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January 11, 2012

Nextdoor – Network with Neighbors

Nextdoor is a private social network that people can use to develop closer relationships with neighbors located nearby. Whether you’re looking to organize a community garage sale or find a teenage babysitter for your child, Nextdoor is a secure and trustworthy application that connects people in ways that are not possible using traditional social networking sites.

The days when families held block parties and borrowed sugar from their next door neighbors might be long gone, but Nextdoor is trying to bring back the sense of community that has been somewhat erased in recent years. If you’re interested in getting to know your neighbors but skeptical of the responses you’d receive by going door-to-door and introducing yourself, then you can save face and make the introductions online by signing up for an account with Nextdoor. The application requires that people enter their real names and addresses in order to use the site, and lets you know immediately whether people in your ’hood have already started connecting online. If they have, you can join the neighborhood network by verifying your address and entering some basic profile data like your name, occupation, and interests. Neighborhood networks function similarly to social networks like Facebook or MySpace, which means you can post questions, offer advice, and chat with neighbors through the online service. Nextdoor will send you an email each time a neighbor posts new content on the site, and you can reply to these conversations by replying to the Nextdoor emails if you wish.

Two of the more useful features available through Nextdoor are the Events and Recommendations sections on each neighborhood network page. Using the information provided by your neighbors, you can find out about upcoming events – ranging from concerts to construction projects – as well as nearby merchants that are worth checking out.

Practical Uses:

  • Organize a community yard sale
  • Learn about your neighbors and their families
  • Find out when a nearby park is expected to open
  • Get recommendations on the best orthodontists in your community

Insider Tips:

  • The first person to sign up for Nextdoor in a neighborhood gets to set the neighborhood boundaries
  • Users can reply to comments on Nextdoor via email
  • The information posted on Nextdoor will never be indexed on search engines
  • When requested, Nextdoor will call certain new members to verify their addresses

What we liked:

  • Neighborhood networks are completely private to outsiders
  • Nextdoor is a great way to learn about a neighbor whose name you forgot
  • People can use Nextdoor to invite neighbors to their upcoming events
  • People have to use their real names when they log in to Nextdoor

What we didn’t like:

  • Because the service is relatively new, there are few neighbors who’ve signed up in most neighborhoods

Alternatives:

Company Info:

  • Launched: October 2011
  • Privately Held
  • Headquarters: San Francisco, California
  • Founded by: Nirav Tolia
  • Web site: https://nextdoor.com

Costs:

  • Free

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