Category Archives: Make It Your Own Awards

Better than Craigslist, Cars.com and local daily?

Posted on Saturday, April 5, 2008 by • No comments yet

We hear this kind of thing all the time, but we seldom capture it in writing. Thanks Wolfgang!

“Just wanted to let you know that we sold our Minivan today to a neighbor through Front Porch Forum. We had more people expressing interest and more people showing up to look at the van who found out through the Forum than the combined interest generated by Burlington Free Press, Cars.com and Craigslist combined. Thanks!” -Wolfgang

Please vote for us! And help spread the word… one vote per email address.

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“Good, honest, respectful communication” among neighbors

Posted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 by • No comments yet

Andy and Carrie live in the same urban Burlington, VT neighborhood, but they don’t know each other. Carrie posted an item on their neighborhood’s Front Porch Forum and Andy took exception. He sent Carrie a note suggesting that she was out of bounds. Carrie asked me, as moderator, for an opinion. I thought her posting was fine, and she conveyed that back to Andy.

So, is this another story of snarky snipping in Web 2.0-land? Here’s the conclusion just received from Carrie…

“i couldn’t resist forwarding the e-mail [exchange]. it’s from the guy who has an issue with ‘out of neighborhood’ postings. we had some conflict, and now we both feel good about our connection. ALL BECAUSE OF YOUR FORUM! yeah, i know… ‘our’ forum. but you are the inspiration. good, honest, respectful communication is a beautiful thing to experience with neighbors. [emphasis added] thanks, michael.”

“yes, i voted! that’s cool.”

Thanks for sharing Carrie! -Michael

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Helping neighbors connect is newsworthy

Posted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 by • No comments yet

Front Porch Forum’s story of helping neighbors connect and build community is showing up in the media recently. Of note, Mark Glaser just published a lengthy piece at MediaShift on PBS.org., starting with…

“We are a society that lives more and more in our technology-induced bubbles. When we go outside, we wear an iPod; we talk on cell phones while driving. In urban areas, we might never meet our neighbors unless there’s a fire or earthquake. But can technology also help bring us together in our physical communities, and help us get to know our neighbors? Front Porch Forum (FPF) is making a valiant effort to do just that”

Hopefully, his readers will cast a vote for us! And help spread the word.

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Local News Coverage of FPF and MIYO

Posted on Saturday, March 29, 2008 by • No comments yet

Andy Potter of WCAX in Burlington, VT knows a good story when he sees one!

Please vote for us! And help spread the word… one vote per email address. Read/add comments.

Thanks Andy…

Spot Burlington Friends and Landmarks on Video

Posted on Friday, March 28, 2008 by • No comments yet

In the excitement around Front Porch Forum‘s selection for the big national Make It Your Own Awards, I neglected to share our new video clip! You can see it below, on YouTube, on the contest site, and on local access TV (schedules below)…

Special thanks to CCTV Channel 17 (Meghan O’Rourke, Sam Mayfield and Lauren-Glenn Davitian) and the dozens of local folks who appear in the clip.

RETN Channel 16 (more times forthcoming)

  • Sun, Mar 30 – 7 p.m.
  • Mon, Mar 31 – 7 a.m and 8:56 p.m. (right before our repeat airing of “Winter Soldier”)
  • Tue, Apr 1- 11 a.m., 8:00 p.m. and 12 a.m. (4/2)
  • Wed, Apr 2 – 8:59 a.m. (after Democracy NOW!), 2:58 p.m. and 8:56 p.m.
  • Thu, Apr 3 – 9 p.m.
  • Fri, Apr 4 – 9 a.m.
  • Sat, Apr 5 – 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.

CCTV Channel 17 (more times forthcoming)

  • Sat, Mar 29 – 6:33 PM
  • Sun, Mar 30 – 10:04 PM
  • Mon, Mar 31 – 3:04 AM, 9:04 AM, 3:04 PM

Please vote for us! And help spread the word… one vote per email address.

