Networking site builds happy and safe neighborhoods
By Amy Shanahan
In need of a babysitter? Want to sell your patio furniture? Know about a fun local event? Looking for a plumber? Had a bear sighting? If you haven’t yet been introduced to the Nextdoor website, you may want to take a look to see what you’ve been missing. Nextdoor is a private social network for specific neighborhoods and it is bringing our community together in a very dynamic way.
Nextdoor is successful because it allows for privacy within a neighborhood. A dedicated website for each community ensures that information is not shared outside of designated parameters. Upon joining, each new member must verify their address and set up a password in order to be included in the neighborhood group.
Many of our local communities are set up on Nextdoor, including Castle Pines Village, Canterbury Park, Happy Canyon, Surrey Ridge, Sapphire Pointe, and Diamond Ridge.
Castle Pines Village resident Amanda Quam set up the Nextdoor group for her neighborhood and it has become extremely popular. “My goal for the site is to hopefully get all of the over 2,300 neighbors in The Village signed up,” remarked Quam. “I know that’s a lofty goal, but the more capable and easy it is for us to communicate with our neighbors the better. In this day and age, a lot of first introductions are made through a computer screen and I think Nextdoor is an amazing catalyst to turn those connections into friendships, block parties, a trusted babysitter, a playgroup, or even someone to just sell your old nightstands to. The more connected we are, the more we can look out for one another and create an even safer place to live.”
Another positive feature of Nextdoor is the ability to connect and network with members in surrounding neighborhoods. Each member has the ability to post something at any time and the site allows you to choose who receives the post in addition to the members in your own neighborhood. As an example, if a member were searching for a lost puppy, that information could be shared with several neighboring communities to enhance the chances of finding the pet.
Joining Nextdoor is easy. To find your community site, visit
www.nextdoor.com/find-neighborhood/co/castle-rock/.
