Category Archives: Local Online
Steven Clilft… neighborhoods online
Steven Clift offers an interesting post about neighborhood-level online efforts, including Front Porch Forum. We’re looking forward to participating in a May 7 session he’s convening in Washington, DC, at the Case Foundation.
Civil, slower moving, respectful
Kirk LaPointe, Managing Editor of The Vancouver Sun, wrote recently about Front Porch Forum…
Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
Technology permits blink-of-an-eye contact and an all-day-wired-up-and-followed feeling: Twitter, Facebook and IM pretty well track your every, well, everything.
Then there’s Front Porch Forum, a service that is using technology — or some of it, anyway — to link neighbours and services in Chittenden County, Vermont. The main differences: You have to say who you are and where you live when you e-mail, and you have to wait for once-a-day delivery of the raft of messages coming from all over the neighbourhood. So, no aliases, no cloaking, no down and dirty discussions — just something civil, slower moving, respectful.
The challenge for the service, like all such services, is to make money. At the moment there are government sponsors and advertisers, but this is one service you can foresee moving from the free-to-fee territory. After all, it’s a legitimately great local utility.
Silicon Valley Echo
Amen to this. From Kara Swisher at Wall Street Journal’s All Things Digital…
I conducted a little experiment among the more than 100 folks gathered for the wedding, all of whom were quite intelligent, armed with all kinds of the latest devices (many, many people had iPhones, for example) and not sluggish about technology.
They were also made up of a wide range of ages and genders, from kids to seniors.
And so I asked a large group of people–about 30–and here is the grand total who knew what Twitter was: 0
FriendFeed: 0
Widget: 1 (but she thought it was one of the units used in a business class study).
Facebook: Everyone I asked knew about it and about half had an account, although different people used it differently.
In other words, confirming for me what I wrote last week about the intense obsession with the hottest new services like Twitter and FriendFeed, in the echo chamber of Silicon Valley, and how no one else cares yet.
And from MeetUp.com‘s Scott Heiferman…
Making a householdword is the great challenge. Not only does the word need to be universally known, but it has to be universally known for something that people need. eBay, Amazon, Google, and Craigslist are universally known, and people need what those words mean: People need to buy & sell & search in their everyday lives… As for Facebook, people need to stay in touch with people they know, so they’re on-track, but I suspect their word is too muddied with pokes & kid stuff.
About 30% of our pilot city subscribe to Front Porch Forum and many more than that have heard of and/or plan to sign up for our service. Many people appreciate help in connecting with their neighbors and plugging into their neighborhood.
Building Community in an e-State
Vermont is working to become the first “e-State” with availability of broadband internet and cell phone coverage across 100% of the state… by 2010. The “100% of the state” bit is ambitious and lots of people, organizations are businesses and contributing toward the realization of this goal.
The State of Vermont justifies this ambition saying it will be good for economic development, healthcare, education, public safety and more. And part of the “and more” usually includes a vague reference to the e-State being good for society and civic engagement. Can the internet and cell phones enhance the sense of community in a town? Many people feel these tools actually turn people’s attention away from local community.
The Snelling Center is stepping in to address this issue with a one-day event on May 29, 2008…
Explore public policy issues, opportunities, and potential obstacles that will arise as Vermont becomes fully connected.
- How might civic life change in a fully connected state?
- How will we master emerging technologies so they unite us and strengthen communities?
- How will we address issues of privacy, equity, resistance to change, ownership, and cost?
- How will local and state governmental units ensure that all citizens have equal access to information and participation?
Details, agenda, and registration.
The keynote speaker will be Lewis Feldstein, Co-Author of Better Together, which he wrote with Bowling Alone author, Robert Putnam. Putnam will be speaking at UVM on April 28, 2008.
Pecha Kucha Night Montpelier
My old friend Lars is up to some new tricks in central Vermont…
I am asking everyone I know to support a new effort in Montpelier: the Onion River Exchange’s Pecha Kucha Night. The idea is pretty cool, and really simple:
– Two rounds of presenters
– Each presenter has 6 minutes and 20 slides with which to present their idea
– 5 presenters each round
– Do it somewhere fun, with food and drinkThink of it as TED meets speed dating – in Central Vermont. Seriously, should be a lot of fun – especially with YOU on stage 😉
Anyway, here’s what I’m asking:
– Think of yourself as someone who might want to present a big, bold idea you’ve been slaving away on
– Pass along the flier to anyone else you know who has an idea they’ve been working on and encourage them to contact me.The invitation is *especially* for those whose work communicates well visually. They should get in touch with me BEFORE April 30.
So, let’s paint the town Pecha Kucha!
Thanks, and hope you’re enjoying this prime gardening weather.
Lars Hasselblad Torres
www.mixedmedia.us + www.peacetiles.net
MIYO Polls Closing! Vote quick!!
The Case Foundation’s Make It Your Own Awards contest is wrapping up. The public online vote closes this Tuesday, April 22, 2008, at 3 PM EST.
Please vote for Front Porch Forum among your choices for the Final Four. And thanks to all who voted and supported our effort in this endeavor.
Front Porch Forum, hailing from tiny Vermont, is a huge underdog… but I’m just hopeful enough to imagine a major upset! Tune in the first week of May when the winning Final Four will be announced. Thanks again!
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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