Nextdoor is an app which can help you connect with your local community, share important information, offer help, request assistance and reach out to your neighbours.
Is there a parcel that was delivered and you can’t read the couriers note or don’t know where to find it? Or did you run out of bread and want to ask your neighbours if they would visit the shops for you?
You can select to show your full address, but many people opt to only list their street name. You can specify whether you want people in your most immediate neighbourhood to see your profile, or you can opt to widen it to include more nearby districts.
Nextdoor prides itself on making sure users are verifiable members of a neighbourhood, and it is strictly moderated to screen out anyone who is using it inappropriately.
There are five buttons, or tabs, on the bottom of the screen. It is worth exploring them, so you have an idea where to go when in need of different things.
You will find all recent activity by pressing the ‘Home’ tab. You can post a message or shout out to your community, but importantly, you can read about what is going on in your neighbourhood. To compose a message to another member, or a post to the whole community, explore the buttons on the top of the screen.
They are:
If you choose the More tab, there are a several useful features that may be worth exploring. Here you will find links to events, items for sale, lost and found, crime and safety notices and more. There is also a map of your local area, so if you have some sight you can see where in your community the other members live. You will also find the app settings, where you can change your profile details and notification preferences.
For me, this is a fantastic app if you want help getting to know your surroundings. You can choose how much, or how little you wish to interact. All features are accessible at the time of writing in March 2020.
Website: nextdoor.co.uk
Author: Madleen Mann, Technology for Life co-ordinator, London
Members of The Technology for Life team at RNIB are early adopters of new technology and are sharing their own experiences with the most interesting and useful apps in this series of reviews. This is not an official accessibility review or audit, nor reviewed the site for any security or compliance with data processing law. For any issues concerning accessibility please raise these with the developer via its website.