NextDoor: Your Neighborhood Watch on the Web

I am totally stoked about this idea.  NextDoor isn't new, but it may as well be new to many people.  The concept is as old as the idea of neighbors, but through the awesome power of the internet, we can now communicate with all our neighbors.  In a sense, it's like the idea of the Neighborhood Watch program but with the addition of a trade forum.

NextDoor is very exclusive in its idealism.  You cannot simply join like you can when creating an email account on Yahoo or Google email services.  The service requires that you have an address and that you verify yourself either via a personal phone number, Social Security, or credit card.  This almost guarantees that you will only ever seen communications between you and your closest local neighbors.

I've only been using NextDoor for a week and already I've communicated with more than 10 neighbors that I did not know before.  And I've found that I have more things in common with those who live near me than I had previously guessed.  In the past, let's say 30 years ago, the only way to get to know your neighbors was to walk down the street and talk to them (or lose a football over the fence). But today, it's quite possible, if not reasonable, to meet your neighbors online.

One of the things that I am most grateful for in the use of NextDoor is the profile space.  Everyone can fill out this section and give each other a small insight to themselves.  This includes a picture in their profile which will allow you to match name and face to an address.  I now know the people who walk their Siberian Husky dogs around the block because they're in my NextDoor neighborhood.

The app is nearly the same as the web interface with some minor tweaks for compactness. I've gone away from receiving updates notifications via email to only through the app.  And it is quite possible to get daily digests rather than momentary updates for each change.  It is fortunate that NextDoor thought to provide an app for both iOS and Android, but is has yet to release a Windows Phone app.  However, it is possible to view the site from any portable device browser if there is yet an app.

I highly recommend checking out NextDoor if you're interested in the happenings of your neighborhood.  It's quite the experience to keep up with the Schwadowskys, Wongs, Winsoms, Burnhardts, and Joneses, especially if you'd never had the time to meet them or were too shy.

Check out the NextDoor App for Android and iOS
And if you haven't been invited, come join me.