Vermont | Ghost of Midnight

unofficial green-up was simple and quick to organize #VT

Posted on Monday, May 2, 2011 by Michael • No comments yet

Erin Kranichfeld wrote a great piece for Sunday’s #BTV Free Press. She opens with…

I’m not a Green Up Day organizer, and I never have been. And this year, there was no way: I had a previous engagement and just couldn’t do it.

But about two weeks ago, when the snow started melting in my neighborhood — around Hyde Street — I noticed a lot of really nasty trash everywhere. I decided to do something about it. I posted an appeal on Front Porch Forum and instantly got responses from about 10 people.

I didn’t have a plan; I didn’t have maps. I went out to the drug store and bought garbage bags and some latex gloves. About 12 people showed up that Saturday at the Hyde Street triangle. In three or four hours we covered streets between North Willard Avenue and Rose Street; along North Winooski Avenue down to Pearl Street.

We filled 24 big garbage bags with trash.

That’s great! Good for her and her neighbors. She also wrote…

Our unofficial green-up was such an easy thing to do; something I just decided at the spur of the moment. Obviously, it wasn’t something I could do on my own. But it was simple and quick to organize.

We hear this feedback again and again from people who use Front Porch Forum to pull people together — whether it’s for politics, helping someone in need, organizing a block party, getting potholes filled, or cleaning up the neighborhood — getting neighbors informed and organized is much easier once FPF arrives and is embraced.

Flooding brings out the best in #VT neighbors

Posted on Sunday, May 1, 2011 by Michael • No comments yet

Dear Neighbors: My husband and I had to evacuate our home on the lake shore yesterday (Friday) morning, not a simple matter with me in a wheelchair. We woke up to water that was 20 inches deep on the road and our plumbing stopped working. Our truck, already on high ground up the road, could not get to us, so my husband called the owner of the local hardware store for help… what a wonderful man! He came with terrific two men and, along with our neighbor (another wonderful man), they set up ramps to get me and my chair out onto our rolling aluminum dock. Then, they rolled me and the dock up the road to neighbors on dry land and set up ramps again. I rolled off onto the neighbors’ driveway. Thank goodness no one had a camera! And, thank goodness we live in such a wonderful town, where neighbors watch out for one another.

Lakeside communities in Vermont are struggling now… recording-breaking lake levels, flooding, pounding waves… awful. The note above appeared on the South Hero Front Porch Forum today. It provides evidence of how neighbors rally during crisis to help each other.

Adrian Holovaty on who’s winning hyperlocal…

Posted on Tuesday, April 26, 2011 by Michael • No comments yet

I think Front Porch Forum is winning. They’ve managed to get 90% of households in a #VT neighborhood to sign up for it, and the community contributions are high quality, useful and interesting.

Beyond that, there are a bunch of great neighborhood blogs in various pockets in the U.S., like West Seattle Blog and Uptown Update here in Chicago.

And finally, I’m biased, but I think EveryBlock is genuinely interesting and useful, especially with our recent community-focused relaunch.

Thanks Adrian! That’s great company for FPF to keep. (See StreetFight for the full interview.) As I’ve said before, EveryBlock’s relaunch is a powerhouse.

Albert the Wanderer back home in #BTV #VT

Posted on Friday, April 22, 2011 by Michael • No comments yet

This afternoon Albert the cat appeared back at our door. We’re very happy to have him home and we’re very appreciative of all of the people who provided tips and support–we’re very fortunate to live in such a neighborhood. Moreover, we feel very fortunate to have Front Porch Forum as a resource to turn to in these kinds of situations. I had put up several signs around the neighborhood, but the net result of that seemed to be zero–FPF is where it is at for getting out this kind of news. Be sure to support FPF during their next fund drive! [Which is now!]

Good news from Burlington’s Old North End today! Welcome home Albert the Wanderer.

What are you, underneath it all?

Posted on Tuesday, April 19, 2011 by Michael • No comments yet

“I see FPF as a place where every day we demonstrate our commonalities & our willingness to get along together & even help each other – regardless of what sort sort of shitheads we might be underneath it all.”

A lovely sentiment from a Front Porch Forum member in Middlesex, Vermont.

Front Porch Forum open to #VT expansion

Posted on Tuesday, April 12, 2011 by Michael • No comments yet

Several sponsors have stepped forward to bring Front Porch Forum to their Vermont communities. These include a local chamber of commerce, a town, a college, a telecom, a family foundation, and a consortium of agencies and nonprofits.

