We all know about social media, and most of us use it to stay in touch with family and friends on Facebook, or to get great ideas on Pinterest, just to mention a few.
Businesses are using social media to stay in touch with their clients or market their companies and services. Many communities will have their own Facebook page where you can find out more information about that community and its scheduled events. If you are anything like me, you always plan to look on Facebook, log on to the site to check things out, but just never seem to get around to doing so.
The other problem with just having these sites is the fact they are not designed to be any kind of a discussion forum, where homeowners can find out about everything going on in the neighborhood, especially from other neighbors. If something happens in your neighborhood, someone, somewhere usually sees it or knows about it.
So, how can they let everyone else in the neighborhood know about it right away? This is where the social network site www.nextdoor.com enters the picture.
About Nextdoor
Nextdoor is the private social network for your neighborhood. There are social networks for many important parts of our lives, but there wasn’t any social network for our lives closest to home—until now.
Studies show 29 percent of Americans know only a few of their neighbors, and 28 percent know none of their neighbors by name. Nextdoor found people were feeling disconnected from their communities, and made it their mission to help bring a sense of community back to the neighborhood. In fact, there are 44,000 neighborhoods across the U.S. using Nextdoor. Only neighborhood residents can join.
Nextdoor allows neighbors to create a private website for their neighborhood. On Nextdoor, members can:
- Share local recommendations (plumbers, auto mechanics and babysitters, etc.).
- Sell or give away household items.
- Publicize local events.
- Exchange information about crime and safety issues.
- Discuss community issues.
- Find neighbors in the directory.
- View a neighborhood map.
- Ask for advice.
- Residents can choose to view and respond to updates via email or directly on the website.
When I first signed up on the site, about eight months ago, I would read some of the posts and respond, occasionally ask for or offer advice or recommendations, and that was pretty much it. It wasn’t until something happened in our neighborhood, really sparking my interest that I realized what a wonderful site this is.
A neighbor posted some information on the site informing everyone of a particular situation of which most of us were totally unaware. Once the first post was out there, it snowballed into hundreds of posts and comments from many of our neighbors.
Without this site, I certainly would not have been aware of the situation, and neither would all the other neighbors. It was a great resource for getting the information out there, and for everyone to read about it, post their own responses, ask questions, and be able to debate the topic freely, quickly and easily. I was able to be a part of a conversation with so many neighbors I didn’t know and probably would never have met.
Nextdoor is, by far, the best social network site out there for staying informed about what is really going on in your neighborhood. You can be as active as you like, get involved and participate, or never post. Just log on to read what it going on in your neighborhood, all from the luxury of your home.
Neighbor-to-neighbor conversation is powerful, and I encourage every neighbor to join. Communities become stronger and safer with every person who joins.
Lorraine Ryall is a multimillion-dollar producer and recipient of the Coldwell Banker International President’s Circle Award. For more information, call (602) 571-6799, or visit her website at www.Homes2SellAZ.com.