Welcome to our Front Porch! RealWV introduces new reader-led column ‘Front Porch Conversations’

By RealWV staff

Happy first day of Spring! It sure has been a rough winter. We at RealWV have shoveled more snow out of our driveways and off our sidewalks than we care to remember, and we know you have, too! We look forward to the sunny days ahead. We also look forward to sharing a new column with all of you. We have been working on this idea for a long time, and we think we finally have it right. 

If you have been to our Facebook page recently, you will know that we established something called the “Front Porch Rules.” Basically, we want people to share their thoughts and opinions like they would if they were sitting on the front porch, sipping iced tea while chatting with family and friends. We want RealWV to be a place of community, of friendly disagreement and a place where people feel at home. 

We know many of you have things you want to discuss, whether that be politics, sports, health struggles, or even the loss of a loved one. Other topics of conversation you might be interested in may center around a recipe that must be shared, the best canning strategies for your fall harvest, or the best documentary on Netflix.

Perhaps someone needs advice from their fellow Mountaineers, like how to jump start a car or the best place to get a pizza in Lewisburg. Whatever it is, we want you to feel like you are sitting on the front porch with a group of your favorite people, and your ideas and questions are welcome. 

For these reasons, and more, we have decided to launch “Front Porch Conversations,” a reader-led column moderated by us at RealWV. 

If you have a question, need advice or want to start a topic of conversation, head on over to our website and click Front Porch Conversations.

From there, you will be asked to enter a name you wish to be referred to. Please, feel free to use your own name. Or, if you wish to remain anonymous, use a catchy name like, “Monroe County MountaineerGal.” 

When you are finished, make sure to click the submit button, and you are all done. 

If selected, we will share your Front Porch Conversation with our readers and on social media. 

We also want you to rest easy knowing that we will not share your personal information with anyone and we do not collect your data. (I don’t think any of us even know how that works.)

We believe that a key part of creating a healthy, engaged community is to build awareness of the issues we all face. This will help us better understand the resources that are available to us, and make a few new friends while chatting on the “front porch.” 

We aren’t experts, and we know we can’t change the world. But, we hope to make our little corner a better, more connected place.