Ever thought of starting a neighborhood website to share neighborhood news, recommend good service providers, sell, buy or swap stuff?  A  friend introduced me to what appears to be a new site, Nextdoor.com that serves the purpose.  The concept is that the first person in the neighborhood to adopt Nextdoor, draws the neighborhood boundaries and invites friends to join a PRIVATE neighborhood network.  Watch the video. Read some of the posts linked below.  It looks very inviting.  I set up my neighborhood to test drive the site.  Areas can be small, like your block, or up to 1500 residences.  You must live in the area you define, and you  have to get a quota, in my case 10 people to join, for your neighborhood site to become active.  I defined Memphis Midtown, which is mostly Central  Gardens and some areas to the east of CG.

So what’s the deal?

As much as we would like to believe that social networking sites are free, they all have a profit model.  Nextdoor members may have advertising served on pages, be offered premium memberships, or be served other targeted based on location.  Privacy will definitely be an issue for some as Nextdoor requires address verification for membership.  However, only those who live in the physical boundaries of the neighborhood may join and participate in the private site.

Looking at the initial site structure and information video, the current benefits seem to outweigh any potential downside.  That is why I am joining and inviting others in my neighborhood.

I have linked to some other posts about Nextdoor below.  Read and decide for your self.

If you live in the area bounded by Memphis Midtown, check it out.  I would love to get a neighborhood network going. Continue reading →