From tools and food to toys and babysitting, 9 out of 10 Americans say they are willing to share resources with their neighbors. So says a recent survey sponsored by Nextdoor, the free and private social network for neighborhoods.
Nextdoor is currently being used in more than 32,000 neighborhoods nationwide to build stronger and safer communities. In addition to sharing, neighbors use Nextdoor to discuss crime and safety updates, reunite lost pets with their owners, and find that perfect babysitter.
Nextdoor sponsored the survey on sharing to show the many ways neighbors can come together to conserve resources.* For example, neighbors use Nextdoor to sell and give away items, share goods like yard equipment, and work together to save and make money. Findings from the survey include:
- Reduce and reuse — 64% of Americans would be more likely to buy/sell an item if the buyer/seller lived close to their home.
- Garage sales — 52% of Americans would be more likely to host a garage sale in spring if they had an easy way to get the word out to their neighbors.
- Ride-share — 51% of Americans would engage in carpools with neighbors if they had an easy way to coordinate.
- Save money — 50% of Americans would work together with their neighbors to save money (e.g., group discounts on home services, split child care costs, shared meals) if they had a way to coordinate it.
Top 10 things people are willing to share with neighborsFood —78%
Tools —71%
Yard equipment —64%
A bike —36%
Clothing —26%
Shelter —26%
Electronics —24%
Kid toys —24%
Childcare/babysitters —24%
A vehicle —15%
“Every day we’re inspired by the unique ways our members use Nextdoor,” says Nirav Tolia, co-founder and CEO of Nextdoor. “About 14% of the conversations on Nextdoor are related to neighbors listing items for free or for sale. The trend of neighbors sharing with each other is not new, but we believe Nextdoor gives our members a modern way to facilitate sharing.”
Nextdoor’s mission is to use the power of technology to build stronger and safer neighborhoods. Using Nextdoor’s free platform, available on the Web and mobile devices, neighbors create private neighborhood websites where they get to know one another, ask questions, exchange local advice and recommendations, and organize virtual neighborhood watches to reduce crime.
1 in 5 neighborhoods across the country use Nextdoor to:
— Find trustworthy local resources, such as babysitters, plumbers and dentists
— Report suspicious activity and local crime
— Organize neighborhood events, such as garage sales and block parties
— Get assistance in finding lost pets and missing packages
— Sell or give away items, like an old kitchen table or bike
The inspiration behind Nextdoor was to give people a social network to connect them to one of the most important communities in their lives — the neighborhood. The company saw that 65% of all online adults use social networking sites, but 28% don’t know their neighbors by name and only 26% speak to their neighbors.** Nextdoor believes that when neighbors start talking, good things happen.
Nextdoor has also created a City Program to make it easy for police and other city entities to connect with neighbors. It is already working with 170 cities, counties and police departments.
Nextdoor is headquartered in San Francisco and was founded by a group of entrepreneurs who have a passion for creating meaningful online communities. Time magazine named Nextdoor one of its 50 Best Websites of 2013 and Entrepreneur magazine put the privately-held company on its 100 Brilliant Companies list.
A new Nextdoor neighborhood starts up every 60 minutes, and it’s easy to understand why. Says one member:
“Since Nextdoor, we finally feel like a neighborhood. Our communication has become more frequent, open, and helpful. We’ve seen lost pets get returned in minutes; unwanted ping pong tables finding new homes in a matter of posts; and a heightened sense of security throughout the neighborhood when a recent crime wave hit.”
As Nextdoor puts it in its manifesto: We are simply you and your neighbors, together.
* Harris Interactive conducted this national survey online within the United States between November 22 and 26, 2013, among 2,033 adults aged 18 and older on behalf on Nextdoor.com. For complete survey methodology, please contact Kelsey Grady at [email protected].
** http://pewinternetorg/Reports/2011/Social-Networking-Sites/Overview.aspx
