Category Archives: Newspapers
Another Shout Out to FPF in NY Times
Thanks to Jill who just posted on the Craftsbury Forum:
“I just came across this New York Times article recognizing the great job Front Porch Forum is doing with keeping Vermonters connected. I know my family and I are grateful for the network it provides.”
Consider This Around Vermont Elections…
More neighbors are talking about voting, ballot issues, and local concerns in the weeks leading up to Town Meeting Day. New candidates and incumbents are sharing their platforms too. While some members say it can feel like a lot of content (often heated!), consider what this member in Springfield, VT, shared recently on her Front Porch Forum…
“While I’ve posted numerous times over the last couple of years looking for referrals for home improvement projects—and gotten great tips—how cool is it that FPF has become a place to learn about community issues and the people putting themselves out there to make a difference!“
“I don’t have time to call five different candidates to ask how they feel about one issue or another in Springfield schools. In a town without a newspaper, I appreciate the back and forth on FPF and opportunity to learn from the candidates themselves and from community members who support one person or another.” • Kelly in Springfield
See more examples of Vermonters appreciating FPF during election season.
Learn more about FPF Paid Campaign Postings here.
South Burlington neighbors shovel for a cause!
“Shoveling for a Cause”, picked up by the Burlington Free Press and in turn by the Weather Channel, began with a FPF neighbor wanting to make a difference.
“I had the Opportunity to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s at both a local and national platform. It took the Orchard Neighborhood to make that happen. Just wanted to say thank you to all involved.. Check out one of two interviews”
• Louis in South Burlington
“Americans who know their neighbors embrace stronger local news habits”
“A new study by Pew Research Center in association with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation reveals that, overall, the civically engaged are indeed more likely… to use and value local news.”
“Another sign of how connected one is to their local community is the extent to which a person knows their neighbors.”
Interest level in neighborhood news vs. international news?
How would you rank your interest in news, by proximity? International vs. national vs. local vs. neighborhood?
The results from a Pew study (below) jibe with what we often hear from Front Porch Forum members.
How to collect 145 bikes and 55 sewing machines in Vermont
From FPF member Joanne… Last week we held the 17th annual used bike and sewing machine collection for Pedals for Progress (Yep – PFP).
We’re a group of mostly former Peace Corps volunteers who hold this annual event to send practical technology to self-help projects on 4 continents. Since 1999, we’ve sent over 3,000 bikes and 150 sewing machines to partners in Vietnam, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Ghana, among others.
We do not have a budget for marketing (or for anything else) and we count on getting the word out through workplace bulletin boards, organizations, churches, etc. We always beg and hope for a little blurb in the Burlington Free Press. But our main focus this year was to ask friends to post a blurb on their Front Porch Forum. Our goal was to get it on at least 10 – 15 neighborhood/town forums in Chittenden County.
This year, not a word appeared in the Burlington Free Press. But we collected 145 bikes and 55 sewing machines! We asked – as we always do – how people heard about the opportunity to donate. And the single most frequent answer – by a long shot – was “My neighborhood Front Porch Forum.”
SO, PFP sends love and thanks to FPF. My husband and I are monthly FPF Supporting Members, and we encourage our friends and contacts to donate as well.
#THISisJournalism highlights Front Porch Forum
Andrew DeVigal & Mike Fancher report today…
It was a presentation months in the making.
Titled “T
HIS is Journalism,” the presentation carried enormous expectations as the ending plenary to our conference that asked that very question: What is Journalism? Luckily, we had help from many whose tweets illuminated emerging forms of journalism in unexpected places.
Earlier this year, the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication‘s (SOJC) Agora Journalism Center launched the #THISisJournalism social media campaign and website. #THISisJournalism is a collection of transformative projects that challenges our definition of journalism while also serving the functions of journalism to enhance public knowledge and enrich civic life…
They go on to share summaries of a many new online services that contribute to journalism today, including Front Porch Forum.
Vermont journalists turn to neighbors for story leads
Vermonters use their local Front Porch Forum to connect with neighbors, to engage local public officials, to see current offerings from local businesses, to hear of services from area nonprofits, and more.
Vermont journalists use FPF too. See some interesting news stories that started from or were informed by local FPF postings…
What’s Happening to Northfield’s Tabby Cats?
The Northfield News
Seen A Mysterious Helicopter Lately? Relax, It Was Seeding Cover Crop
Vermont Public Radio
Firewood scarce; events last winter affected the supply
Stowe Reporter
Heard on the Street: Route 12 to Get a Facelift
The Bridge (Montpelier)
Why It’s Hard to Find Firewood This Year
Seven Days
“We don’t need another newspaper, we have Front Porch Forum”
#VT – How fortunate we are in Bristol to have Front Porch Forum at our disposal. I certainly hope that someone is recording all these postings using some media that is not ephemeral (imagine if the Constitution had been recorded on 8 track?) as future generations may be able to use current Front Porch Forum postings the way our generations use the old Bristol Heralds- a view into a time gone by.
I was talking with a good friend the other day who had been considering starting up another newspaper that would deal with only local issues, much like the last several efforts to do the same but which all met an early demise. We don’t need another newspaper- we have Front Porch Forum which meets all those needs.
I just hope that future generations can enjoy this as much as we do and that they will be able to look back to our time and try to understand the issues that confront us in the same way that we use old publications in our quest to understand the issues of earlier times, and as George Santayana observed, “Those who cannot learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.”
Shared by Ted with his Bristol, Vermont, neighbors on their FPF today.
Reporter needs story? Listen to neighbors on FPF
#VT #BTV – In this week’s Seven Days (Vermont’s excellent free alt. weekly), I’ve already counted three stories that stem from postings made on various Front Porch Forums…
- Silvio’s Silver Lining (3:20 mark).. crime in Cambridge
- Weinberger Wants Year-Round Waterfront Action, But Some Neighbors Are Wary… Burlington politics
- UVM Sets Kill Traps for Dam-Building Beavers in Centennial Woods… wildlife controversy
And they’re not alone… ABC22/Fox44 local news covered a Burlington break-in via FPF this week, and the Burlington Free Press, VPR, WCAX, and many community newspaper frequently turn to FPF.
We love it. FPF helps local traditional media find story leads. And we help grow the audience for the stories that they report. We’ve heard many times from FPF members who rarely tuned into local news before signing up for their Front Porch Forums… and now they pay more attention to community issues. Strong and vibrant local media… it’s crucial for our democracy and we’re honored to play our role.
UPDATE: Just saw these tweets…
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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