New_ Public’s Eli Pariser Delivers a Speech at the Vatican Featuring Front Porch Forum
Eli Pariser is an author, activist, and entrepreneur focused on how to make technology and media serve democracy. He helped lead MoveOn.org, co-founded Upworthy, wrote “The Filter Bubble,” and is currently Co-Director of New_ Public. He has highlighted Front Porch Forum in numerous pieces and conversations, shining a light on its ability to lead to healthier communities thanks to its intentional design.
You can imagine our surprise – and delight – when he delivered a powerful speech to an audience that included Pope Francis at the Vatican’s Jubilee of the World of Communications – and put Front Porch Forum at the heart of his argument for “why we shouldn’t give up on the Internet.”
Here’s a highlight:
In Vermont, a small state in the northeast of the United States, people use Facebook and TikTok but town conversation mostly doesn’t happen there. They have something more like an actual digital town square — a home-grown social network called Front Porch Forum built specifically for the purpose of allowing towns to have good discussions.
Front Porch Forum has never taken venture capital and isn’t seeking to make a ton of money from advertisers. In fact, it’s a public benefit corporation that is not intended to make more money than is required to sustain itself. It’s always been built not for advertisers but to serve communities in Vermont first. And as a result, it can do conversations differently.
Because it doesn’t need to worry primarily about advertisers or engagement, instead of optimizing for the most posts possible, FPF optimizes for thoughtfulness — by updating only once a day. It’s a bold statement that says: slow down. Think about what you’re saying. And say something meaningful. And among other things, it makes having a flame war really arduous, because you have to be willing to carry it on for days at a time.
One of the things that FPF shows us is that these aren’t places we need to spend a lot of time for them to change us and foster stronger communities.
In our offline lives, places of worship are a great example of this: Even among the faithful, there are few that spend a large proportion of our time literally inside a church or synagogue or mosque or temple. But the parts of us that are nourished by these spaces remain fortified when we leave.
The same is true of the digital public spaces — we don’t need to vanquish Meta or TikTok entirely to make digital space building worth doing. People use Instagram in Vermont too… but FPF adds to their lives.
Front Porch Forum also puts its money where its mouth is when it comes to stewardship — in fact, while only a tiny fraction of people at TikTok or Meta work as moderators, at the 40-person organization of Front Porch Forum, half of the employees are paid moderators.
With this ratio of stewards to content, every single message can be read before it reaches everyone else to make sure it conforms to the very clear and thoughtful set of norms that have been co-developed over 20 years with community members. And when messages don’t — which happens sometimes — they don’t just disappear. Instead, you get a friendly note from one of the stewards asking you to phrase things differently.
And so, conversation goes better. People know their neighbors better. Communities are healthier. We conducted survey research on Front Porch Forum’s impact and found that not only did people across the political spectrum and across demographics like it much more than Facebook or Nextdoor, they also got more involved in the life of their town and were more committed neighbors as a result.
Of course, Front Porch Forum only exists in one small state in the United States. In most places around the country and the globe, these local conversations happen in forums like Facebook Groups and Nextdoor that are much less well designed for this purpose. But at New_ Public, the nonprofit R&D lab I run, we think Front Porch Forum is on to something big.
Read all about the experience in this New_ Public blog post.
Read the speech in its entirety here.
Watch and listen to Eli’s address (the bit about Front Porch Forum can be found at the 32-minute mark)
Front Porch Forum is a place where neighbors can come together to discuss anything from local happenings to lost and found items. As this FPF member shares, don’t be afraid to check with your neighbors if you need help with something!
“…even as organizations, we still often find ourselves stuck between a rock and a hard place when communicating what we have or what we need with others; sometimes we don’t want to bug other organizations, and sometimes we worry by offering something, we’ll get ourselves in trouble.
One of the most powerful things about FPF is that it offers a comfortable place for folks to cast out requests to the community — I’ve never heard of anyone get ridiculed for casting hope by dropping their two cents — and when they do, it becomes a lot easier for folks like me to try and help. Some of us are good at making masks, some are good at fixing laptops, some are good at organizing shopping trips for our immunocompromised neighbors — but knowing is half the battle.
Please don’t hesitate to cast a coin into our proverbial wishing well! The community is here to hear you out. Whether you need something or whether you know that your organization needs something, it’s never selfish to ask and see what’s available, especially since more aid could be provided through our community if more people hear more specialized requests. (E.g.: I can’t justify gearing up to go unpack trucks at a food bank, but I know if I spend that time working instead on laptops, the community can get more utility out of it — if only I know who needs them.)” • Martin in South Burlington, Vt.
Cast your coin into the proverbial wishing well today on FPF!
