We received a piece of snail mail today inviting us to join Nextdoor.com. I'm assuming the same letter went to a bunch of folks on this main street since it was addressed to XXXX Street Neighbors and the return address was the fairly new Development nearby. I'm less concerned that it's legit and more wondering if it's even worth investigating/joining.

Seems almost like a localized kind of Facebook from what I can tell. Just wondering if anyone has joined and if you've found it worthwhile.

It is a "facebook for your neighborhood" but I don't think its intention is to try to be your digital world so much as to be a digital supplement to your real world neighborhood.

I was a member of a nextdoor community at my previous domocile. Perhaps I should sign up for the current one, as there would be some benefit - but I am not on Facebook (and refuse to use any "Meta" services.) I generally avoid social networking as it seems to be more problematic than positive.

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g=

yep. local facebook.

depsnds on what you need. nice to ask about local contractors. or other services. and to rant about traffic, urban sprawl, etc.

political posts kicked pretty quick.

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Edited 999 time(s). Last edit at 12:08PM by jdc.

I use it. It's a place to communicate, buy/sell/trade, offer help, request help, etc, but it is geographically restricted. Neighborhoods define small groups of membership. They can be specific streets, housing complexes, an island...Sometimes posts are shared across groups, I'm not really sure how they decide which ones. It seems like a solution in search of a problem. If they get big enough I'm sure Facebook will squash them.

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MacResource User Map: [www.zeemaps.com]#

Local Facebook type of community.

HOWEVER, on mine (boondocks of VA) there are some people that use it for everything it isn't intended - political commentary being the main one, spreading covid misinformation etc. They are loud about complaining about their posts being taken down, which in turn gets those posts taken down and so on...

And then there's the guy that complains about posts that aren't in his neighborhood showing up in his feed so there's the computer illiterate issue to deal with as well.

I'd say that 1/4 of the people that post around here aren't using their brain first before hitting the send button. And at least a couple of extremely "dumb as a fencepost type".

YMMV



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/2022 04:01PM by Lizabeth.

we get mailers maybe 3 times a year too.

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The police have no duty to respond. See Castle Rock v. Gonzales, 545 U.S. 748 (2005) or Warren v. District of Columbia[1] (444 A.2d. 1, D.C. Ct. of Ap. 1981)

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If you think Facebook and Twitter are wretched hives of scum and villainy, just wait until you see NextDoor.

It tends to go off-topic and blurry sometimes (I swear there's at least one "did anyone hear that loud noise?" post every night) and there's an occasional burst of political posts, but for the most part I keep my setup with it for news about the neighborhood and area (including posts regarding business, police/fire, utility news, etc.) and to ask for recommendations for services (handyman, etc).

Some weeks it seems like it's nothing but found pet/lost pet notices.

Just like any of the social sites, it has its share of nonsense, but it also can provide a good service.

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What jdc and z...z said. Early adopter here, and because of density, our original "neighborhood" has been subdivided many times since, and it's kinda fun to watch how the Nextdoor sprawl is gerrymandered. They've grown substantially, and its founder has been a guest Shark on Shark Tank, so I'm guessing it's a success.

I'm also guessing that w/ its success, that in addition to the monitors that search and destroy politically incorrect posts, that there are local monitors that make sure posts maintain their geographical relevancy, as the "Post to X, Y, and/or Z" buttons are seemingly only suggestions. Our once sensibly sized "neighborhood" is now down to 6 blocks wide, by 4 blocks tall. Lost dog/cat posts have gotta be fun to coordinate.
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There are some positives...but you will find some distasteful things too. We periodically get a 'strange man running through the neighborhood, I called the police' type messages.

YMMV. My wife participates. I will not because I do not want to think less of my neighbors.

For fun there is a twitter account called "The Best of Nextdoor" which Nextdoor hates. They post some of the crazy they get from around the country.

Here was a post from the 9th:



This is more of the type I mentioned above

I've found our local Nextdoor incredibly useful ... I find it's what you make of it. Primarily it's an information source of things that are happening in the neighborhood that otherwise one might not know about -- for example, thefts, shootings, parking problems, etc. (these are all negative things, but there might be some positives too). I've also "met" people on Nextdoor that I would never have otherwise, because it's not nearly so insular as Fb. Most of the people have been friendly and helpful. Yes, there are some crazies, but usually it's not too hard to ignore them.