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Voters flocking to Make It Your Own Awards

Posted on Thursday, March 27, 2008 by • No comments yet

More and more people are voting online in the Make It Your Own Awards… hopefully lots of them casting one vote for Front Porch Forum. If you tried and the site failed, please try again using this simpler voting site.

More comments from voters…

  • “I voted. IT was a great site! A lot of really COOL stuff folks are doing. (They wouldn’t let me just vote for FPF – I tried! They REQUIRED I select three other orgz. So, of course I got sucked into investigating carefully the merits of each of the other props!! I actually downloaded 2 proposals from organizations from the site as a template to help me with mine that I’m writing!” -Rolla, innercity Baltimore school teacher
  • “I support Front Porch Forum because it brings local neighborhoods together. It allows people to communicate with their fellow neighbors quickly and conveniently.” -Tom in Vermont
  • “I’ve connected and been connected to such vital information for my city and neighborhood.” -Lisa speaking about Front Porch Forum in Vermont

Please vote and ask other to vote as well.

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Can the underdog win the vote?

Posted on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 by • 1 comment

Front Porch Forum is in tiny Vermont… we’re definitely the underdog in the Make It Your Own vote. But maybe we can pull off a miracle. We’re starting to hear from folks…

  • “Would like to vote and help you out–I think the fpf is the best thing since sliced bread–better even!” -Linda G.
  • “I want to thank you SO MUCH for the front porch forum. It has really helped bring us together.” -Sarah Jane W.
  • “… you’ve got my vote, we’ll pass it around to friends. Good luck.” Rich K.
  • “I just voted. It was an awesome experience to see FPF among other innovative national community programs!” -Nance N.
  • “i voted for you!  i’m actually a huge fan of front porch forum.  my neighborhood has a very active forum, and it’s my alternative to the local morning newspaper.  it was great to read the descriptions of the other wonderful community projects so that i could vote for three more.  it was hard to choose- they all sounded so good.”

Please help us continue and expand this work… vote today and spread the word!

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Neighbors Support Each Other thru Front Porch Forum

Posted on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 by • 1 comment

People use Front Porch Forum in lovely ways. The other day a proud mother shared the following with her neighbors…

“We are pleased to tell the community that [our son], an eight-year member of Huntington Troop 645, passed his Board of Review last week and is now an Eagle Scout.”

She provided some detail and showed great constraint in not bragging… just sharing really.

Well… she opened the flood gates and neighbors started flowing in with compliments about the Eagle Scout, as well as a sibling and the parents in general, e.g.,

“This is a wonderful accomplishment and one well deserved. I agree that [they] have done a wonderful job giving these great boys to our community. It gives me much hope for our future to know that there are boys like these in our world and contributing to our future generations. The welcoming smiles that these boys so readily share makes my day each time I cross paths with one of them. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

The mother weighed in one more time, a bit embarrassed, but clearly appreciative of her kids AND her neighbors.

It’s a privilege to have Front Porch Forum used in this way.

Please help us continue and expand this work… vote today and spread the word!

Read/add comments.

Craigslist bandits strip man’s home

Posted on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 by • No comments yet

Craigslist is a force of nature, an amazing thing. So is a tornado and a virtual funnel cloud hit Robert Salisbury in Oregon recently when someone posted a bogus ad on the local Craigslist saying he had suddenly moved away and everything on his property was free for the taking… even his horse.

As he drove toward his place he stopped multiple vehicles laden with his stuff and asked for it back… “no way” was the response. “Craigslist said it was free… end of discussion.” He’s working with the police and lawyers to sort through the aftermath now. As the Seattle Times reports…

Meanwhile, Salisbury could not even relax on his porch swing.

Someone took it.

This amazing tale illustrates one of many risks associated with using anonymous online services.

Front Porch Forum, on the other hand, is limited to conversation among clearly identified nearby neighbors.

Vote for us today!  And please spread the word about the Case Foundation funding contest.

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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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