Vermonters and Upstate New Yorkers are turning to their local FPF to share information and mobilize efforts to help their neighbors prepare for COVID-19. Keep an eye out for new information from your local public officials, updates on area events and business practices, and keep in touch with your neighbors to see how you can help each other to be resilient during this time.
Here are how some neighbors are reaching out in light of COVID-19:
“Hi Neighbors,
We don’t know how much coronavirus is already in our community, but its time to be prepared.
Two of the most important things you can do are:
The 2nd point, self-isolation, can be a really big sacrifice.
I think I speak for our community when I say “thank you” in advance for doing this, and that we want to support you in doing the right thing.
So please, if you need to self-isolate, reach out to your neighbors, through tools like FPF. Some things we might be able to provide for each other might include:
If you need to stay isolated @ home and there’s anything at all that might make it easier for you to do that, please don’t hesitate to ask your neighbors.” • Ben in Burlington, Vt.
“Hi, Richmond! Still very much hoping that this does not affect our town. However, if you or someone you know is self-quarantining due to concerns about coronavirus, your community is available to help several people have expressed interest in assisting with deliveries of groceries and other essentials.
In that case, please feel free to get in touch. If you know someone who needs assistance and doesn’t use email, they can reach me by phone.” • Jen in Richmond, Vt.
“Hey neighbors, let’s start using this group as a way to support each other during the coronavirus pandemic. Those of us who are able to provide assistance can let that be known (I can!). And, as voluntary and mandatory social distancing increases, folks who should stay home (anyone over 65, anyone with a compromised immune system, anyone showing signs of illness) can post here with questions or requests for assistance. Why not run a few errands for our neighbors, right? Let’s all take good care of each other.” • Kristen in Burlington, Vt.
Looking for information and resources to help prepare for COVID-19? See this informational video approved by the Vermont Department of Health:
Coronavirus PSA – open captions
Other resources on COVID-19:
Front Porch Forum is a free, local resource that can help neighbors to stay informed and band together. Don’t forget to check in to see how your community is working together to get ahead of COVID-19.
CCTV Executive Director, Lauren-Glenn Davitian, is joined by Front Porch Forum co-founder Michael Wood-Lewis in a new interview that takes a closer look at FPF. Find out more about the business’s mission, behind-the-scenes insights, expansion into upstate New York, and more!
You can watch this program on Channel 17/ Town Meeting Television, on Comcast Cable and Burlington Telecom at the following times:
1 Tuesday July 16, 6:30 PM
2 Wednesday July 17, 6:00 AM
3 Wednesday July 17, 12:00 PM
4 Monday July 22, 2:30 PM
You can also watch the program here:
Please join us at Front Porch Forum in actively opposing the proposal to gut federal net neutrality rules. Act now before it’s too late: https://www.battleforthenet.com/
Today in the United States we have a free and open internet. Our current net neutrality rules support innovation and give all businesses the opportunity to compete equally for consumers. With strong net neutrality protections, the internet is an open marketplace where any business can compete, allowing individuals to start companies easily, market their products across the country, and connect with customers anywhere worldwide.
Because of the open internet, Michael and his wife were able to start Front Porch Forum out of their spare bedroom in 2006. VTDigger.org, MealTrain.com, Localvore.com, Dealer.com and other successful digital Vermont businesses have similar stories. Because of net neutrality, consumers and businesses have unfettered access to one another, increasing competition and consumer choice.
Disastrously, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently released a draft order that would end this open commerce by repealing the current net neutrality rules and eliminating the protections that keep the internet free and open for America’s businesses and consumers.
Without these rules, internet service providers (e.g., Comcast) will be able to favor certain websites and e-businesses over others by putting some in fast lanes and slowing down or even blocking others. Businesses may have to pay a toll just to reach customers. This would put small and medium-sized businesses at a disadvantage and prevent innovative new ones from even getting off the ground. An internet without net neutrality protections would be the opposite of the open market, with a few powerful cable and phone companies picking winners and losers, instead of consumers.
For these reasons, Front Porch Forum supports net neutrality. Please join us in defending free-economy in the digital space by learning more and speaking up this week. Please check out the action steps outlined here:https://www.battleforthenet.com/ and http://verizonprotests.com/
And spread the word. Please encourage people you know in other states to contact their Congressional delegation immediately.
Thank you!
P.S. Portions of this statement come from a letter to the current FCC Chair from hundreds of tech businesses:
https://www.burlingtontelecom.com/bt-signs-fcc-letter-to-support-small-biz/
Vermonters are using FPF to seek and provide assistance. They rally together to support each other in times of need. Today we celebrate the wonderful example of the accomplishments possible by the folks in Westford!
