Community, neighbors, and Nextdoor.com.

A friend recently told me about Nextdoor, and I'm now obsessed with it. Well, not obsessed, as I'm not sure exactly how it works just yet. It seems to be like a Facebook group for your neighborhood only (confirmed and verified addresses), except it's not on Facebook.

It's used for a variety of things, kind of like a non-creepy craigslist. You know, if you post that you have something to sell, you can be mostly sure that the person who comes over to pick it up isn't going to chop you in a thousand bits. It seems particularly good for finding lost pets or borrowing a tool. Or really, just meeting your neighbors.

That's actually my favorite part: the idea of community sharing. Several years ago in the UK, I read about a website there that was created for just that. Say you needed some hedge clippers, but it felt silly to go out and purchase a brand new pair when someone on the street probably had some already. Just log on to the private verified website and find a list of what people had and what was available to borrow. If you don't see what you need, post a question.

Honestly, it blows my mind that every single household on my street owns a lawn mower. I feel like there should be some big ol' shed at the end of the block where we keep one or two of
everything. You could just check out the ladder for an hour, clean your gutters, and put it away until the next time you need it (like, years, from them probably).

Check out Nextdoor if you're curious ... your neighborhood might already be on there.

2 comments

  1. We share a lawn mower with a couple of neighbors. It's nice because sometime we get our lawn mowed when we aren't home and sometimes the favor gets returned.

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