social capital | Ghost of Midnight

Widening the circle of community

Posted on Sunday, December 7, 2008 by Michael • Comments are off for this post

Sometimes people use Front Porch Forum to stir up a sense of community where little existed before. Other times it’s used in an area with well-established connectedness and mutual support to bring even more neighbors into the circle.

Heidi posted to her neighbors via FPF today…

We will be putting together and delivering the holiday boxes on Sunday.

You are invited to help!

Because we have always had such a generous abundance of donations, we have the resources to be sure that we cover anyone in our community who may be in need… Please remember, while many of us have jobs and/or steady incomes, several places have had lay-offs… and this has impacted people in our town.

Now about charity. The boxes are a gift from the community and we give them in this spirit. I speak from experience. Sixteen years ago in October, my husband was laid off from his job of almost 20 years. We had three boys, ages 3, 2, and under 1. To say it was a blow would be an understatement. He was also laid-up with hernia surgery. A car came up the driveway and two members of the fire department brought us a large box of food. We were astonished and a bit embarrassed. And so moved. We knew who was behind this and we were grateful for her work on the boxes and the kindness that was shown to our family. We also knew that our situation would change and that this was a gift.

Back to 2008…

And she goes on to describe what’s needed and how to participate. Wow… what a priveledge for Front Porch Forum to be part of this incredible tradition. We’re humbled… a great start to the holiday season.

Community More Powerful Than Locks!

Posted on Wednesday, November 26, 2008 by Michael • Comments are off for this post

On the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday, Hilary just posted the following to Front Porch Forum in Burlington’s Old North End…

Community More Powerful Than Locks!

Hi folks – With all this talk about bike theft, thought it would be a good time to share with you that my bike, which I reported stolen about a month ago, was spotted by a friend and successfully returned to me! I’d also like to share how super supportive this community was in response–I received over 10 offers to borrow or keep spare bikes. I feel very, very, fortunate to live here, and appreciate the ways we work together. Thanks to everyone!

Another great example of how many of us are surrounded by inherrent goodwill. Regrettably, it mostly goes unnoticed and untapped. Front Porch Forum is in a privileged position… to be able to help people help their previously anonymous and unknown neighbors… it’s hard to describe the impact of these small gestures as they accumulate.

Citizen Engagement and Economic Growth

Posted on Monday, November 24, 2008 by Michael • 1 comment

From a Knight Foundation blog today…

Soul of the Community (SOTC) is a three-year study conducted by Gallup of the 26 Knight Foundation communities across the United States focusing on the emotional side of the connection between residents and their communities.

In its first year, the study compared residents’ engagement level to the GDP growth in the 26 communities over the past five years. The findings (overall report, reports by community) show a significant correlation between community-citizen engagement and the economic growth.

A Beautiful Gesture… Happy Thanksgiving

Posted on Friday, November 21, 2008 by Michael • Comments are off for this post

Jess posted the following today to her 400-household neighborhood via Front Porch Forum…

ROOM AT OUR TABLE
Hi Neighbors – Did you forget to make plans for Thanksgiving? Plans fall through? Looking at a boring/lonely turkey sandwich? Have a friend in such a situation? Please consider joining us. We have a few (1-3) extra seats at our cozy table, a big turkey, lots of other yummy dishes, and a lot of friendship to share. Kids welcome.

Please join us in celebrating this season of blessings and renewal…give me a call or email…

We see so many wonderful postings flow through FPF that I get inurred… but this one gave me pause… what a beautiful gesture. Happy Thanksgiving Jessica and family.

And the posting from her neighbor that came through at the same time made me smile…

QUAIL EGGS FOR SALE
My hens are laying more than I can eat! The cost is $3 for 9 eggs. The eggs are organic and local and they make a great addition to any dish… especially for Thanksgiving!

Easy communication among neighbors a right?

Posted on Wednesday, November 19, 2008 by Michael • Comments are off for this post

John Wonderlich at Sunlight Foundation quotes Steven Clift today…

When I was a child and my father had cancer, I remember neighbors coming to our assistance in our time of need. Today, with modern life keeping neighbors as strangers, we must use these new tools to break down barriers to community. You deserve the right to easily e-mail your immediate neighbors the morning after you’ve been burglarized without having to go door-to-door to collect e-mail addresses. We can balance safety and privacy with selective public disclosure of such personal contact information with an intelligent “unlisted to most” directory option that is not the all or nothing of today.

This is big “C” community and small “d” democracy. A collection of better-connected blocks, tied to broader neighborhood and community-wide online efforts will serve as the vibrant foundation we need for accountable and effective representative democracy right up to the Congress and president. You cannot force everyone to be neighborly, but the bonds of community can be restored and nurtured despite dual income families and the assault on time for community involvement.

