Category Archives: Social Networking

Dog Story with Happy Ending

Posted on Sunday, October 7, 2007 by • No comments yet

Mary writes to her neighbors this evening…

I would just like to pass along a little success story relating to the Front Porch Forum.  On Sept 27th a notice was posted on the Westford Forum about a dog who needed a new home.  Thanks to that posting, we now have a new addition to our family and “Toby” has a great big ole yard to run/bark around in. My special thanks goes out to Mark who posted the notice on the forum.

I was curious, so I checked the archive for Mark’s original posting…

Hi, A friend of a friend who lives in Boston has to find a new home for their dog. The dog, Toby, is a 2 year old Great Pyraneese ( a big white fluffy dog). The problem is that the dog just barks all day when they are gone, not a problem in most Vermont neighborhoods, but it is in most Boston neighborhoods. Let me know if you are interested. She is willing to make the drive for the right home. I can send the email with a picture. I’d take himself but I already have 3 dogs. Thanks.

Social Exclusion and the Internet

Posted on Sunday, October 7, 2007 by • No comments yet

Kevin Harris has an interesting posting this week about people who are socially excluded/isolated in life and how they carry on online. Does online social networking help bring the most excluded of people into community?

Family in Need turns to Neighbors

Posted on Friday, October 5, 2007 by • No comments yet

A mother displayed courage today in asking for help from her South Williston neighbors via Front Porch Forum. Her neighborhood forum is not very populated yet, so I’m not confident she’ll get the help needed. If you’re interested in getting this job done please contact me (use the Contact FPF form) and I’ll make the connection.

Dear Neighbors – We have recently purchased 35 panels of 6’x6′ vinyl fence (180′) to install in our back yard.

We purchased it to protect our 5 year old daughter from being hit by a car or getting lost and not finding her way back home. People drive 40 miles an hour or more… alongside our property.

Our 5 year old, has Down syndrome. She is delayed in speech and currently has no concept of danger and/or the damage that can occur if she does not stop, look, and listen when she gets to the edge of our yard or driveway. She is adventurous and likes to wander away from the yard to “visit” the neighbors. The problem is that she cannot give you her name, address or phone number, other than, “Hi. I Nana Joy. What your name?”

Several landscapers have told us that they are not available until November. We have had two people come to quote the job for us. Only one got back to us with a quote. We have tried unsuccessfully over the last two weeks to get in touch with him to install it. It is important that we get it installed before the ground freezes. The fence has been here for 3 weeks and is still not installed. As a mother, this is a source of frustration for me. I cannot leave [her] in the care of her 8 year old sister to help my husband install this fence or it would be installed already.

We are looking for help in installing it from a couple of people who have installed similar fencing. If any of you are available to help us or know of anyone who is available to do the job, please call us. We would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you and God bless.

Neighbors pitch in to find lost dog

Posted on Thursday, October 4, 2007 by • No comments yet

A happy ending from Jen in Hinesburg…

Due to the wonderful response from this community forum & the word-of-mouth of you all, today I got my dog back! Daisy Mae was gone for nearly three weeks when I got a call Monday night that someone had finally seen her! It’s been three days of trying to search that area & time it right of me being there when she was, but today around Noon, we were finally successful. I had really almost given up to be honest since she was gone so long, but I cannot tell you all how grateful I am for your watchful eyes & kindness. Daisy has lost a lot of weight in the past three weeks, but she is otherwise healthy & VERY glad to be home. Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts!

Bike “Borrowing” Binge Barrages Burlington

Posted on Thursday, October 4, 2007 by • No comments yet

Gail writes today from the ONE West Neighborhood Forum in Burlington, VT…

I have a friend in the New North End whose back yard is right next to an entrance to the bike path.  Every weekend she ends up with several bikes of all shapes and sizes in her yard.  It seems that the new teenager thing is to “borrow” a bike to get around town, and then dump it where ever it’s convenient.  I once heard of a government program in Norway I think, with bright yellow bikes parked all over town for people to use to get around town.  This Burlington bike borrowing is the same thing, only on a criminal scale.  The police are aware – but honestly, what can they do about it?  The kids who are taking the bikes don’t think there’s anything wrong with it because they don’t keep them, just borrow them.  (Tell that to a devastated 6 year old whose bike is missing!)   I’ve also ended up with at least 7 mystery bikes left in my driveway since last May – and had a few bikes stolen from my backyard.  It’s a bit of a quandary.

