What problem can’t be solved with social media these days?

Our neighborhood was having trouble communicating, working together, and behaving like a true community, so we turned to Ning.com to help us improve that.

Using Ning it took only minutes to create a full-featured social network complete with groups, discussion forums, an event calendar, blogs, and photo sharing. After a few tweaks, neighbors were invited and The Longpoint Commons was born.

I’ve been working with online communities for years, and Ning has always impressed me with how easy it is for people to use. It seems like everyone who signs up immediately begins to write blog posts, join groups, or just build out their profile. A volunteer brigade, neighborhood crime watch group, and resident meetups appeared right away. It’s clear that social media makes it easier for busy, family-oriented suburbanites to connect. It really does take a village, and technology can make the village really hum.

I meant to post these shots of Chris a couple weeks ago. We skated the rec center by ourselves for a while, and he even got a shot of me for a change.

Austen Heard, 2007.
Just a nice 50-50 down the rail.

Jay Meyer, 2007.
20 years ago, being able to ollie a cone meant the same thing it does today…you’ve got mad chops. This shot gets deeper when you find out Jay broke his arm clean through just a couple months ago, and had two surgeries and 8 pins put in. Now that’s hardcore.

Austen Heard, 2007.
Caught just before wood hits meta at the Mount Pleasant Skatepark.

Graham Russell, 2007.
How high is this ollie? You’ll never really know, will you? (pssst…it’s huge!)

Check out these two shots of Austen Heard at the Mount Pleasant Skatepark. The first was taken two days ago, while the second was taken six months ago. This kid’s been eating his Wheaties for sure.

– April 2007

– October 2006

Jordan Fuller, 2007.
A very fast frontside down the rail at the Mt. Pleasant Skate Park.

Jordan Fuller, 2007.
Nosegrinding like he can’t believe it’s not butter, on a wicked weird winter day.

Chris Thul, 2007.
He pulled these smooth all day long. I snapped this one near the catch.

Austen Heard, 2007.
Just a nice boardslide on a cloudy day.

This image was made from a scrap pile shot. The flash didn’t fire, but something about that active sillouette is still cool.