Ghost of Midnight
… about neighbors, community and Front Porch Forum
Space heater flood in her inbox…
#VT – From Jessica in South Hero today on her Front Porch Forum in response to the request she posted on FPF…
The cause of the flood is an abundance of generous and helpful neighbors living in the Champlain Islands…
Less than 16 hours (half of which we have been sleeping) and I have been offered 12+ heaters already!!
Thank you, Islanders!
72% of Americans follow local news closely
According to a new Pew study released yesterday 72% of Americans follow local news closely. Some interesting tidbits…
Nearly three quarters (72%) of adults are quite attached to following local news and information, and local newspapers are by far the source they rely on for much of the local information they need. In fact, local news enthusiasts are substantially more wedded to their local newspapers than others. They are much more likely than others to say that if their local newspaper vanished, it would have a major impact on their ability to get the local information they want.
It seems likely that Front Porch Forum members draw more from this portion of the population as well. In Burlington, Vt., for example, FPF has 10,000 members out of the 16,000 households in the city. More from Pew…
Local news consumers are more connected to their communities than others, both in length of time in the community and in their connection with neighbors, and more likely to think they can improve their communities. Roughly three in 10 have lived in their community 20 years or longer (32% vs. 20% of others), and thus not surprisingly are more likely to know all of their neighbors. This is driven largely by local news enthusiasts age 40 and older. As a whole, local news enthusiasts are also slightly more likely than other adults to believe they can have a big impact on making their community a better place to live.
Less than half of these local news enthusiasts use online social networking (6% less than other adults), and less than 1 in 10 use Twitter, although 78% use email and the internet…
Pew states that these local news enthusiasts know their neighbors more than others…
And that they believe more than others that they can have a positive impact on the place where they live…
Out of Pew’s sample, 7% of the local news hounds reported using neighborhood e-newsletters…
Making Vermont towns more transparent and engaged
#VT – As Front Porch Forum expands across Vermont, we occasionally run into local conflicts around transparency. In some cases it pits old guard town fathers and mothers who have run things their way for generations vs. citizens who want to know what’s going on, how decisions are being made, and how they might get involved.
Some local officials embrace the enhanced citizen interest that FPF can bring, while others resist or even reject it wholly. We had a selectboard and town manager withdraw from their town’s FPF in southern Vermont recently because their constituents were using their FPF to raise uncomfortable questions. They also decided to warn their public meetings at the last possible moment mandated by state law. In a different community, the town manager is taking a beating via FPF on local budget issues, but he tells me he’d much rather hear from his critics and be able to address their points — which he does via FPF — than not.
We see a similar pattern with citizens. Most see the value in more local discussion on the variety of topics that FPF engenders. But others grow frustrated when they read viewpoints that run counter to theirs… and unfortunately a small number quit. We see this from both the left and right of the political spectrum. We encourage folks not to retreat into their respective echo chambers, but to stay engaged with their neighbors. But it’s not simple or easy.
We’re eager to work with local public officials and citizens to help them get the most out of their FPF. We celebrate where this seems to be working well. We appreciate Jim, for example, for his FPF posting today…
Thanks to Front Porch Forum for making Hinesburg a more transparent town.
Oliver the Cat… Rethinking the Concept of Community in Jonesville
#VT – Gary shared the following on the Richmond Front Porch Forum last week…
If you ever go to the Jonesville post office, you’ve noticed a friendly cat there the last few months. Oliver was a stray who started hanging around and the folks in the post office and the antique store kindly started feeding him and giving him a place to rest.
Unfortunately one day recently it was noticed that Oliver was limping badly. He was taken to the vet and discovered he had broken bones, most likely from being hit by a car.
The McEvoys from the Antique store have been caring for him. He now has a cast on his leg, and a huge bill at the vet. If a bunch of people contribute a little cash to help Oliver out, that would be great.
The post office building has daily updates and photos of Oliver’s condition and progress. I took snapshots of the updates and posted them here: http://solarbus.org/oliver
And today Thom weighed in with…
Oliver is very thankful for the many generous donations we’ve accepted on his behalf. In addition to a shopping bag full of food and treats, a large stash of home-grown catnip and a few toys, we’ve raised $824.06! Dozens have given.
Gary’s webpage on Oliver has hugely expanded the population of those who know about Oliver. Just today, while returning from a visit with her father in Bennington, Hallie received two calls from out-of-state folks asking how they could donate to ‘The Oliver Fund.’ And more than a few others showed up at the store with donations.
In all honesty I’ve never been much of a ‘community-oriented’ person (although I am a sucker for pets, especially cats). But the response to Oliver has been so overwhelming it has forced me to rethink the concept of ‘community,’ especially when one of its own is in need…
Supporting Community Conversations
#VT #BTV – Thanks to all of our Front Porch Forum Supporting Members. Their contributions help us cover the costs associated with delivering our service to the 70 Vermont towns that we cover.
Please consider joining them by making a contribution today… click here. Thank you!
– Michael and the FPF team
Who Cares About Kelsey?
#VT – Vermont premier for Dan Habib’s new documentary, Who Cares About Kelsey?
April 11, 2012 3:30 to 5:30pm
Burlington Hilton, 60 Battery Street, Burlington, VT
The film screening will be presented by Dan Habib and followed by a post-film Question & Answer session.