FPF “revolutionized neighborhood life in the 2000s”

Posted on Wednesday, October 3, 2007 by • No comments yet

We get lovely comments from happy members every day… I consider it part of the “benefits package” of working on this effort. Here’s what Stephanie on the South End of Burlington, VT just sent in…

What a wonderful idea Front Porch Forum is! It’s really revolutionized neighborhood life in the 2000s. I am very sorry for people who have no sense of community. I feel so much more connected to people, to our community, because of FPF. I hope that it catches on nationwide; seems like the whole country could use a little more community.

FPF Viral Message of the Day

Posted on Monday, October 1, 2007 by • No comments yet

The following message has been posted by Front Porch Forum members in a number of neighborhood forums today across Chittenden County. I rarely know how these things spread from one neighborhood forum to the next… but they do.

A friend of a friend found six puppies in a bag on the street and is trying to find homes for them. They are a black lab mix and absolutely adorable. Probably around 2 months old. They have been treated for fleas and worms. My organization, The Bubba Foundation may be able to provide assistance with the first trip to the vet and/or spaying/neutering.

If you would like to see a photo, please email. Please pass the word to anyone you know who may be looking for a puppy. Thanks!

UPDATE: Goods news from a Front Porch Forum member:

I’ve heard through my husband that all six of those puppies had been placed. Just wanted to let you all know.

UPDATE-IER: Dave, another FPF member just added…

The “PUPPIES LOOKING FOR HOMES” I’m almost certain is a hoax all… that same email spread like wildfire through my (large) company. Social Engineering at its finest, preying on CUTE and many folks kind hearts. A co-worker found a link to an Atlanta web site where, oddly enough, those exact same caged lab mix puppies were looking for a home. Sorry to all those with big hearts who were willing to help. The Humane Society of Greater Burlington can still put those kind hearts to use however!

UPDATE-IEST:   Okay, let’s go to snopes.com, the great urban myth debunker…

In September 2007 the following adoption appeal for black labrador puppies began circulating.

This appears to have been a genuine appeal that began as a Craigslist posting, but although the person whose name and phone number were listed on the earliest e-mailed versions has stated that all puppies have since been adopted, the same message and picture continue to be forwarded with a number of different names, e-mail addresses, phone numbers, and locations now attached to them.

College kids take in refugee family; neighbors rally

Posted on Friday, September 28, 2007 by • No comments yet

I was moved when I read the following post by Therese on the ONE East Neighborhood Forum yesterday…

My neighbors have temporarily taken in a refugee family from Somalia who fell through the cracks during a resettlement move. The family landed in Burlington last night with only the clothes on their backs. There is a mom, dad and four kids. The boys are 2 and 5 and the girls are 8 and 10 and they are average size kids for their ages. My neighbors are college kids who have opened up their home to this family until they get into the system. Whatever vouchers, etc, that they are supposed to have….did not come through yet.

Regardless, they need some more clothes and we have done okay with the parents but need to get some children’s clothes and shoes. I gave them some stuffed animals but am sure toys would be helpful too. If you have anything in decent shape lying around that you don’t need in sizes that you think might fit these kids….would you be willing to donate it to them? We will give anything not needed or that does not fit to the Salvation Army or St. Vincent De Paul or anywhere else you might suggest that it could help people. If you have anything you want to donate please just leave it on the front porch. Thank you in advance for anything you donate. Peace to everyone!

So now today’s follow up really made my day…

When I posted last night asking for some clothes and toys for the Somalian refugee family I had no idea that people would be so incredibly generous!!! The response we received today was overwhelming. We have plenty of clothes and toys for them right now. In fact we will be bringing the extras to other refugees and to some local thrift store/charity places.

