An Interview with Burlington’s Michael Wood-Lewis.

Michael Wood-Lewis is the founder of Front Porch Forum, a social- and community-networking website primarily serving (thus far) Chittenden County. The following interview was conducted by Vermont Commons editor/publisher Rob Williams.

Thanks for talking with us, Michael. How would you describe Front Porch Forum for the average layperson?

In this era of super-busy people, Front Porch Forum (FPF) offers a way for folks to connect with their actual neighbors and build community. FPF hosts a network of 130 online neighborhood forums that blankets Chittenden County. Since our launch in 2006, more than 15,000 house­holds have signed up, including 40 percent of Burlington, the state’s largest city. By conversing online with their clearly identified nearby neighbors, FPF members feel more tuned in to local goings-on, know more people better, and often get more involved in community events.

So, I have to ask. Why do we need Front Porch Forum in the era of powerful social network­ing sites, like Facebook?

Facebook is huge, and like most huge things it is powerful and does some great stuff and some not-so-great stuff. But why not build Front Porch Forum on top of Facebook’s platform? More than 90 percent of my neigh­borhood subscribes to FPF, and 40 percent of Burlington. I think Facebook has about one-quarter of the United States signed up, which is amazing, but not amazing enough. FPF is not elite; that is, we want everyone who lives in a town or neighborhood to join. Our software is designed to be as simple and low-tech as possible. FPF works fine on dial-up. If you under­stand how to use plain text e-mail, then you’re ready to go with FPF.

So low-tech is good. Are there other reasons to support FPF in the Age of Facebook?

There is a financial side. Facebook doesn’t allow for a decent business model. I don’t see how FPF could be financially sustainable on the Facebook platform. Facebook is also not flexible enough. FPF’s most critical software elements are designed to work toward its mission of helping neighbors to connect and promote community. Some of these would be difficult or impossible to implement on a closed platform like Facebook. FPF on Facebook would be like a funky food vendor trying to ply her trade inside a tightly controlled corporate-owned mall. Give me Main Street every time.

So philosophically, it sounds like you are running in the opposite direction of Facebook.

We are. Philosophically, Facebook’s mission seems diametrically opposed to FPF’s. Facebook and most Web 2.0 social media sites are designed to maximize screen time for people; they want as many hours of your life as you’ll give them before you shake off this mortal coil. FPF is designed to promote face-to-face time among people who live near each other, with the hope that that will lead to stronger and more vibrant real communi­ties . . . the bedrock of our democracy. It would be difficult for FPF to succeed with its mission in a Facebook environment where you were encouraged to piddle away another hour via other Facebook bells and whistles every time you checked in with your neighbors.

And what about ownership of content?

Exactly. Facebook owns all content produced on its platform (or it will whenever it decides to assert that ownership). FPF wants to own its content and it doesn’t want to be in the business of aggregating neighborhood-level content for Facebook to use at a later date for some other purpose.

Any other thoughts here?

Facebook can reinforce cliquelike behavior. Facebook is good for renew­ing old contacts and strengthening existing ones but doesn’t do much for meeting new people who live near you. And, finally—bottom line, too—Facebook is the opposite of local; it’s the online equivalent of Walmart and Starbucks. Facebook (and Craigslist, Twitter, Angie’s List, Freecycle, etc.) is a huge international corporation that feigns local. In addition to dollars, the online economy is really sustained on contributions by participants and by readers’ attention. Facebook and its ilk suck online eyeballs and postings from other truly local Internet-based services, driving them toward extinction. Decentralized control of media, infor­mation, and communication is one of the great promises of the Internet. Facebook works directly against that hope.

Okay, so can you give us some specific stories illustrating how FPF has helped to build community in neighborhoods in Chittenden County?

Lauren Curry wondered if her town of Westford had a food shelf. So she posted a note to her neighbors on Front Porch Forum (FPF). When she learned that none existed currently, she reached out again via FPF to form a steering committee. Then it was through FPF yet again that they found food, cash, space, volunteers, and, eventually, recipients. Her neighbors delivered on every count! Now, one year later, the food shelf is critical in the lives of many town residents affected by the recession. And no government, foundation, or corporate money or leadership has been needed. Lauren wrote: “Thanks to FPF, having a community-wide conversation about how to address our local hunger problem was a cinch. With the help of rallying neighbors, we got our food shelf up and running in no time. Not a community meeting—or practically any public-oriented conversation—goes by without FPF being tossed into the mix. What a wonderful gift.”

So what do you see in Front Porch Forum’s future, three, five, ten years down the road?

We’d love to see Front Porch Forum grow across North America and beyond, region by region. We’ve been operating our service in our flagship neighborhood for nine years and more than 90 percent of the 400 households subscribe. People here say things like ‘I can’t imagine our neighborhood without FPF.” It’s simply become part of the infra­structure . . . like sidewalks, the newspaper, and the corner store. I’m eager to achieve that level of success in many, many places in the years ahead.

Thanks for talking to us, Michael, and good luck with your important work.

Thanks, Rob. We hope Vermont Commons readers will take the time to find out more about Front Porch Forum at www.FrontPorchForum.com.

FPF is designed to promote face-to-face time among people who live near each other, with the hope that that will lead to stronger and more vibrant real communities . . . the bedrock of our democracy.

UPDATE:

As of July 2012, Front Porch Forum serves nearly half of Vermont and is expanding. More than 40,000 Vermonters subscribe to FPF out of their 110,000-household coverage area.