Right on. We’re honored that they both mention Front Porch Forum. And thanks to The Pulse from the Knight Foundation for pointing me to this post.

Online tools to help local communities

Posted on Saturday, November 15, 2008 by Michael • Comments are off for this post

Matt, on the LocalMouth blog, writes recently…

Personally, I think there’s great potential for simple online tools to bring local communities more closely together. It may be a struggle at the start to get together a critical mass of neighbours, and it may need a liberal dash of coaxing, but once you’ve got the ball rolling, people’s natural desire to communicate with others should take care of the rest. Good stuff will happen. ‘Good’ won’t always mean that people get along well or that arguments won’t take place. Far from it. When people are talking about stuff that matters, conversations are bound to get heated at times, and that’s where the delicate job of moderation comes in. But generally, I think, more communication between local people can be a very positive thing.

Right on! He goes on to list several UK websites that each focus in a different way on their local community… and Front Porch Forum.

I look forward to checking out the local sites he mentions. Thanks Matt!

Election season swamping FPF…

Posted on Monday, November 3, 2008 by Michael • Comments are off for this post

I, for one, am looking forward to November 5… that’s right, the day AFTER the big election. Front Porch Forum has been swamped with postings from citizens and elected officials alike… advocating for and against candidates and ballot measures. The State Rep. race in Chittenden 3-04, the police station building site in South Burlington and on and on.

And I know I’m not alone. Many of our subscribers love the political back and forth, while others are clearly fed up and ready to move on. I got a lovely note today from an FPF member in South Burlington that was a pleasant surprise…

The other day, I decided to resist posting my emotional response to [a City Councilor’s] posting re. a police station on the Calkins Natural Area. I was very angry, feeling that [he] misused a position of power to promote something that is very politically controversial. I had considered using the FPF in the same way and decided that my neighborhood forum is a “place” for me to share and gather information on topics or issues that relate to our neighborhood and it isn’t a “place” for me to lobby my neighbors for one position or another. (Even though, our neighborhood probably has the most to lose on this specific topic.) And… since [his] posting is out there, I may very well post my position, too.

Anyway, I want to say thank you for your commitment to FPF and what it provides all of us. It is almost impossible in this era, to build a sense of “neighborliness”. I’ve lived in my neighborhood for over 14 years and the FPF has introduced me to neighbors I would otherwise never know.

Sometimes, when we have responsibility for providing or “facilitating” a service and we have negative reactions to the facilitation, we wonder if it’s appreciated. I want to tell you, it is.

Thank you for facilitating our ability to being good neighbors.

Don’t forget to vote on November 4!

Neighbors step up for lost puppy

Posted on Thursday, October 30, 2008 by Michael • Comments are off for this post

I was glad to read on an FPF neighborhood forum in Burlington’s New North End that woman who had found a lost puppy had found the owners. Good news!

I did get a lot of responses offering help [from my Front Porch Forum posting]. Many people offered to take the dog in until the owner was found, others offered to help put up notices in the neighborhood and others gave support by offering food and such to help me while I looked for the owner. Using the front porch forum really brought the community together for a small little dog, that I truly fell in love with in just over 24 hours. Thanks.

It’s a little thing… one tiny lost pup… but this kind of event, played out over and over starts to make a real change in a neighborhood… starts to enhance the sense of community, build the lines of communication, show what’s possible.

Making good neighborhoods better

Posted on Friday, October 24, 2008 by Michael • Comments are off for this post

Sometimes I wonder if Front Porch Forum’s service is a good fit for a neighborhood that is already tight-knit… if everyone already seems to know one another, why would they need FPF? So the comment from Becky today regarding her neighborhood in South Burlington, VT, was especially appreciated…

I know I speak for many in our neighborhood when I say that your service has brought us closer as a community. We do have a special place here… and we can now communicate through your great site.

Knight News Challenge 2009!

Posted on Friday, October 17, 2008 by Michael • Comments are off for this post

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is opening up the third round of its News Challenge.

We’re giving away around $5 million in 2009 for the development and distribution of neighborhood and community-focused projects, services, and programs.

If you have a great idea that will improve local online news, deepen community engagement, bring Web 2.0 tools to local neighborhoods, develop publishing platforms and standards to support local conversations or innovate how we visualize, experience or interact with information, we’d like to see it! You have the opportunity to win funding for your project and support within a vibrant community of media, tech, and community-oriented people who want to improve the world.

Deadline Nov. 1, 2008. The good folks at Knight have a hand in so many great projects that it’s tough to keep track. We’ll be submitting an application to take Front Porch Forum to the next level… the two paragraphs above describe FPF to a tee. We were honored previously this year to be involved in a couple Knight initiatives.

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