Category Archives: Vermont

Building Community in an e-State

Posted on Thursday, April 24, 2008 by • 1 comment

Vermont is working to become the first “e-State” with availability of broadband internet and cell phone coverage across 100% of the state… by 2010. The “100% of the state” bit is ambitious and lots of people, organizations are businesses and contributing toward the realization of this goal.

The State of Vermont justifies this ambition saying it will be good for economic development, healthcare, education, public safety and more. And part of the “and more” usually includes a vague reference to the e-State being good for society and civic engagement. Can the internet and cell phones enhance the sense of community in a town? Many people feel these tools actually turn people’s attention away from local community.

The Snelling Center is stepping in to address this issue with a one-day event on May 29, 2008…

Explore public policy issues, opportunities, and potential obstacles that will arise as Vermont becomes fully connected.

  • How might civic life change in a fully connected state?
  • How will we master emerging technologies so they unite us and strengthen communities?
  • How will we address issues of privacy, equity, resistance to change, ownership, and cost?
  • How will local and state governmental units ensure that all citizens have equal access to information and participation?

Details, agenda, and registration.

The keynote speaker will be Lewis Feldstein, Co-Author of Better Together, which he wrote with Bowling Alone author, Robert Putnam. Putnam will be speaking at UVM on April 28, 2008.

Pecha Kucha Night Montpelier

Posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 by • 1 comment

My old friend Lars is up to some new tricks in central Vermont…

I am asking everyone I know to support a new effort in Montpelier: the Onion River Exchange’s Pecha Kucha Night. The idea is pretty cool, and really simple:
– Two rounds of presenters
– Each presenter has 6 minutes and 20 slides with which to present their idea
– 5 presenters each round
– Do it somewhere fun, with food and drink

Think of it as TED meets speed dating – in Central Vermont. Seriously, should be a lot of fun – especially with YOU on stage 😉

Anyway, here’s what I’m asking:
– Think of yourself as someone who might want to present a big, bold idea you’ve been slaving away on
– Pass along the flier to anyone else you know who has an idea they’ve been working on and encourage them to contact me.

The invitation is *especially* for those whose work communicates well visually. They should get in touch with me BEFORE April 30.

So, let’s paint the town Pecha Kucha!

Thanks, and hope you’re enjoying this prime gardening weather.

Lars Hasselblad Torres
www.mixedmedia.us + www.peacetiles.net

Very Important Posting

Posted on Friday, April 18, 2008 by • No comments yet

Perhaps the most important neighborhood posting ever made on Front Porch Forum came through in Williston today…

“Hello – We just moved to the area and heard the ice cream truck!  Is there anyone who knows it’s regular route, and/or how we can get him to stop for our little one! We live on N. Brownell Rd., so it is not a neighborhood, but we would still like to visit him!  Thanks!”

It’s been a seriously long and cold winter here in Vermont and this week suddenly hit the 60s!

Moose in the neighborhood

Posted on Thursday, April 17, 2008 by • 1 comment

Moose sightings! Gotta tune in for that. Here’s one from Pam in Mayfair Park in South Burlington, VT, that she just posted to her Front Porch Forum…

“Look who has been visiting Mayfair Park. His age was described as seeming like a ‘teenager.’ A moose on the loose… What are we doing that causes animals to stray so far from their natural terrain? While this is Mayfair Park newsworthy in the exciting sense, this is also a caution, particularly for those with children.”

Reminds me of some past moose postings… one, two, three and four.

UPDATE:  Yikes!  This moose was on our block this morning!!  A neighbor posted a sighting report on the Five Sisters Neighborhood Forum.  And the traditional media picked up on it too.

Won’t live without front porch… Media coverage

Posted on Thursday, April 17, 2008 by • No comments yet

People’s use of Front Porch Forum has been making the news recently. You can watch, listen and read the coverage on our media page. And while the national and state-wide attention from PBS.org, Wall Street Journal, Morning Edition VPR, etc. is wonderful, I also love the small local reporting.

For example, today the United Way of Chittenden County covered FPF, as did The Charlotte News, a community newspaper covering a small rural Vermont town. Here’s a quote…

Charlotter Lell Forehand says of the Forum: “I first read an article about Front Porch Forum in a newspaper and thought what a wonderful idea. I think the name ‘Front Porch Forum’ appealed to me as I grew up in a small community where people actually had front porches where we often sat and talked with our neighbors. (My Mom often said that she never wanted a house without a front porch.) Now we live in a world where people seem busier with little time for just ‘sitting and chatting.’ So I see Front Porch Forum as an ingenious idea to use technology as a way to be neighborly and to know more about community needs. This seems especially important in areas like Charlotte where our nearest neighbor may be in sight but maybe not. I have used FPF to seek information about various topics and have found it amazing that someone always responds with either the answer to my question or tells me someone to call who may know the answer. I have ‘met’ people in the community this way and hope that, if someone (or group) in the community has a special need, he or she would turn to FPF as a way to communicate that need. What a great way to build community spirit… kudos to those responsible for its initiation and those who keep it going.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

Please vote for us! And help spread the word… one vote per email address. Polls close April 22, 2008.

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Helping neighbors connect is newsworthy

Posted on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 by • No comments yet

Front Porch Forum’s story of helping neighbors connect and build community is showing up in the media recently. Of note, Mark Glaser just published a lengthy piece at MediaShift on PBS.org., starting with…

“We are a society that lives more and more in our technology-induced bubbles. When we go outside, we wear an iPod; we talk on cell phones while driving. In urban areas, we might never meet our neighbors unless there’s a fire or earthquake. But can technology also help bring us together in our physical communities, and help us get to know our neighbors? Front Porch Forum (FPF) is making a valiant effort to do just that”

Hopefully, his readers will cast a vote for us! And help spread the word.

