Category Archives: Politics
How do Vermonters prepare for Town Meeting Day decisions?
#BTV #VT – Increasingly, the answer to this question includes Front Porch Forum. Ninety Vermont towns are served by FPF and public officials, advocacy groups and voters alike use their FPF to share information, state opinions and encourage participation in local democracy. Occasionally an FPF will get heated in the days approaching Town Meeting… but that’s how community works. Ideally neighbors pull together and move the community forward after Town Meeting Day, regardless of which candidates and ballot measures prevail.
FPF is popping up in traditional media this week. Two recent front pages (one and two) of the Burlington Free Press mentioned FPF’s role in Town Meeting issues. And Seven Days quoted former City Councilor Ed Adrian today…
In a February 28 posting on Front Porch Forum, Adrian lodged five points of criticism against Bushor, including: “To the best of my knowledge, Sharon has never posted on FPF. Anything.”
Ed will be glad to know that Sharon posted a campaign-related item to her FPF today!
Campaigns, Businesses and Nonprofits put FPF to work
#BTV #VT – 45,000 Vermont households participate in their Front Porch Forum now. Use FPF advertising and campaign postings to place your message into neighborhood conversations.
“Front Porch Forum is the finest tool ever invented for speaking directly to your constituents, or to potential voters. It’s direct, it’s personal, and it’s increasingly powerful as more and more homes come online. Where I used it in my last election, my vote totals visibly increased, because it’s less a form of advertising and more a kind of conversation — and that’s the way we should be doing campaigns in Vermont.”
– Philip Baruth, Vermont Senate Majority Leader
“We just conducted a survey, seeking respondents through many local news channels. Our Front Porch Forum campaign outperformed every other link by a huge margin! So huge in fact, that we needed to retool our workflow to manage the high number of FPF-generated responses. Front Porch Forum is amazing! It will always be an integral part of our ongoing community outreach effort.”
– Cal Workman, Greater Burlington YMCA
“We book with FPF because we feel it’s a great, cost-effective way to reach local consumers who are actively engaged with their communities and looking to support local businesses/organizations.”
– Elisa Garcia-Rey, Karen Fahey Advertising
“There is no doubt that Front Porch Forum was immensely helpful in making this year’s conference our most successful event ever.”
– Charlie Brooks, 15th Annual Vermont Breast Cancer Conference
How Can FPF be Used in Coming Elections?
#BTV #VT – In response to recent questions about Front Porch Forum and the fall elections…
Yes, you are welcome to post your comments about the various races. Please keep them brief and civil! Front Porch Forum has a rich history of neighbor discussion about candidates and ballot measures.
For anyone running for office or involved in a campaign, we have a new option this year: the FPF Paid Campaign Posting. You can place your message alongside postings from neighbors in any group of FPFs in Vermont. You pick the neighborhoods/towns and the dates. Slots are limited — and once they’re gone, they’re gone. Contact info and details: http://bit.ly/FPF_PCP
Nearly 40,000 Vermonters subscribe to FPF now out of the 40% of the state that we cover.
For the fine print on FPF election use, see no. 19 of the FPF Terms of Use: http://frontporchforum.com/terms-of-use
The Aug. 28 primary is right around the corner!
Vermont’s digital future, social media, social responsibility, local politics…
#BTV #VT – Three compelling events over the next week in Burlington, Vermont…
May 7, 6 PM
#BTVMayor: How Social Media is Redefining Politics
Maglianero Cafe, 47 Maple Street
Front Porch Forum will be featured on the panel.
May 8
Vermont’s Digital Future Conference
Champlain College
FPF will be on the Connecting Communities panel.
May 15
VBSR 2012 Spring Conference – Creating Pathways for Vermont’s Next Business Generation
UVM Davis Center
FPF is proud to be a conference sponsor.
Making Vermont towns more transparent and engaged
#VT – As Front Porch Forum expands across Vermont, we occasionally run into local conflicts around transparency. In some cases it pits old guard town fathers and mothers who have run things their way for generations vs. citizens who want to know what’s going on, how decisions are being made, and how they might get involved.
Some local officials embrace the enhanced citizen interest that FPF can bring, while others resist or even reject it wholly. We had a selectboard and town manager withdraw from their town’s FPF in southern Vermont recently because their constituents were using their FPF to raise uncomfortable questions. They also decided to warn their public meetings at the last possible moment mandated by state law. In a different community, the town manager is taking a beating via FPF on local budget issues, but he tells me he’d much rather hear from his critics and be able to address their points — which he does via FPF — than not.
We see a similar pattern with citizens. Most see the value in more local discussion on the variety of topics that FPF engenders. But others grow frustrated when they read viewpoints that run counter to theirs… and unfortunately a small number quit. We see this from both the left and right of the political spectrum. We encourage folks not to retreat into their respective echo chambers, but to stay engaged with their neighbors. But it’s not simple or easy.