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Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)

Its harmless. no personal data is required.

posts are mostly boring. need a plumber, free moving boxes, some bad dad jokes, freem lemons, lost cats, dribble

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Edited 999 time(s). Last edit at 12:08PM by jdc.

To be clear, I think it is net positive.

But I was not making up (as Dave Berry would say) the idea that there is distasteful stuff. People in our neighborhood ***in the Bay Area*** have called the local police because people of color were walking in the neighborhood.

This has happened more than once, and I have other stories. How about "there are kids in the park during school hours so I called the police."?

I think some people have too much time on their hands.

Its probably going to depend upon your neighborhood and the content you're posting. I've decided the trash to content is too high to make it worth my time. but maybe I should revisit.

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Wurm,

This tells you the basics:

[help.nextdoor.com]

Unlike Facebook and other social media sites, Nextdoor.com is a moderated community. All members must agree to and abide by Nextdoor.com's guidelines when posting new threads, replying to posts, private messaging with other members and such.

These are the guidelines you mu

<[help.nextdoor.com];

Personally, I like Nextdoor.com quite a bit. An active neighborhood whose members follow the guidelines is quite nice. Unfortunately, all too many members post under the mistaken belief that it is a free-for-all. These are the people who can ruin an otherwise fine online community. Fortunately, Nextoor.com provides a means or three to deal with them.

Robert

Thank you, all. This is very helpful info. As I kind of figured, it seems to be a fairly localized Facebook wannabe. Which leaves me wondering whether I want to be a part of it. On the upside (unless I'm mistaken), I could "sign up' and monitor forma while and see if it's worth participating.

Lizabeth's reply is pretty much how I feel about Facebook.
I'd say that 1/4 of the people that post around here aren't using their brain first before hitting the send button. And at least a couple of extremely "dumb as a fencepost type".

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Will Collier
If you think Facebook and Twitter are wretched hives of scum and villainy, just wait until you see NextDoor.

He's not joking. Nextdoor seems to have all the people you would rather not meet in the real world. At least with Facebook you can curate your friend list.

I much prefer the email list-serve for my own neighborhood, although that comes with its own kind of crazy.

From the few times I've been on Nextdoor.com, I've noticed my local area is full of like-minded "Karens" and busy bodies all chattering together. YMMV.

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Everyone pretty much covered it.
I’m a “contributer/moderator” (we vote on whether a post should be kept or booted) , people post political stuff all the time, there are a few spats… they get resolved. Some people treat it like Facebook. A few Karens/Kens. “If you are speeding down my street please stop, I’ve already taken photos of your car and license plate…”.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/2022 06:44PM by Carm.

a friend swears by it for getting small contractors for little stuff at the house. Like a kid to rake leaves.
But I was so tired of fbook when I signed off, I'm very reluctant to try any "anti-social" media.

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!#$@@$#!

Lots of lost cats, dogs, people, and a ridiculous amount of blaming certain groups for "all the crime in our neighborhood". Quite often the posts are SYFH worthy.

Tried it but as others noted there's a lot of gossip, aspersions, and foilhat
theories posted along with the lost pet notices.
Couldn't take it!

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That best of NextDoor is pretty funny….





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/2022 07:22PM by Lizabeth.

Our local Nextdoor is so predictable someone posted a bingo card a couple of days ago:

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“Live your life, love your life, don’t regret…live, learn and move forward positively.” – CR Johnson
Loving life in Lake Tahoe, CA



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/2022 07:34PM by Markintosh.

Around here (SFV-LA) most posts are complaints about homeless, porch theft vids or catalytic converter thefts w/ vids.

Ours has its share of lost (then found) dogs or cats but also an occasional "How do I get help with ,,," questions that generally have well informed answers. I learned about the development of a significant park that is being planned for the area from a local alderman who posts "what's happening" quite frequently.

I hired a landscaper to do some major work based on a Next-door post and was pleased with his work. Not as many Karen posts as some of you have reported, but my neighborhood is residential near downtown so no HOA mindsets to deal with.

The ad to content ratio is awfully high, but like FB, it is easy to just keep scrolling.

explosive lol with 'There's a deer on Alder Creek!'

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Markintosh
Our local Nextdoor is so predictable someone posted a bingo card a couple of days ago:

Just remember as always, you're the product. I've read they do a lot of data collection on users, but I can't say that authoritatively.

Crime-wise, it's like a tamer version of the Citizen app, which I deleted for my own sanity.

But there are good-hearted posts that do build connection with your neighbors.