Using Front Porch Forum to post to their neighbors, co-founders Lauren and Julia built a community asset that is still going strong today.
In November, 2007: “I just found out that Westford doesn’t currently have a foodshelf in operation. I’m very interested in starting one up again and am looking for some help. I’m doing research now on what tasks and costs are typically involved. Also on possible locations to host distribution and storage. It would probably only need to be open for two days or so toward the end of each month.
“Dear friends – A few days ago, I posted on our Front Porch Forum asking if anyone might be willing to share some fresh sage leaves with us — Jasmine and I were making food for friends and I’d run out of fresh leaves. I thought maybe one or two folks might be willing to help.
“Fifteen of you replied — several within minutes — offering to share your abundance with us. I’m sure that several more FPF readers have been thinking “oh, I need to email that guy about the sage plant!”
“It was really touching to see people reaching out with practical help.
“I’ve been feeling pretty despondent about the polarization I’ve seen in our nation over the last months and, particularly, the last week. It’s clear that we have a lot of reaching out to do, and a lot of working to understand each other, if we’re to get through the next parts of our nation’s history.
“I believe that connections between real people are absolutely critical to finding consensus and building resilience, and that those connections thrive in an atmosphere where people share and help each other.
“Thank you, friends, for reminding me that I live in one of those places.”
• Hollis, Burlington neighborhood FPF
“Thank you to the dozen or so neighbors who emailed personal notes of appreciation for my post on last week’s Really Big Thing that happened.
“I take Front Porch Forum literally for its ‘front porch-ness.’ So when a Really Big Thing happens — like a storm, crash, or national tragedy — the first place I want to go is the front porch. To look around the neighborhood and ask, ‘How’re you doing? Everybody in your house okay?’ And if possible, offer any solace or help.
“I understand why some folks wouldn’t want national politics on our local Front Porch Forum. But last Tuesday’s election left many in our community reeling.
“I think it’s important to recognize this and resist the urge to limit what can and cannot be said here. If for no other reason than to support our neighbors who might have been left feeling particularly vulnerable.”
• James, posted on a Burlington neighborhood FPF
Vermont Council on Rural Development featured Front Porch Forum as a Climate Economy Innovator recently. Here’s the story. This is part of VCRD’s impressive Vermont Climate Change Economy Initiative.
#OWS #BTV #VT – Thomas Meany writes about anthropologist David Graeber’s new book, DEBT: The First 5,000 Years, in this week’s NYT Book Review. Graeber, considered by some to be the “house theorist of Occupy Wall Street,” is gaining traction. From the review…
In 1925 the French anthropologist Marcel Mauss published his classic essay “The Gift,” which argued that contrary to the textbook account of primitive man merrily trading beaver pelts for wampum, no society was ever based on barter. The dominant practice for thousands of years was instead voluntary gift-giving, which created a binding sense of obligation between potentially hostile groups. To give a gift was not an act based on calculation, but on the refusal to calculate. In the societies Mauss studied most closely the Maori of New Zealand, the Haida of the Pacific Northwest people rejected the principles of economic self-interest in favor of arrangements where everyone was perpetually indebted to someone else.
“Perpetually indebted to someone else”… this sums up so much of what I love about my community life in Burlington, VT right now. We have a critical mass of people who willingly have jumped into debt with each other… not monetary debt, rather favor debt.
I was raised to value making my contribution to others while taking great pains to avoid accepting the same from others. So were lots of folks here. But that’s a recipe for setting yourself apart, for isolation. As my family has learned to accept favors from those around us, it’s made our contributions to others that much more meaningful and personal.
Now, through Front Porch Forum, MealTrain, our church, school, neighborhood and other means, we ask and offer favors daily from hundreds of friends, neighbors and acquaintances. Each request works against isolation and lays down another thread in the web of community that supports our life. This is a crucial asset… as much as our house, my job, the kids’ college savings.
My brother and his family are planning a holiday visit to see us in Vermont this month. We could all jam into our house, but I know they would sleep better if we had more space for the two families. Hotels are expensive and distant… B&Bs too. So, I put the word out to neighbors and got several offers of empty houses that we could use on our block. These neighbors are traveling out of state and are glad to share their home while they’re away. We’ve done this a dozen times over the past few years… offering or asking for empty-house guest lodging. Make that hundreds of times if we include other favors… meals, rides, tools, advice, kids stuff, labor, baby/pet sitting, on and on.
This is incredibly generous and trusting of all involved… but it’s also keeping each of us “perpetually indebted to our neighbors” in a way that makes our community stronger with each exchange.
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