The college students who are putting them up said that the family will hopefully be moving into an apartment within a week or so and at that point they may need some more things for the house. I will post again if and when they inform me of specific items the family might need.

I wish everyone who donated things could have seen the looks on the children’s faces when we gave them the toys and clothes. Last night they were timid and scared and wearing clothes that did not fit. Tonight they were not scared, already learned some English (wow, kids can learn a language fast) and bewildered but happy. It was also important that they had some warmer clothes and now they do!!! Thanks to all of you who donated to help this family!!

In a neighborhood that has it struggles with irresponsible college students, the beautiful action taken by these UVM kids to help a family in need is wonderful. And I’m glad that their neighbors can see that through Front Porch Forum, and that so many folks are pitching in with clothes, toys, etc.

American Machine – Must See

Posted on Thursday, September 27, 2007 by • No comments yet

Front Porch Forum is about people connecting with their neighbors and getting involved in their neighborhoods. That involvement ranges from organizing a blow-out block party, to watering the next door neighbor’s plants when she’s away, to just becoming aware of a spate of bicycle thefts on the street. All that tuning in adds up to a heightened sense of community within the neighborhood… a simple and powerful thing.

Which brings me to American Machine, the new play created by local artist Jim Lantz. Jim has done a rare thing… he’s written, produced, and directed this show on his own… with a great team of people around him, but not housed within some larger organization. He’s taken the creative, career AND financial risks.

In doing this, he’s offering all folks local to the Burlington area a chance to tune in and get involved in local arts and national political discourse.

It’s simple, if you want to live in a place that has this kind of creative economy coursing through it, then you need to turn out, buy tickets, and take in the play. The show is clearly an artistic success. Now it’s up to local residents to make it a financial success by filling the seats. Get tickets here (show runs through Oct. 7, 2007).

To the play… my wife and I attended tonight’s performance with friends. While Front Porch Forum is a sponsor of the play and American Machine advertised in FPF, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I thought it might be lean toward a heavy-handed political piece… not at all.

Simply, I was enthralled. The production grabbed my attention and kept it the whole show. The six characters, their stories and their relationships all rang true, even when the drama flared. I know I’ll be thinking of the characters for some time, wondering what comes next for them. And the political message struck me as timeless, not about policy minutia.

I look forward to discussing the play with neighbors out on the sidewalk in the coming days… lots to mull over.

One last idea for locals… post a message about American Machine on your FPF neighborhood forum… help spread the word and build local community! Here are some details.

Local Online Start-Up Funding and a Prize Winner

Posted on Wednesday, September 26, 2007 by • No comments yet

A couple interesting posts by Peter Krasilovsky today.  First, funding levels for several start-ups with a local focus…

Belated congratulations to our friend Sebastien Provencher and his Praized Media team for getting $1 million from Garage Ventures Technology Canada… you can do a lot with $1 million. You can hire key staff, pay salaries, build software, do some PR, travel (and hire consulting firms). In fact, a number of firms have recently landed deals for $1 million or so….like Outside.in ($900k) and City Voter ($1.1 million). Boston’s City Squares is also apparently funded at this level. And if you haven’t been on the site lately, it is building nicely.

A couple of years ago, the “must have” amount for a startup was more like $3 million. Smalltown, Backfence and others got the larger amount (or said they did). I never could figure out what they needed that much for.

And a story about a local citizen journalism site succeeding in New Hampshire…

At first, there was no news coverage for the 15,000 residents of a central coastal New Hampshire area including the little villages of Deerfield, Candia, Northwoods and Nottingham. Manchester’s Union Leader, a family-owned paper that is fairly notorious for its politically-charged, NH primary coverage every four years, basically ignored the area.

But then three years ago, the residents started their own news site and called it The Forum. Today, the site, a recipient of the 2007 Knight Batten Awards for Innovations in Journalism has 240 contributors, sells ads to local businesses, and even publishes an occasional print edition on special occasions… the site has an 1.6 “reporters” for every 100 residents.

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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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