How to Use Nextdoor to Get to Know Your Neighbors
Not all of us find it easy to recognize the people who live above, below, or near us. When you’ve only exchanged short greetings, it can be difficult to ask neighbors for help or advice. Just as Facebook facilitates communication with friends and family, social network Nextdoor simplifies communication with your community.
As with any social network, Nextdoor can have problems depending on how your neighbors use it. For example, The New York Times indicated that Nextdoor had problems in the past with people using racial profiling when reporting others they suspected of crime or other negative intent.
Ann Dreshfield, Content Strategy and Digital Communications Manager at Nextdoor, says if your neighbors post messages that contain racial profiling (which violates Nextdoor Community Guidelines ), you have the option to report them so they can be reviewed and potentially removed . Nextdoor also changed its message form to encourage people to include other, non-racial information about the person in question, such as clothing.
Immersion in an established community
With over 150,000 US districts using Nextdoor, yours is probably already on the site. You should study the various sections to see what your neighbors are posting. Basically, they can post when they have free stuff to get rid of, or when they are looking for recommendations from plumbers, or your area can host community events through Nextdoor. Some of Dreshfield’s suggestions for getting the most out of Nextdoor:
- Get Recommendations : Instead of browsing Yelp when you need service personnel (plumber, cleaner, gardener, etc.), you can get detailed recommendations from your neighbors.
- Organize or attend events : Build a sense of community by organizing or supporting events in your area. From massive parties to running clubs or volunteer days, you have a wide range of activities to organize by connecting to your Nextdoor network.
- Connecting with Local Organizations : Dreshfield mentions that police departments and other local organizations often use Nextdoor as a way to reach out to the areas they serve.
- Check Properties : Nextdoor recently launched a feature that allows you to view listings of properties in your area. It’s not available everywhere yet, but if you have access, you can use it to check out other homes in your area if you’re looking to relocate, or even just to get an idea of how much your place might be worth.
Of course, if you happen to interact more with certain members of your Nextdoor community, you can turn off this friendship. Building them up over time can bring tremendous benefits, such as having someone you can trust to look after their baby or pets, get a package for you, lend you things, or just drink a beer.
Creating a sparse community
Your area may already be in Nextdoor but may not be very active or have many members. If you want to build your Nextdoor community to take advantage of an active and decent network, there are a few things you need to do:
- Encourage others to subscribe . This is easiest if you already know several of your neighbors before contacting Nextdoor.
- Attract existing members . If your Nextdoor community isn’t very active, you can try updating your current members by hosting an event in your area, like a local kids’ play area or a simple lunch.
- Start a community in your area . If your area is not in Nextdoor, you need to get started. You will need more than ten members to register and be active for 21 days to exit pilot status.
If you are very active or are one of the founders of the Nextdoor community, you may be offered the opportunity to become a Nextdoor leader . This includes some special features, such as voting on posts that should be removed, or approving unverified members, but you won’t be omnipotent.
Knowing your neighbors has many benefits, but Nextdoor isn’t the answer for everyone. If you find that your Nextdoor community is not right for you, you will simply have to resort to more traditional methods, such as suffering through small talk, to form friendships.