Category Archives: Social Media
Yahoo! Local invests in redesign
As noted by Mike Boland and Peter Krasilovsky today, Yahoo! Local just rolled out its first redesign in two years with a focus on user-generated content. I know this is a big deal and involves huge sums of money, advertisers and visitors… but I’ve never had anyone tell me that they use this service… an arbitrary measure, but one that’s hard for me to shake. Peter K. compares it to an Oldsmobile… and I guess I’ve never had anyone crow about their Oldsmobile to me either… solid, always there.
Does GM still make Oldsmobiles?
UPDATE: Some more reviews of Yahoo! Local’s changes. First, eNeighbors does a good job sussing out Yahoo’s potential to get neighbors providing content to each other. Here’s someone echoing what we’ve been finding with Front Porch Forum.
And Greg Sterling weighs in… interesting comments to his post.
“Next Big Internet Thing?”
Pramit Singh ponders “the next big internet thing” today from New Delhi…
After the blogging, user-generated content, Citizen Journalism, Youtube, Del.icio.us, Digg, I am tempted to believe that nothing new, exciting and useful has come on to the scene and that this is a phase of consolidation and rejiggling of business models….
While Backfence failed to bring Citizen Journalism to every town USA, others like Front Porch Forum, iBrattleboro, Topix.com, New Assignment and Assignment Zero (which is now over) took CitiJ to new levels.The Knight 21st Century News Challenge promises to support better news innovations and we will be better for them.
It’s amazing to see FPF’s humble efforts begin to register on “what’s next on the web” postings.
Essex Reporter tells FPF story
Joyce Carroll wrote a wonderful article about how neighborhoods are using Front Porch Forum for this week’s Essex Reporter.
When Henry, a six-toed marmalade tabby cat with a penchant for adventure, wandered off last Halloween, his owner did not have to resort to posting flyers around the neighborhood. Instead, Sue McCormack turned to her neighbors via the Front Porch Forum.
McCormack, a member of the Maple Street Forum, is one of hundreds of Essex and Essex Junction residents who take advantage of this service. The forum aims to recapture the days when advice was traded over backyard fences, and recipes were shared during visits to the neighbor’s front porch.
Julie Miller-Johnson, who spearheaded the Countryside Front Porch Forum, said 132 members, about half of the neighborhood, have joined the service. Their forum is active, she said, with postings coming through every couple of days.
In some cases, the forum has become a way to reach out to those in need. Miller-Johnson recalled a fire in the neighborhood this past winter. Neighbors, she said, were actively communicating about ways in which to help the family.
“We’re not a front porch society anymore,” she said, adding, “The forum changed the way this neighborhood feels. People talk to each other.”
NY Times asks about social networking
The New York Times website today asks readers about what online social networking services they use and how. I see one Front Porch Forum mention in the comments already… thanks Julie!
National Night Out Award for FPF
South Burlington’s National Night Out celebration seemed a great hit today. I know our kids had a great time. And it was a real honor to accept the event’s community award on behalf of thousands of local folks who are using Front Porch Forum to build community within their own neighborhoods. (See here and here for past postings about this event and award.)
And here are a couple photos of us (Michael and Valerie) accepting the award from Vermont Governor Jim Douglas (top) and Police Chief Trevor Whipple and Sgt. Tom Fraga.
Thanks to all these folks for the recognition!
Like this blog? Attend the workshop!
I’ll be leading a workshop at the COMMUNITYMATTERS07 conference in Burlington, VT, Oct. 23, 2007. About the conference…
COMMUNITYMATTERS07 is the next annual gathering of the Orton Family Foundation and PlaceMatters, where a national network of practitioners comes together to learn, share, inspire and seed innovation in place, collectively elevating the art and science of planning for vibrant, sustainable communities.
Virtual Neighborhood: Building Local Community Online
Community does indeed matter. And virtual online connections are creating and enhancing real communities. This workshop will examine Front Porch Forum and other online services that foster community at the neighborhood level. Participants will investigate trends in social networking, local online and community building at the neighborhood level… and their intersection. These topics are examined in depth at http://frontporchforum.com/blog
Flickr gets social networking right?
An interesting piece on MediaShift by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo…
With the plethora of social networking sites, it’s easy to come to the quick conclusion that what we are doing on these sites — chatting up strangers, lurking on people’s profiles, spying on friends — is just a waste of time. But there is one site that is more than just an unhealthy habit: Photo-sharing site Flickr
is a photography school, art gallery and a sandbox for experimentation. On Flickr, bad photographers get schooled, mediocre ones get better and some even rise to the top as stars — all supported by an immense, and sometimes intimate, international community.
When Flickr founders Caterina Fake and Stewart Butterfield launched Flickr in 2004
The opening — much online social networking is a waste of time — caught my attention as a view shared by many folks I know, but seldom seen online or mentioned by Web 2.0 cheerleaders. I know some folks who are gaga over Flickr for just the reasons outlined by MediaShift. Read the full piece.
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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