Nextdoor private social networking site

[klmama]

Is anyone here a member of Nextdoor?  I've been invited by someone I barely know who lives in a nearby town, and I don't know enough about how it works to decide.  I don't want to ask her, because I don't want to hurt her feelings if I decide not to join.  Can you fill me in? How private is it?  How is it different than FB or Google+?

 

 

[Ms.Ivy]

It's not really for social networking.  I use it, and while you do give Nextdoor your name and address, your neighbors don't have to see your exact house number if you don't want it to show.  Our town uses it as a sort of online neighborhood watch program, and the local sheriff's department and park district use it to make announcements relevant to our neighborhood.  It also has a section for letting others in your neighborhood know that you're for hire, if you'd like.  There's a boy in our area who has a listing for mowing lawns.  It's much more local and private than Craig's List, for example.  But it's not like social networking sites, because you don't get to choose who you are "friends" with.  Postings go to all those signed up in your neighborhood, or you can privately message your neighbors who are on Nextdoor without having to know their e-mail or phone number.  

[Excelsior! Academy]

Agreed with above.

[klmama]

Okay, thanks.  I'm not sure why she invited me, since we live 15 miles apart.  Is this the sort of thing that just accesses your address book, or would you have to actually type in someone's email for Nextdoor to contact?

[Hen]

I'm on it for my neighborhood, it is really handy.

[PollyOR]

There are different ways to invite people.  We were given a flyer with a code on it when we went to the yearly July 4th celebration.  My guess is she would have typed in your e-mail address, but I would ask.

 

Our city staff uses the website to make announcements about things like the kids' summer program, the 4th of July BBQ, and the Christmas cookie exchange.  Community members have used the sight to post free items, to ask about local child care, and to see if anyone else is having problems with cable/internet service (some work from home).  New neighbors are welcomed as they join which helps form a sense of community.

 

One use that has been really helpful is for lost pets.  Neighbors will make the announcement that they have a dog at their house and ask if anyone knows who it belongs to it.  It has saved folks from making a trip to the vet to check for a chip.  

 

I like it. :)

[Tree Frog]

I'm on it, but our area uses FB much more. My biggest concern about NextDoor is that the street I live on is visible to anyone who has joined, which makes it really easy to find which house I live in if they look on the county tax roll website. In our area, it connects 3 different adjoining neighborhoods.

[Lovingparent]

I use nextdoor. It's not a social website. PollyR above listed a lot of good reasons to use it. In our case we also use it as a crime watch. We had petty theft like package theft and break-ins and it's a good way to keep the neighbors informed on suspicious cars or people. You can choose to post a message only for your immediate neighborhood or you send it to more. You can also send private messages to other members. Iit is also useful for referrals like home improvement and home services. Some people even ask for doctors. It's quite useful.