WCAX asked me today if FPF was open to further expansion in Vermont, beyond our current 60 towns. Short answer… yes!

If you’d like to see FPF come to your town, join our waitlist. Additionally, if you’d like to help make it happen, contact us with ideas about funding sources and local boosters.

How to start local theater company in 5 minutes

Posted on Friday, April 8, 2011 by Michael • No comments yet

Another local success story brewing in #Bristol, #VT, where Front Porch Forum opened shop several months ago. Justin Bouvier posted a compelling item two days ago on FPF that opened with…

As many of you know, I travel to Middlebury frequently to partake in the theatrical scene there, as Bristol’s is less then thriving. Over the past 5 years or so, there are an increasing number of 5-Town residents that are traveling with me, and it got me thinking, that perhaps Bristol needs a theater company…

He went on to ask for 24 founding members, plus donors at $500 a pop. Today he posted again…

I wanted to take an opportunity to express my sincere thanks to the 11 incredible individuals that have pledged money for a new theater company, here in Bristol. It is individuals like these that are helping to make a dream come true, not just for me, but for our entire community. In the 2 days since my last post, I have received 48 emails from members of our community, stating congratulations, begging to help, volunteering time and energy, etc… and again, I cannot thank you enough. I guess it was one of those, “Right place, right time” kind of ideas… I am working feverishly on setting up bank accounts, establishing a non-profit status, etc…

A great response to a compelling ask. Justin was able to reach about 40% of his neighbors in this small Vermont town via FPF. Congratulations Justin on a fantastic start. People do wonderful things for their community when the tools are within easy reach.

A special thanks to e-Vermont for bringing FPF to Bristol! Other Vermont towns interested in launching Front Porch Forum should contact us.

#VT version of Beijing’s Democracy Wall?

Posted on Tuesday, March 29, 2011 by Michael • No comments yet

From a first-time FPF supporting member in Essex Junction today…

I genuinely appreciate your efforts in providing this platform. At a time when so much media are dominated by very large very powerful interests, Front Porch Forum provides a very useful citizen-based platform.

In 1979, I was part of the first semi-official American delegation to the People’s Republic of China after we normalized relations. I was inspired by seeing thousands of Chinese standing 5-6 rows deep to read the message and grievances posted on Beijing’s Democracy Wall. Perhaps that was an early Chinese version of Front Porch Forum.

The kind words and the contribution are much appreciated.

Columbia Journalism Review covers 2 #VT websites

Posted on Monday, March 28, 2011 by Michael • No comments yet

VTDigger.org and Front Porch Forum were written up by the Columbia Journalism Review recently. Good stuff. Congratulations to VTDigger. The piece starts…

As the name suggests, VTDigger aims to provide deep coverage of local issues in the Green Mountain State. “I wanted to follow stories in-depth,” explains Anne Galloway, the publication’s editor-in-chief. “Not all of our stories are investigative; but we want them all to go deep.”…

And about FPF…

Vermont-based social networking site Front Porch Forum has earned an intense regional following, partly thanks to its success as a venue for hyperlocal citizen journalism…

I believe FPF and VTDigger will be on a panel together May 12, 2011 at the annual VBSR spring conference. Come join the discussion with us.

Local collective memoir via FPF in #VT towns

Posted on Monday, March 21, 2011 by Michael • No comments yet

From the Bent Northrop Memorial Library in Fairfield, VT today on Front Porch Forum…

The Hale Street Gang exhibit will arrive in Fairfield early June. This exhibit features work and portraits of twelve senior citizens who gather once a week to read aloud from their memoirs-in-progress. Their clubhouse is the Greater Randolph Senior Center, an elderly mansion in a neighborhood south of the railroad tracks. Together they weave a “collective memoir” of life in twentieth-century America, with the village of Randolph, Vermont as its nexus.

The Library, Fairfield Center School and the Community Center in East Fairfield aim to bring a Fairfield component to this exhibit. Our hope is that the seniors, seventh graders, and community members will respond to a variety of prompts on Front Porch Forum. Community members are encouraged to respond to a weekly prompt – there are only three, so pay close attention! Your response can be short and sweet or long and thought provoking! There is not right or wrong answer – we just want you to reflect on living in Fairfield. Watch for next week’s first prompt and respond to the forum as a whole or to the library as an individual! Let’s work on creating a “collective memoir” of life in Fairfield!

I look forward to reading submissions!

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