Category Archives: MacArthur Fellows
Vermont’s Western Slopes Business Assn Q&A about Front Porch Forum
Thanks to the good people of the Western Slopes Business Association for inviting Front Porch Forum co-founder, Michael Wood-Lewis, to share some of our story. Check out the video clip from Mt. Mansfield Community TV…
WSBA Business Association Breakfast Meeting: Michael Wood-Lewis from Mt. Mansfield Community TV on Vimeo.
Vermont inventor uses neighbors to test prototypes
From today’s Burlington Free Press…
Doug Hartwell, founder of Bitybean, developed an UltraCompact Baby Carrier, a business that he has launched…
“… when we got closer to our final prototypes, I actually put an ad on Front Porch Forum saying: ‘Looking for Moms with Babies.’ Whenever we changed something in the prototypes or materials, I’d call them up and ask them to meet somewhere where they could try it on and tell us what they thought. One of those moms became the model for our first promotional material…”
“Bitybean was named one of the top 10 innovative products in the whole industry. That was huge break for us as it came just as we launched the business.”
More and more Vermont small businesses are using FPF to find customers, make hires, and complete research such as Doug. In a recent survey, 58% of the respondents shared that FPF helps local companies gain information valuable to their business.
Sunderland Selectboard takes action to fill vacant Town positions
Reported in the Manchester Journal yesterday…
In other business, [the chairman of the Sunderland Selectboard] said there has been discussion lately on Front Porch Forum, the social media site… about town government and… how to get more people involved in local government. He said Sunderland has been having trouble filling open positions, some of which include compensation…
“These positions are open routinely. The lister hasn’t been filled for years,” he said. “We just can’t get people to come in. The lister is a paid position. The auditor is a paid position; it’s 20 bucks an hour … it actually pays something. No one wants to do it.” Hyde said if these positions stay open, contractors would have to be hired…
The board decided to post meeting agendas to Front Porch Forum, to help disseminate the information.
Wise decision by town leadership! A new survey recently found that FPF subscribers are twice as likely to be “very informed” about local government services than those not using FPF. And the number of people who attend municipal meetings at least once a month increases 38% when joining FPF.
EveryBlock back at it with Comcast at the wheel
From the Washington Post today…
The cable giant Comcast is reviving the once-future of local online news, announcing on its corporate blog that it has expanded its relaunch of the news and social site EveryBlock to include its home city of Philadelphia, at the same time the company is digging into its potential nation-wide merger with Time Warner Cable.
“EveryBlock,” writes Comcast’s director of local media development Paul Wright, “is a personalized news feed that allows users to stay connected with neighbors, interact and share what’s happening on their block, and discover great content and information from around their area. The hyper-local site aggregates news, reviews, events, local blogs and other web content, civic data (like crime reports and 311 requests), as well as user-generated questions and comments, and packages it into a personalized feed for users.”
While the relaunch of EveryBlock Philly is new, Comcast revived the Chicago edition of the site in late January…
Friend of Front Porch Forum, Adrian Holovaty founded EveryBlock in 2007, and received Knight Foundation funding (as FPF did a couple years later). From the Post article…
Holovaty, in an e-mail, describes himself both pleased and doubtful. “I’ve enjoyed having EveryBlock back because it helps me know what’s happening in my neighborhood,” he says. “But I’m very skeptical about Comcast’s ability to maintain the site well. They’ve given a lot of lip service to putting resources into it, but behind the scenes they aren’t doing much moderation, resulting in off-topic discussions on the site. Plus, more broadly, they don’t have a vision for it.”
Before Adrian left EveryBlock, their Chicago site enjoyed great traction and engagement. It’s not clear if they can get that back… especially across many different metro areas.
Discuss local civic engagement and Front Porch Forum
Michael Wood-Lewis, co-founder of Front Porch Forum, will be speaking at the following events this month…
- Western Slopes Business Association session, Richmond, Vermont, Sept. 16, 2014, 8 AM
- Vermont Connected Summit, Vermont Statehouse, Montpelier, Sept. 23
- First-Year Seminar about In The Neighborhood: The Search for Community on an American Street, One Sleepover at a Time, by Peter Lovenheim, Castleton State College, Sept. 23, 7 PM
Please come and join the conversations.
Seeking relationship-based answer over computer-generated one
Eva saw a sign on a utility pole in her rural corner of Underhill, Vt. in late August announcing “The Rover is Coming!” She was eager to know more so that she could unload her household hazardous waste. But, alas, the print was too small on the sign and she missed the details as she drove by.
Later that day, she asked her neighbors for help by posting to her local Front Porch Forum: “Does anyone know where and when the Rover is coming and what it will take? Thanks.”
She got her answer and more, as she shared in her follow-up posting the next day:
I guess I am new school enough to use Front Porch Forum but just enough old school that “Googling” is still not an instinctive response.
