Nextdoor Wants to Bring Back That Sense of Community

If you are like me, social media is already a large part of your life. I spend at least some time each day checking in with my friends, regardless of where they are in the world. Most of them do not live near me, or at least in not in my immediate vicinity. There is a newcomer to the social media world that wants to take a different approach to social and connect you to your neighbors, and only your neighbors. Nextdoor.com, founded by San Fransisco based entrepreneur Nirav Tolia, is looking to bring back the sense of community that many people have not felt in their neighborhood for years.

Nextdoor allows members to start pages for their own neighborhood, and you must actually be a part of it to participate. You must enter a verifiable address to within the neighborhood to be a part of it. Neighbors can then exchange all kinds of ideas – advice for good, cleaners, babysitters, and dog walkers; plan community BBQs and garage sales; or coordinate trick-or-treating times for Halloween. Nextdoor is all about connecting you with the people that are closest to you, literally.

Currently Nextdoor up and running in over 400 neighborhoods across the U.S., but it seems it is gaining traction relatively quickly. It is not going to replace Facebook or Twitter for you, but I think for people that interested in being a part of their immediately local communities, Nextdoor will have some appeal. I entered my address to see if there was a neighborhood started in my part of Arlington, VA. There wasn’t, but there is now!

So what are your thoughts? Does Nextdoor seem like something you might be interested in? Do you care to interact with and bring back a sense of community in your neighborhood? Do you have room for another social media site in your life? Let us know in the comments below.