Any social media system is going to be full of idiots.

Thanks again for the comments, folks. Seems like the negatives are outweighing any positives. That and the fact that the "neighborhood" in question isn't really a neighborhood near us, led me tossing the invite in the round file.

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cbelt3
Any social media system is going to be full of idiots.

True, but I think what makes Nextdoor a little different (at least in my case) is that it's a small enough community that people are a little more loathe to misbehave (since they're your neighbors), or if they do, that they get called out on the behavior more. Most are, as I said, pretty friendly / polite, as you'd hope for, for neighbors... that is to say, they're neighborly. But that may also have to do with New Orleans... the biggest little town there is.

I've had pretty good experiences with it overall... for example, I now have tons and tons of calamondin juice, from calamondins offered up to me by a neighbor. There's also a sub-group on my Nextdoor which is dedicated to reduce, reuse, recycle, where people will commonly post things that they have to offer that can be reused, or if they need something particular that the neighbors might have. In that way, it's very similar to Craigslist, but without the relative flakiness of CL (again, I think because it lacks the anonymity of CL).

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Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)

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Will Collier
If you think Facebook and Twitter are wretched hives of scum and villainy, just wait until you see NextDoor.

Seems to be a lot of ‘stranger danger’ convo in ours when I joined up a few years back. Plus some garage sales, questions, etc. A friend who is a mod for his neighborhood doesn’t have great things to say for the view it offers into his neighbors id.

Face to face neighborliness is better.

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PeterB
I've found our local Nextdoor incredibly useful ... I find it's what you make of it. Primarily it's an information source of things that are happening in the neighborhood that otherwise one might not know about -- for example, thefts, shootings, parking problems, etc. (these are all negative things, but there might be some positives too). I've also "met" people on Nextdoor that I would never have otherwise, because it's not nearly so insular as Fb. Most of the people have been friendly and helpful. Yes, there are some crazies, but usually it's not too hard to ignore them.

I agree. It’s very useful. Besides, you can very easily ignore the claptrap that pops up. It’s not as bad as facebook because you don’t have the entire world contributing, just your neighborhood.

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richorlin

richorlin,

One key factor is Nextdoor.com's moderation. Members can report posts that violate the guidelines. Leads and Community Reviewers review the post and vote on whether or not it should stay on the site. Enough votes to remove and the post is removed from the site.

The support team is also very responsive to people. If a member continuously causes problems such as violates the guidelines or harasses someone, you can contact support about it and the support team will take appropriate steps to resolve the situation. And, they do it quickly.

Robert

Quote
wurm
Thanks again for the comments, folks. Seems like the negatives are outweighing any positives. That and the fact that the "neighborhood" in question isn't really a neighborhood near us, led me tossing the invite in the round file.

Uhh... I would just join and not participate until you actually need some local information. ie: My water heater is leaking, any local dependable plumbers in the area to call? or, I need a "man with van" to come pick up a Craigslist purchase in the next 3 hours. Things like that.

But the daily chatter is cringey. Stay far away from that stuff.

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I've had access to for two neighborhoods, mine in CA and my parents in NYC.

It seems like over time the area covered by each has expanded and it's no long just the local neighborhood.

My parents neighborhood also includes a large luxury condo complex (3 34 floor towers, over 1800 units). The people that live there seem to think that Nextdoor just covers them, and mostly use it as a complaint department for that complex.

For my home Nextdoor there's sometimes good information like temporary closures of local roads and the reason (like a water main break). But the area has expanded so wide it includes at least 6 different cities/towns.

I've been a member for some time. But, I've never posted anything. Interestingly enough, there's been no politics, at all, in mine (NW Georgia). We hear about coyotes quite often and there's been somebody looking for free clothes for some time--size 2 petite women and 48x36 pants, XXXL shirts for men! There was a guy trying to sell military-type surplus over several week; once it became pretty obvious he was a business he disappeared. I don't know if it's against the T&C to be a professional seller.

My city played a part in the rise of NextDoor, as an early promoter. The sister of of one of our PD command staff was a key employee in the early days.

You'd think that by requiring you to use your name, that it'd stop people from being nasty and racist. It doesn't. There's plenty of good, too. But as somebody who got a bunch of neighbors signed up many years ago, I shut down my account after one of the Neighborhood Leads kept harassing me in private messages because I called her out on lying. The Leads are the ones who're supposed to keep things civil.

One of the persistent complaints on the local app is about the homeless. One respondent came up with