4 ms·

So, first of all, my neighbourhood name in their map is kinda offensive (a local colloquialism). Second, to complete the registration process, I have to either

So, first of all, my neighbourhood name in their map is kinda offensive (a local colloquialism). Second, to complete the registration process, I have to either supply a debit/credit card, the will call a phone number and somehow compare that against phone records to verify my identity, or send me a postcard. This seems incredibly intrusive and a big privacy ingress. No thanks.

spindritf 12y ago
A postcard seems perfect for a neighbourhood-based social network.
includeme 12y ago
That also gives you confidence that all members in the neighborhood are verified.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
worklogin 12y ago
I'm not sure how I feel about debit/credit cards, but the postcard idea is clever. What better way to validate identity on a neighborhood-based network than postage?
- callahad 12y ago
  I believe CouchSurfing has been doing the postcard thing for years, as well.
onedev 12y ago
> Second, to complete the registration process, I have to either supply a debit/credit card, the will call a phone number and somehow compare that against phone records to verify my identity, or send me a postcard. This is actually a HUGE piece of what makes the social network special. This builds inherent trust into the network so you actually know that the people that you're talking to are actually who they say they are and actually live in your neighborhood. This means that, if you're selling your couch, or buying something from a neighbor, you can be sure that it's trusted neighbor that you're interacting with. This actually HELPS privacy rather than impeding it. Nextdoor also cross references with sex offender databases as well as "some" criminal databases so that they are banned from joining. It's also a safety feature.
- adrianh 12y ago
  You should identify yourself as a Nextdoor employee! (Looks like you've promoted them several times in your comment history.)
- hnha 12y ago
  I'd much rather have a simple web of trust between the people than this central authority.
  - wavefunction 12y ago
    That's called real life isn't it? Just choose an unmediated life if that's what you want.
- comex 12y ago
  > Nextdoor also cross references with sex offender databases as well as "some" criminal databases so that they are banned from joining. It's also a safety feature. Ugh. Those things increase recidivism and violate fundamental concepts of justice by not allowing people to ever 'serve their debt to society'. If I can pass someone by on the sidewalk or walk by their house, I don't see why they should be banned from talking to me on such a network.
  - Byzantine 12y ago
    Assuming those people are actual, proven, and unanimously agreed upon sex offenders, such as a 50 year old man who did time for making 10 year year old boys perform fellatio on him, I don't see what is wrong with making them pariahs. If anything, they should have been executed rather than reintroduced into society.
    - blueskin_ 12y ago
      Because no criminal can ever be reformed, right? If they're released, it generally implies they no longer pose a threat, and are monitored if not the case.
    - 12y ago
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
ineedtosleep 12y ago
Can you elaborate on how the postcard is a big privacy issue for you? Their concern is confirming your address, to confirm that you're in the neighbourhood you've chosen -- what forms of data would you be willing to give to prove you live at said location?
lotharbot 12y ago
I didn't find it particularly onerous to register. The thing that bothered me is that I had no indication as to the value prior to signing up. I had no way to know whether my neighborhood had active, thriving, productive discussions or whether it was a ghost town. I had no way to know if it was healthy or full of gossip. This is the down side to it being private.
rotten 12y ago
I set up our neighborhood's NextDoor site last year. I got to name it. As the site owner, I can change the name (I think), if people objected and wanted a better name, I'd do it. It was tough because our area is fairly low density and they require a minimum number of households to set up a neighborhood. I didn't want to include a couple of developments where they really weren't in the same demographic as the neighborhood I was setting up. I did some gerrymandering to make it work. Now Nextdoor is including comments and posts from all of the surrounding neighborhoods, which is really annoying because I don't really care about what is going on over there and would just as soon not have them tracking what is going on over here. Hmpf.
- krawczstef 12y ago
  You can go to your settings and choose not to receive those notifications. You can also customize which nearby neighborhoods you'd like to receive updates from as well. [disclaimer: I work at Nextdoor]

spindritf 12y ago

A postcard seems perfect for a neighbourhood-based social network.

includeme 12y ago

That also gives you confidence that all members in the neighborhood are verified.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

worklogin 12y ago

I'm not sure how I feel about debit/credit cards, but the postcard idea is clever. What better way to validate identity on a neighborhood-based network than postage?

callahad 12y ago
I believe CouchSurfing has been doing the postcard thing for years, as well.

onedev 12y ago

> Second, to complete the registration process, I have to either supply a debit/credit card, the will call a phone number and somehow compare that against phone records to verify my identity, or send me a postcard. This is actually a HUGE piece of what makes the social network special. This builds inherent trust into the network so you actually know that the people that you're talking to are actually who they say they are and actually live in your neighborhood. This means that, if you're selling your couch, or buying something from a neighbor, you can be sure that it's trusted neighbor that you're interacting with. This actually HELPS privacy rather than impeding it. