Front Porch Forum (and what to do if you can't have one)

What it is

Front Porch Forum is a model for what online neighborhood communication can look like when it isn't optimized for engagement metrics. Real address verification, real names, human moderation, daily email digest instead of infinite scroll, no algorithmic ranking. The platform exists in Vermont, where it serves the majority of households in the state.

This recipe covers two things: how to use Front Porch Forum if you're in Vermont, and how to set up something similar in spirit anywhere else if you aren't.

Why it works

The internet went wrong for neighborhoods when it became global and algorithmic. Comment threads that scale across millions of users do not serve a block of 80 households. A small digital space, designed for a known group of neighbors, with low engagement frequency and high signal, makes connection possible online without the loneliness loop that bigger platforms produce.

The format choices are doing the work: daily digest means you read once, deliberately. Real names mean you encounter each other as people. Address verification means trolls can't drop in. Human moderation means norms hold.

What you need

If you live in Vermont or a covered area:

• Time: 5 to 10 minutes a day.
• Account: Email, a real address that the platform can verify, your real name.

If you're starting something similar elsewhere:

• Time: A few hours to set up. 1 to 2 hours a week to moderate.
• People: 1 to 3 volunteer moderators. A neighborhood of at least 30 to 100 households.
• Materials: A platform choice (see options below). A list of neighbors and their emails.
• Skills: Light tech literacy. Comfort moderating. Willingness to enforce norms.
• Energy level: Low for users, moderate for moderators.

How to host it

If you're in a Front Porch Forum service area

1. Go to frontporchforum.com.
2. Sign up with your real address. The platform verifies you live there.
3. Read the daily digest. Reply when something matters.
4. Be specific. "Looking for a plumber" with no context gets fewer replies than "Looking for a plumber for a leaky faucet in the bathroom, prefer someone who works in [neighborhood], not in a rush."

If you're starting something similar elsewhere

1. Pick the platform. Options ranked roughly by openness and quality:

• A simple mailing list. Listserv, Google Group, or Buttondown for newsletter-style. Plain text. Daily or weekly digest. Hard to abuse. Easy to run.
• A neighborhood-only Discourse or Discord. More features. More moderation work.
• Nextdoor. Use only if it's already where your neighbors are. The product is built around engagement, not connection. You can get value from it if you're disciplined, but the platform won't help you.
• A simple website. Hand-built using Lovable, Bubble, or similar. Match the Front Porch Forum format: daily digest, real names, simple posting. This is the most open-source-friendly path and is in spirit with this book.

1. Define the rules. Three to five rules, written plainly. Examples from FPF: real names, real addresses, posts must be relevant to neighbors, no commercial spam, respectful tone.
2. Recruit your first 20 neighbors. Send them a personal invitation. Tell them what the space is and isn't. Be explicit that it's a small space, not a public forum.
3. Send the first digest. Even if it has only your own welcome post. The act of sending establishes the rhythm.
4. Moderate. Be a presence. Welcome newcomers. Gently redirect off-topic threads. Remove what genuinely violates the rules. Most moderation work is invisible because you've set good norms early.
5. Recruit a second moderator within 3 months. A single moderator is a fragile single point of failure. Two or three rotates the load.

Variations

Group text version. For very small blocks (10 to 30 households). A shared group text works for active emergencies, lost dogs, package thieves. Lower-friction. Less reflective. Doesn't replace the digest format for everyday neighboring.

Bulletin board version. A literal physical bulletin board in a heavily trafficked spot (laundry room, coffee shop, library entry). Surprisingly useful where digital adoption is low.

Hybrid version. Digital digest plus a physical bulletin board in a public spot. Some neighbors will only see one or the other.

Stories from neighborhoods

Front Porch Forum began in Vermont and now serves over 235,000 active members across Vermont's roughly 270,000 households. Members post about everything from mechanic recommendations to wildlife sightings to organizing around local issues.

The platform's success shows what's possible when digital tools are designed for place and relationship rather than engagement metrics. It creates something increasingly rare: a trusted, civil, genuinely local online space.

Other examples worth knowing: Some Buy Nothing groups have evolved into hybrid neighborhood forums for their members. Some neighborhoods on Discord have built private, address-gated servers that function similarly. Several open-source projects (search "place-based social network" or "neighborhood mailing list") are pursuing variants of the FPF model.

A note on the platforms you might be tempted to use

The whole point of this recipe is to give your neighbors a space that is not extractive. Be careful about defaulting to platforms that are.

