Community Chat

[Fressa]

I just received this card in the mail and wondered if anyone else has this group in their area. It looks like a new version of the Crime Watch . I've searched online and and can't find anything negative. Just wondering what others are thinking about it and how it works for your area. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. 

[VaBelle35]

Nextdoor.com is everywhere.  My development has been on it since 2012.

It's much more than neighborhood watch/crime, although that is a good part of it as  you can get real-time information on fires, car accidents and crime in the community. 

Everyone's site will be different based on the people who sign up to be administrators.  Ours are heavy-handed and constantly close threads after a few minutes when people don't agree on something.

The positives for me are that I can post about stuff I am giving away for free and I have never had to wait more than 24 hours for someone to take it off my hands.  Most times, it is gone in under an hour.

A house burned down just before Christmas on a Saturday in 2015 and the HOA Board was able to run down to our clubhouse and bring the displaced families, Red Cross. witnesses and fire investigators out of the cold to take statements and help get the family temporary housing and supplies.  By 5pm that night, the community had come together to get all the impacted people a change of clothes and toiletries to get them through the weekend.  The following week we did a more organized fundraiser for them to buy new stuff and cash and gift cards to get them through until their insurance was worked out.

The recommendations for service providers are mostly good, but I've had one miss.

Since many neighborhoods are connected (we are connected to 257 neighborhoods (that's tens of thousands of people), it is key to make sure your set your notification settings to just the things you want to know about in real time.

I have all of the notifications for selling and recommendations turned off and I only have notifications for things posted to my community by a member of my community.  If you don't, your notifications will drive you insane.

You can block/"mute" people (and you will know who these people are after 24 hours) and you can turn off notifications to a specific thread if you don't want to keep reading the arguments/updates.

In my community, the Emergency Alert is overused and the administrators allow it to be used for all pets lost and found, which has been a source of constant arguing for the last 5 years.

[VanSleepy]

I just got a card in the mail, too, and was debating whether to sign up.  @VaBelle35 where/how do you get all these pesky notifications?  Just when you log on to the site?  

[VaBelle35]

@VanSleepy  If you have the app on your phone, the notifications come from your phone.  They also come to the email account you use to set it up.

The larger your community, the more notifications you get.  It can be overwhelming and many people unsubscribe quickly because they can't handle all the notifications.

[VanSleepy]

@VaBelle35 yeah I was afraid you were going to say that lol.  Thanks 

[x Hedge]

Never heard of it.
So much for it being "everywhere". I Googled it, and they describe themselves as follows: Nextdoor is the private social network for your neighborhood.
I can't tell whether they're operating in MY neighborhood since they insisted on having my home address and email address before networking with me. No thanks.
I'm sure if I'd provided what they wanted, they would inundate me with junk mail.
Personally, I don't want any of what they offer since it seems they primarily collect information while duplicating existing services.

[Drythe]

I've had it for a while.   No junk mail or spam.  As we live in hurricane alley, it is good to have.

Also, it has been a HUGE help in posting and finding lost pets, even a horse!

[shoesnbags]

I've been connected to Nextdoor.com for over a year, and the only notifications I receive regularly are the once a day summary with all of the posts for that day.  That's what I chose when I signed up. Just like these QVC boards, you have to set up your preferences. 

I've found it really helpful in finding service people who are recommended by neighbors, as well as learning more about what's going on in my general area. FWIW I don't do Facebook. 

[sunshine45]

i have been using the site for about 7 months now. i dont get any junk emails. i am signed up for a review email that i think i get each day. it is a great site for listing or finding lost pets, items for sale, job hunters, police and break in reports, homes for sale, recommendations of businesses, and more.

[bikerbabe]

I joined but quit. My neighborhood seemed to be primarily complaints about neighbors and dislike over certain people moving into the neighborhood. I did like some of the updates from the local PD. I should check to see if I can get that on Facebook.