Category Archives: Social Networking
Working toward peace & justice… from the ground up
If there is to be peace in the world,
there must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations,
there must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities,
there must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors,
there must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home,
there must be peace in the heart.
• Lao-Tse,
#602, Singing the Living Tradition, Unitarian Universalist Association
Working toward peace and justice… whether focused on nations, cities, neighborhoods, families or individuals… it’s all important and necessary. It seems that each level of work is required to support the levels that are closer to the ground. E.g., Front Porch Forum is focused on neighbors; however, we must also work with FPF members who do not have a certain amount of peace in the heart.
Budding farmer seeking stick shift lessons
Posted by Hillary this week on her Winooski Front Porch Forum…
Hey friends!
I’m new to the neighborhood — I’ve loved FPF since I joined… I’m hoping you can help me!
I’m a young farmer and am applying for my absolute dream job. I have made it to the 2nd round of interviews and just found out that I must know how to drive manual. And I don’t… yet. Hopefully that’s where you come in!
Would you mind helping me learn how to drive manual? I’m a quick study and understand the way a manual transmission works. I’ve used many tractors and am familiar with shifting and clutches… I’ve just never had the chance to learn!
I’d be happy to rent a manual transmission car if you don’t feel comfortable driving yours. I can offer lunch at Pingala (my favorite place!) or some beers for an hour or so of your time.
Hoping to hear from you! Thanks!!
What’s on your FPF?
Pumpkins and faith in humanity
Posted yesterday on the Centennial FPF by Todd…
1. Pumpkin stolen.
2. Angry dad submits somewhat snarky FPF posting about stolen pumpkin.
3. Good human emails angry dad that pumpkin found.
4. Pumpkin returns home.
5. Faith in humanity and Burlington restored!
Thanks Front Porch Forum and good human!!!
16,633 Recommendations, 11,498 Lost and Found Postings, and 3,572 Crime Reports and more Help Keep It Rolling
This past year, Front Porch Forum helped a LOT of Vermonters find plumbers and lost pets, and keep watch when prowlers roamed. Many neighbors have found FPF’s service invaluable. And… we need your help to keep it going strong.
Please become a Supporting Member today and help us reach this years $75,000 statewide goal. Contribute here:
http://frontporchforum.com/supporting-members
Neighbors use FPF to connect and build community in hundreds of ways… organizing block parties, reporting vandalism, finding snow removal help, rallying in the face of crisis, sharing Town Meeting info, and much more. As a member from Huntingtons FPF said, “To have this staggering amount of connectedness is invaluable. You are getting the bargain of your life.
We’re working hard to improve Front Porch Forum — now available in every Vermont town! — and we need your help to make it all happen. Each fall we pass the hat among FPF members asking for contributions to help provide this service.
Every dollar counts… whether it’s a few, or a hundred, it all adds up to make FPF vibrant in your community: http://frontporchforum.com/supporting-members
We also accept checks, payable to…
Front Porch Forum
PO Box 64781
Burlington, VT 05406-4781
Heartfelt thanks from the FPF team!
P.S. FPF is not a charity and contributions are not tax deductible. Ad sales to Vermont businesses cover part of our expenses, and your annual supporting-member contributions help close the gap.
Surveying neighbors made easy
A growing number of Vermonters are using their local Front Porch Forum to survey their neighbors about a wide variety of issues. From the Burlington Free Press this week…
Westford selectboard member Alex Weinhagen knows a thing or two about rural Vermont towns, but when he sent out a survey through Front Porch Forum to his Westford neighbors he got schooled.
This survey asked if potholes should be used as a speed deterrent. Seventy percent of respondents shot down the idea.
The online survey received 80 responses in less than 48 hours. Ninety-eight people responded total…
Generous East Montpelier neighbors donate Kindles for students
Judy posted on her East Montpelier FPF yesterday…
Thanks to the generous people on Front Porch Forum, I have 3 Kindles for my emerging middle school readers. This means a lot to them (and to me), as they are reading voraciously, but the books they’re enjoying are well below the reading level of their peers. And of course, they’re teased for their choices. Having Kindles means no one knows exactly what they’re reading, so they can read to their heart’s content at their level. Thank you from my students and from me!
Vermont’s Western Slopes Business Assn Q&A about Front Porch Forum
Thanks to the good people of the Western Slopes Business Association for inviting Front Porch Forum co-founder, Michael Wood-Lewis, to share some of our story. Check out the video clip from Mt. Mansfield Community TV…
WSBA Business Association Breakfast Meeting: Michael Wood-Lewis from Mt. Mansfield Community TV on Vimeo.
Baby spider plants and meeting neighbors in Morrisville
Yvette shared on the Morrisville FPF today…
I posted those baby spider plants on our Front Porch Forum yesterday and today? I got 7 “hits” with folks who were wanting to adopt them.They came and got them and carefully put them into their vehicles (one girl was on a bike) and took them home. Baby plants finding homes via the forum? You should be proud, FPF, for coming up with such a great plan for an online community bulletin board. Great service. Huge fan. Huge.
EveryBlock back at it with Comcast at the wheel
From the Washington Post today…
The cable giant Comcast is reviving the once-future of local online news, announcing on its corporate blog that it has expanded its relaunch of the news and social site EveryBlock to include its home city of Philadelphia, at the same time the company is digging into its potential nation-wide merger with Time Warner Cable.
“EveryBlock,” writes Comcast’s director of local media development Paul Wright, “is a personalized news feed that allows users to stay connected with neighbors, interact and share what’s happening on their block, and discover great content and information from around their area. The hyper-local site aggregates news, reviews, events, local blogs and other web content, civic data (like crime reports and 311 requests), as well as user-generated questions and comments, and packages it into a personalized feed for users.”
While the relaunch of EveryBlock Philly is new, Comcast revived the Chicago edition of the site in late January…
Friend of Front Porch Forum, Adrian Holovaty founded EveryBlock in 2007, and received Knight Foundation funding (as FPF did a couple years later). From the Post article…
Holovaty, in an e-mail, describes himself both pleased and doubtful. “I’ve enjoyed having EveryBlock back because it helps me know what’s happening in my neighborhood,” he says. “But I’m very skeptical about Comcast’s ability to maintain the site well. They’ve given a lot of lip service to putting resources into it, but behind the scenes they aren’t doing much moderation, resulting in off-topic discussions on the site. Plus, more broadly, they don’t have a vision for it.”
Before Adrian left EveryBlock, their Chicago site enjoyed great traction and engagement. It’s not clear if they can get that back… especially across many different metro areas.
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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