Admission is free, but you must register to attend: http://www.uvm.edu/~cdci/kelsey/
The film follows Kelsey through her senior year of high school as she faces emotional/behavioral challenges, difficult relationships, and an uncertain future. Along the way, a team of trusted adults meets with her weekly. With them she plans a future she might never have let herself picture a few years earlier. Who Cares About Kelsey? will make viewers reconsider the “problem kids” in their own high schools and spark new conversations about an education revolution that’s about empowering–not overpowering–our most emotionally and behaviorally challenged youth.
Please spread the word… post on your Front Porch Forum, etc.
“Thanks for Connecting Me to Great Neighbors!”
#VT – Early adopters of Front Porch Forum are often community-minded folks. So even before we reach a critical mass of members in a particular town or neighborhood, we might get 25 or 50 of the kind of people who volunteer a lot, organize events, and generally get things done locally.
When this happens we hear about it. “Thanks for helping me find the other people in town who want to take action to make this an even better place to live!” That was a comment we got last year. And today, we heard from Janice is St. Albans…
I want to thank Katrina and her family for loaning me the HOUSE-shaped cookie cutter – I was able to make over 2 dozen house shaped cookies which I decorated with hearts – for the Spectrum Youth & Family Services Sleep Out tonight in Burlington.
One of my former college classmates wanted friends to bake goodies that could be delivered to those sleeping out tonight to bring awareness to homelessness… I think many would be surprised at how many working homeless there are!! While there are organizations out there, like Spectrum, such as Pathways to Housing and the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition – we need to take better care of each other – in Vermont and across the country. We all deserve a home.
A home is the basis for life – for being successful neighbors and citizens – for kids it’s having a SAFE and WARM place that is theirs and where they can concentrate on homework and getting good educations – so many important elements around having a HOME.
My friend is delivering all the cookies, brownies, muffins, etc. his friends baked tonight – with the requirement that if there is too much for all participating in the event that they have to PAY IT FORWARD and deliver/share with others in need – so maybe these simple cookies in the shape of a HOME/HOUSE – with a heart on them will make someone’s heart smile tonight!
Please consider looking up these other organizations and seeing how you can volunteer, donate supplies/equipment, or if you have a room to rent out or apartments you rent – think about making them as affordable as possible so there are few homeless.
Just my 2 cents worth – on a huge subject! Thanks Front Porch Forum for connecting me to my great neighbors.
Most vibrant FPF in Lamoille County?
#VT – Online community conversation is picking up in Lamoille County! See the photo of the Town Offices window in Morrisville… love the sign!
The Cambridge/Jeffersonville FPF is super vibrant with about 60% of local households signed up. Stowe, Johnson, and Morristown are going strong too. And Hyde Park, which launched just last week already has 120 households (out of 1,200) participating with more joining every day. And this just in from Cambridge FPF member Liz…
I posted a request for recommendations for a handy man to help us out and I got an overwhelming response!!! Thank you to every one!!! Front Porch Forum is the greatest. I am also on the Johnson FPF but I think the Cambridge one at present is more active. I look forward to reading it in the evening…
How long does it take for a new FPF to take hold?
#VT – In it’s first week, the Hyde Park Front Porch Forum attracted 100 members… a strong start for a town with 1,200 households.
And 25% of the households in East Montpelier are on board their FPF already, just three months after launch. And they’re putting it to great use. Here’s a note posted by Barbara today…
Hurrah for Front Porch Forum and the generous people of East Montpelier! Saturday we asked for a wheelchair and intercom and today we have both! We had four offers of wheelchairs and two offers of intercoms. Thank you all.
If you’d like to bring FPF to your town in Vermont, please enter your information on our home page, or contact Michael Wood-Lewis. (Here’s a map and list of our current coverage area.)
Taking ownership…
We know that Front Porch Forum will be successful in a community when we see folks stepping up to take ownership of their town/neighborhood FPF. After a controversial posting on the Cambridge FPF this week, Dennis just posted the response below to his neighbors… a wonderful example…
We have an amazing Front Porch Forum in Cambridge. Starting with just a few participants in June of 2010 we now have 937 members representing well over 60% of all the households in Cambridge, and this while a good portion of our town is still awaiting our long promised broadband access. I can’t help but think that one reason for our success is the respect that we have shown one another and the respect that we all have for our Cambridge Front Porch Forum.
That said, I would like to remind all that this is a NEIGHBORHOOD Forum. I do believe that courteously and civilly expressed opinions related to purely local issues, town government for example, have a place in our forum. It is not, however, the proper place for debating national or statewide political issues, endorsing candidates or promoting controversial political views with origins and ramifications well outside our own neighborhood. There are plenty of places on the web and on talk radio where those views can be expressed and those who are so inclined to forcefully express their opinions know where they are. This is a place where lost dogs get found, where a neighbor’s child looks for what she needs for a school project, where neighbors can ask for help with a difficult task, where local businesses can offer specials to their neighbors and where community groups can get the word out about their activities. It is not meant to be a place where someone who is not a close personal acquaintance can get in your face and assert strong partisan opinion. I hope and expect that it is the expressed will of our forum community that it stays that way.
That said, the opinions expressed above are strictly my own. Our forum is very lightly moderated and I have no part in that process. I am however deeply committed to the success of our Cambridge Forum and appreciative of the benefits that it has brought to us. The last thing that I want to see is that the mechanism which has so united us as a community becomes riven by the partisan ideological divide that has rendered Congress impotent and hollowed out the political center of our nation. I hope that my fellow members join me in keeping our forum local and amiable.
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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