We’re eager to work with local public officials and citizens to help them get the most out of their FPF. We celebrate where this seems to be working well. We appreciate Jim, for example, for his FPF posting today…
Thanks to Front Porch Forum for making Hinesburg a more transparent town.
Can an online space remain vibrant and neighborly for years?
#VT – The lead up to Town Meeting Day each year in Vermont is a time for debate in many locales. In areas with active Front Porch Forums, this discussion starts earlier, involves more citizens, and provides access to more supporting materials.
And, it can bring more heat to the argument. Generally, FPF staff are hands off and let clearly identified neighbors debate as they like on our site. But we do step in when political points morph into personal attacks. We hold the posting and ask the writer to help us keep things civil and consider attacking the topic and not the neighbor. Often this does the trick, and the author thanks us for saving them the embarrassment of e-fisticuffs on the virtual town green.
But occasionally the anger that was directed at a neighbor swings full around to blast FPF staff. One of my colleagues compared it to working as a bouncer, trying to break up two fighting bar patrons… when suddenly the customers start pounding on the bouncer.
This happened the other day in Jericho. And, as usual, we stuck to our approach, stayed calm, and explained our approach. It didn’t go well… several nasty remarks were tossed our way. My colleague reported feeling anxious today then, when she spotted an incoming message from the troublemaker. But lo and behold, here’s what he had to say…
I wanted to take a moment to apologize for the tone of my emails earlier this week. I admit I was over reactive at what I perceived to be an unjustified censorship of my contribution to our forum’s conversation. I do understand the need to keep conversations civil and attempt to make them constructive. I really appreciate all the work you guys do to provide this important service to our communities and I am sorry to have been such a pain in the ass.
Success! What a champ to take the time to send his thoughtful note our way. Thanks to him who shall not be named.
Talking local politics…
#VT – Some public officials love Front Porch Forum, because it makes it much easier to communicate with their constituents. Others don’t care for it much at all… for the same reason.
Headed into Town Meeting Day, folks in one Vermont community have been asking selectboard candidates to speak up on their FPF and share their campaign platforms. In response, one candidate posted…
I hope you’ll vote for me on March 6th for… Selectboard. You can find out more about me and my positions [on my website]. Because I believe that Front Porch Forum is better suited to finding lost cats than it is to political debate, I invite you to contact me with questions or concerns by email or by phone…
Now today we heard from yet another citizen replying…
Front Porch Forum is so much more than a place to post about our “lost cats”. FPF is like your living room or a place at the dining room table where people can come and discuss whatever is on their minds. Yes, right now there are a lot of political things going on but that’s okay. Whether you are for or against something, everyone is given a chance to speak. Everyone’s opinion or points are important. The forum is a recycling center, a lost and found, a place to advertise your website (including politicians) and a place where people can come together on all levels, help one another, and find solutions. Thank you Front Porch Forum for being a part of our community.
Drawing a crowd to your FPF on Town Meeting Day…
Each neighborhood and town is unique… we can testify to that fact through our hosting of 170 different FPFs across Vermont.
While each place is different, they all get more value out of Front Porch Forum as more neighbors sign up.
Recruiting new FPF members on Town Meeting Day has proven a great way to boost your own FPF. Handing out flyers, passing around a sign-up sheet, speaking from the floor about your FPF during the meeting itself… we’ve heard of lots of successful approaches. In fact, Jeff just sent this note in today…
I would say FPF in Richmond has been a smashing success. My Town Energy Committee will have a table set up on Town Meeting Day. While FPF is a little off topic for our group, I see no reason why we can’t have flyers on our table… FPF has been a wonderful addition to our town and to the state.
How many people use FPF in Burlington?
#BTV #VT – More than 9,600 members are active in Front Porch Forum now in Burlington, out of the 16,000 households that comprise the city. In 2011, they shared 26,000 postings with their nearby neighbors via FPF. Amazingly, HALF of FPF members spoke up and contributed to their FPF neighborhood conversations. In one survey, 93% reported feeling “more civically engaged since joining FPF.” About 100 elected and appointed public officials participate too.
FPF is expanding beyond Burlington… we now serve one-third of Vermont. More than 32,000 members participate in rural areas, suburbs, and cities. Imagine this level of engagement in every part of Vermont and beyond! Let us know if you’d like to help bring FPF to your town (just enter your address on our home page and complete the form).
Three cheers for the tens of thousands FPF members in Vermont… and here’s to vibrant neighborhoods in 2012!
Marketers secretly tracking your every move?
Jeff Chester will explore the latest in personalized data targeting and how we can secure the future of democracy and human rights in the Internet era. Champlain College, Sept. 22, 2011, 7 PM. Share this poster (9-22-8x11poster):
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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