Nextdoor is the most common default and the most ambivalent. It gets neighbors to talk but it shapes the conversation toward anxiety, complaint, and division because those generate engagement. If your neighbors are already there, use it carefully. If they aren't yet, consider something else.

Facebook Groups work, technically. They are also harvesting your neighbors' attention for ads while you use them. Mailing lists, Discourse forums, and small self-hosted sites avoid this entirely.

Where to learn more

• The model: Front Porch Forum
• For self-hosting: Discourse is the most established open-source community platform
• Adjacent recipes: [Block Stewards](./block-stewards.md), [Welcome Wagon](./welcome-wagon.md), [Block Party](./block-party.md)

Details

• steps: Go to [frontporchforum.com](https://frontporchforum.com/)., Sign up with your real address. The platform verifies you live there., Read the daily digest. Reply when something matters., Be specific. "Looking for a plumber" with no context gets fewer replies than "Looking for a plumber for a leaky faucet in the bathroom, prefer someone who works in [neighborhood], not in a rush." ### If you're starting something similar elsewhere, **Pick the platform.** Options ranked roughly by openness and quality: - **A simple mailing list.** Listserv, Google Group, or [Buttondown](https://buttondown.email/) for newsletter-style. Plain text. Daily or weekly digest. Hard to abuse. Easy to run. - **A neighborhood-only Discourse or Discord.** More features. More moderation work. - **Nextdoor.** Use only if it's already where your neighbors are. The product is built around engagement, not connection. You can get value from it if you're disciplined, but the platform won't help you. - **A simple website.** Hand-built using Lovable, Bubble, or similar. Match the Front Porch Forum format: daily digest, real names, simple posting. This is the most open-source-friendly path and is in spirit with this book., **Define the rules.** Three to five rules, written plainly. Examples from FPF: real names, real addresses, posts must be relevant to neighbors, no commercial spam, respectful tone., **Recruit your first 20 neighbors.** Send them a personal invitation. Tell them what the space is and isn't. Be explicit that it's a small space, not a public forum., **Send the first digest.** Even if it has only your own welcome post. The act of sending establishes the rhythm., **Moderate.** Be a presence. Welcome newcomers. Gently redirect off-topic threads. Remove what genuinely violates the rules. Most moderation work is invisible because you've set good norms early., **Recruit a second moderator within 3 months.** A single moderator is a fragile single point of failure. Two or three rotates the load.
• file path: recipes/01-knowing-your-neighbors/front-porch-forum.md
• variations: **Group text version.** For very small blocks (10 to 30 households). A shared group text works for active emergencies, lost dogs, package thieves. Lower-friction. Less reflective. Doesn't replace the digest format for everyday neighboring. **Bulletin board version.** A literal physical bulletin board in a heavily trafficked spot (laundry room, coffee shop, library entry). Surprisingly useful where digital adoption is low. **Hybrid version.** Digital digest plus a physical bulletin board in a public spot. Some neighbors will only see one or the other.
• ingredients: {"time":"A few hours to set up. 1 to 2 hours a week to moderate.","people":"1 to 3 volunteer moderators. A neighborhood of at least 30 to 100 households.","skills":"Light tech literacy. Comfort moderating. Willingness to enforce norms.","account":"Email, a real address that the platform can verify, your real name.","materials":"A platform choice (see options below). A list of neighbors and their emails.","energy_level":"Low for users, moderate for moderators."}
• where to learn more: - The model: [Front Porch Forum](https://frontporchforum.com/) - For self-hosting: [Discourse](https://www.discourse.org/) is the most established open-source community platform - Adjacent recipes: [Block Stewards](./block-stewards.md), [Welcome Wagon](./welcome-wagon.md), [Block Party](./block-party.md)
• stories from neighborhoods: **Front Porch Forum** began in Vermont and now serves over 235,000 active members across Vermont's roughly 270,000 households. Members post about everything from mechanic recommendations to wildlife sightings to organizing around local issues. The platform's success shows what's possible when digital tools are designed for place and relationship rather than engagement metrics. It creates something increasingly rare: a trusted, civil, genuinely local online space. **Other examples worth knowing:** Some Buy Nothing groups have evolved into hybrid neighborhood forums for their members. Some neighborhoods on Discord have built private, address-gated servers that function similarly. Several open-source projects (search "place-based social network" or "neighborhood mailing list") are pursuing variants of the FPF model.