Nextdoor is an online platform that allows people to get to know their neighbours by sharing useful information, asking questions, advertising events and sharing top tips about their neighbourhood.
Categories include classifieds, crime and safety, free items, general, lost and found and recommendations. You can also create groups and events.
You can see which of your neighbours have joined by viewing a map of your area. Green means already joined, yellow marks people who have been invited to join and red means that not involved at all (yet).
The great thing about Nextdoor is that you can invite people that you know and pass on the message. Sometimes people are more inclined to get involved if they hear about something from a friend or by word of mouth and Nextdoor relies a lot on this form of promotion.
Nextdoor started in the US and has been very successful. Nextdoor Netherlands launched in February and now the UK has its own version with around 500 trial areas mapped and launched (including our very own Splott and sister ward Adamsdown (although it has been named ‘lower Roath – something which has been pointed out to the guys and gals at Nextdoor UK!)) .
The posts on Nextdoor Splott are brilliantly diverse. From ‘who’s up for a New Year’s Eve Party in Aberystwyth Street’ to ‘I’ve come home from holidays and my washing machine is broke – help!’ to ‘Does anyone know who’s chickens and cockerel are pecking about on Pearl Place by the Railway?’. It’s like Streetlife but much more localised.
What has been nice is the offers of help. For example, offering a lend of a washing machine in response to the post listed above. As people say, back in the day that kind of practice was common nature; neighbours would often lend and borrow from each other, run errands and carry out chores to help those living around them. This could be a bitty step back towards that wonderful ethos of helping each other out.
Nextdoor is a useful tool and an interesting read and the more people that get involved, the richer and better the content will be and the more useful users will find it.
There’s a website and an app, so don’t be shy – come and join us on Nextdoor Splott today!