Building Community Spirit Has Its Rewards

Whether on ‘Front Porch’ or in Your Own Backyard, Communities Are Rising Up

Micro-communities have received a lot of publicity lately.

Here is Robin Crumby, group managing director of Melcrum Publishing Ltd., describing micro-communities in an article in the June Hotline: “The creation of micro-communities is being widely heralded as a robust model for specialized information publishers. For a business like mine, Melcrum, this means creating small groups of like-minded customers who come together to benchmark, discuss their challenges and hear the latest research and trends. We use our established networks and in-depth industry knowledge to facilitate a conversation between peers that is highly valued by the customer.”

Here is the description offered by a Website called Front Porch Forum, which recently won a $220,000 Knight News Challenge award from the Knight Foundation to expand its community. Front Porch connects citizens in 38 Vermont towns and soon hopes to make that 250 towns. “Your neighborhood’s Front Porch Forum is a place to share neighborhood news, have discussions, work on neighborhood improvement projects, and post items for sale, to borrow, lost and found, etc. All of these actions add up to a more healthy and vibrant community.”

Not too far apart. Both are talking about user-generated content, issue discussions and vibrant communities. Where Crumby, as a for-profit publisher, wants to “ ‘up’ the value chain into bespoke services, such as consultancy, in-house training and syndicated research,” Front Porch would be satisfied with finding a lost cat, recommending swimming lessons and finding where you can get your lawnmower sharpened.

“The rewards are clear,” Crumby writes. “Price points can jump from an average of a few hundred pounds for a B2B newsletter to several thousand pounds for a more bespoke service. The higher the price, the harder you work; the better the relationship, the more loyal the customer. So while budget-strapped customers will tell you they can’t afford a newsletter, they will happily spend 10 or 20 times that amount on a service that exactly matches their requirements.”

Front Porch also caters to a public that, while strapped for time, will find the time to contribute to a community that directly affects their everyday lives. Here’s one recent posting: “I love Front Porch Forum. I wish everyone in Westford posted here [about two-thirds of the town subscribes]. They could contribute thoughts and opinions in their entirety, at a time that is convenient for them, which could never happen at a budget meeting. The sheer number of posts would consume more time than any meeting could allow. You can read them, or not, as you so choose.”

Front Porch’s blog is called Ghost of Midnight. Some of the postings are written, others are videos. A recent video recounts how Front Porch enabled the town of Westford’s food drive. Another posting thanked fellow readers for seven [my emphasis] offers to lend a chopsaw for a flooring project, and the finding of “Mom’s camera.” Ever lose anything on a train or in a big restaurant? You probably never got it back. Now you might.

The moral of the story? People—whether human resources professionals or regular townsfolk—want and need to be connected. That’s what trade associations such as SIPA try to do through conferences, chapter meetings and roundtables. (In fact, a bio of Michael Wood-Lewis, who founded Front Porch Forum says that, “Previously, he led an innovative trade association of New England utilities.”)

Communities are “about an exchange of information,” says John Novack, director of marketing communications and strategy for Quantros, Inc., “Content—and I say that broadly– can be video, live events, listserves…any focus on topical information. The distribution channels may be new, but it’s still content.”

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Next Monday, July 12, and Tuesday, July 13!
SIPA UK 16th Annual Conference & Exhibition
Radisson Blu Portman Hotel, London
See the full program and biographies of the speakers.
There will be a trade exhibition in the coffee area,
where you can chat with sponsors and exhibitors
and find out how they can help your business.
Speakers include:
Claire Enders, managing director, Enders Analysis,
Grant Attwell, marketing director, Informa Business Information
Guy Cecala, CEO and Publisher, Inside Mortgage Finance Publications
Ian Jindal, Consultant, Publisher and Advisor
Sign up today!

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