
Greetings neighbors! When my husband and I moved into the neighborhood in May last year, we immediately signed up for Front Porch Forum. Our previous neighborhood forum in South Burlington exhibited quite a bit of friendly action; everything ranging from seniors who needed help shoveling driveways, teens looking for babysitting jobs, discussions of speed bumps, homeschooling opportunities, and even couches for sale. I think the same opportunity exists for the River Cove forum and I would welcome more action on the forum.
So I recently signed up to be a volunteer. I would like to get more people signed up in the area, and will probably be delivering flyers to mailboxes soon. I will also be checking out posts on the volunteers forum (this transcends the bounds of the neighborhood and even the town) to share things that I think may interest our neighborhood, in a manner that is hopefully helpful without being burdensome on your email inbox.
I welcome any assistance and would love to hear from others, especially if you’d be interested in joining me to get the word out about how to sign up for Front Porch Forum.
Cheers for now!
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