There is just enough old school left in me to naturally seek out a relationship-based answer over a computer-generated one, albeit through the computer.
I am so glad that I did! I “met” my next door neighbor through my FPF inquiry and had a nice back and forth introduction via email.
I would have missed the opportunity by turning solely to “www”. And just maybe my inquiry let others know, who didn’t already, that the Rover was on its way next month.
This is FPF in a nutshell: solve a problem and connect with neighbors along the way.
Good neighbors are good for your health
Posted on the Huntington Front Porch Forum today by Holly…
Neighbors: A recently released study by Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health says that good neighbors are actually good for your heart!So keep loving each other & helping each other, and we’ll all live longer!Check out this piece from Nightly News re: the study.Thank you neighbors.
Does FPF effect local community? Survey says…
Before and after FPF… does it make a difference? We just concluded a survey of 964 Front Porch Forum (FPF) members (out of 6,500 invited). We asked FPF members to answer two-part questions about their experiences since joining FPF vs. before FPF.
Front Porch Forum helps neighbors connect. In the survey, 18% more members reported knowing most of their neighbors since joining FPF (vs. before joining FPF).
FPF also helps Vermonters get informed about local issues. Nearly four times more FPF members reported feeling “very informed” about local community issues since joining FPF.
And FPF helps people get involved and build community. About one-third more members work to make change in their local communities monthly since joining FPF.
See more results below.
Thanks to all who participated. And congratulations to Allison in Greensboro for winning our iPod prize drawing.
FPF helps people connect with neighbors. Since joining FPF…
- 3% more members say “hi” to neighbors monthly (vs. before joining FPF)
- 10% more members find it very/somewhat easy to make friends among neighbors
- 18% more members know most neighbors
- 24% more members have neighbors over to their home monthly
- 37% more members share goods or favors with neighbors monthly
FPF helps people get informed about local issues. Since joining FPF…
- 29% more members share news with neighbors monthly
- 68% more members feel “very informed” about local shops
- Two times more members feel “very informed” about local government services
- Nearly three times more members feel “very informed” about local clubs/organizations
- Three times more members feel “very informed” about local contractors
- Nearly four times more members feel “very informed” about community issues
- Four times more members feel “very informed” about opportunities to get involved locally
- Ten times more members feel “very informed” about neighbors’ views on local issues
FPF helps people get involved locally and build community. Since joining FPF…
- 10% more members intentionally “buy local” monthly (now 73% of members)
- 15% more members perform local volunteer work monthly
- 33% more members contact local public officials monthly
- 33% more members work to make change in their local community monthly
- 38% more members attend local public meetings monthly
- 43% more members attend local events monthly
- 89% of members have recommended FPF to someone
- 98% of members say that FPF helps their local economy (businesses find customers and new employees, neighbors save money, etc.)
Compelling one-day conference Sept. 23…
Registration just opened for…
Vermont Connected: Envisioning the Future of Vermont’s Digital Economy
Tuesday, September 23, at the Vermont State House in Montpelier.
Vermont Connected will be the culmination of the work of the Vermont Digital Economy Project, looking forward to Vermont’s future and sharing recent lessons learned from helping small businesses, nonprofits and towns in Vermont to effectively use digital tools. Tracks include:
- Educating for a Digital World
- K-12 and Beyond
- Bridging the Digital Divide
- Building Effective Organizations
- For Nonprofits
- For Small Businesses
- Creating Resilient Communities
- Open Data in Government and Beyond
- Resilience through Engagement
- Steering Vermont’s Digital Future
- Vermont’s Technology Industry
- The Creative Economy
Learn more and register today!
Front Porch Forum is one of many participating organizations.
Neighbors addressing Vermont unemployment…
Posted to the Windsor FPF by Tracey this week…
Dear Community – About a month ago, I posted an ad on our Front Porch Forum asking for a few hours of help with my project. Thanks to the Forum and the nice folks at the Windsor Library who saw the post, I got connected with Todd…
Todd has proven himself to be reliable, honest, and hardworking. We decided to ask him to stay on help us with the project, which includes yard work, demolition, carpentry, drywalling, painting, heavy lifting, etc. I’ve been really thankful to have been connected with Todd. He shows up for work every morning, and always early. He’s hardworking, is attentive to details, has neat habits and always puts things away, learns quickly, is willing to listen, can work independently, is a creative problem solver, is cost conscious, considerate, communicative, and this list continues.
I don’t understand how a capable worker like Todd has been unable to find employment, shelter, and a means to support himself. If anyone were to deserve a break, it would be Todd. He has a bike, but does not have a car. That has proven to be a huge obstacle in finding a job. However, without employment, I don’t see how he could afford a car.
Our project will end this week. By posting to the Windsor FPF again, I wish that Todd may be connected with other job opportunities, and find safe shelter where he could exchange chores for low rent. Please contact me and I’d be happy to show you the work he has done. Please contact Todd if you have a job or housing lead.
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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