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Opening Communication with Front Porch Forum

Posted on Monday, March 31, 2008 by • 1 comment

Sometimes it’s the little things that open up communication among neighbors. Here’s a message from Linda and George that was just posted on an until-now-sleepy Essex Junction, VT, neighborhood forum…

“Many thanks to all of our neighbors for helping with the search for our indoor black cat. So many of you called to say you had seen him or would look out for him. Cindy Smith on Villa Drive had been working with us to capture a very scared black cat that keep showing up at her garage looking for food. Today, Monday, she called to tell me that the cat was under the porch across the street. Sure enough, he was. Sassy was gone for 3 long weeks but now he is home: thin, hungry, and dirty, but safe. Again thanks to everyone who was willing to help.”

I’m glad for this family (and the cat!). This is just the kind of success story that leads to more neighbors signing up and putting Front Porch Forum to use.

Please vote for us! And help spread the word… one vote per email address.

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Grassroots Candidates use Front Porch Forum

Posted on Monday, March 31, 2008 by • No comments yet

At its best, Front Porch Forum simply provides a venue for some pent up community issue to bubble up and get addressed. This may be the case in a part of South Burlington, VT recently where neighbors discussed an opening on the City Council…

“I have been concerned that our neighborhood does not have adequate representation in the City and have considered running for it… This is a huge window of opportunity for someone from our neighborhood to take a leadership position in city government, given the attention this newly conceived plan deserves. You need only 30 signatures, and the deadline is mid-April. Our neighborhood needs to be a voice in the discussions shaping the future of South Burlington.”

Then neighbor Liz weighed in…

“I couldn’t agree more… but am also unable to adequately represent our neighborhood at this time.”

And she laid out some of the issues facing the neighborhood (e.g., airport expansion).

And then, lo and behold, neighbor Meaghan jumps in with both feet…

“Dear Neighbors – Because I feel it is so important for someone from our neighborhood to run, I’ve decided to give it a go. My husband and I have agreed, and I’m grateful to him and to our children for supporting me and moved that they are encouraging me in this effort. They, too, love this city and see this step as an investment in the future. If I succeed and am elected as City Councilor, I plan to use this Front Porch Forum as a means to hear your ideas and to communicate with you. This process can start now. And, if someone else wishes to run, I see this as a positive sign for our neighborhood and our city. So please do.”

Please vote for us! And help spread the word… one vote per email address.

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Spot Burlington Friends and Landmarks on Video

Posted on Friday, March 28, 2008 by • No comments yet

In the excitement around Front Porch Forum‘s selection for the big national Make It Your Own Awards, I neglected to share our new video clip! You can see it below, on YouTube, on the contest site, and on local access TV (schedules below)…

Special thanks to CCTV Channel 17 (Meghan O’Rourke, Sam Mayfield and Lauren-Glenn Davitian) and the dozens of local folks who appear in the clip.

RETN Channel 16 (more times forthcoming)

  • Sun, Mar 30 – 7 p.m.
  • Mon, Mar 31 – 7 a.m and 8:56 p.m. (right before our repeat airing of “Winter Soldier”)
  • Tue, Apr 1- 11 a.m., 8:00 p.m. and 12 a.m. (4/2)
  • Wed, Apr 2 – 8:59 a.m. (after Democracy NOW!), 2:58 p.m. and 8:56 p.m.
  • Thu, Apr 3 – 9 p.m.
  • Fri, Apr 4 – 9 a.m.
  • Sat, Apr 5 – 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.

CCTV Channel 17 (more times forthcoming)

  • Sat, Mar 29 – 6:33 PM
  • Sun, Mar 30 – 10:04 PM
  • Mon, Mar 31 – 3:04 AM, 9:04 AM, 3:04 PM

Please vote for us! And help spread the word… one vote per email address.

Read/add comments.

Neighborly Encouragement

Posted on Friday, March 28, 2008 by • No comments yet

It’s inspiring to moderate Front Porch Forum in Vermont. Here’s part of Alan S.’s posting to his Burlington neighbors today…

Hello Neighbors – I assume that the rest of you are as ready for flowers and grass as I am. Enough of this cold and dreariness already!! I had a tree topple on my house during the last ice storm. Fortunately, it did no damage to the house, but I had to remove it entirely… It still seems strange that I live on Birch Court, but there are almost no birch trees left on the street. I may correct that shortcoming by planting one to replace the one I removed. I have to save up some funds because lately the cost of living is becoming prohibitive.

Hard earned dollars do not go as far and being fiscally conservative has become a way of life. We boomers are in for some tough times, especially those of us who got a late start saving and investing money. It behooves us to stick together and maintain our community with its resources. We will need all the resources we can muster in the future.

One immediate way to be involved is to join and attend our Neighborhood Planning Assembly. We hold monthly meetings at the Heineberg Senior and Community Center. Look for postings here on the forum. In addition to NPA, I encourage that you speak with city councilors, Board of Health members, school board members, and any other appointed or elected servants of the city. Your input to the processes of governance and change is critical to successful outcomes. I have learned not to underestimate the power of my single voice and certainly not the collective power of our many voices together. Please write, call, post on the forum and blogs, do whatever you can to raise community consciousness.

I also want to mention our need to reach out in our immediate neighborhoods. There are some of us living alone and living poorly for lack of resources. I believe that it would benefit them greatly if we paid them a neighborly visit. I encourage us to find small, but effective ways, to help someone near us. I keep in my own mind, that someday it could be me waiting for someone to be friendly and loving. Please reach out to your neighbor next door and beyond. The rewards for doing so will be great!!!

Please help us continue and expand this work… vote today and spread the word!

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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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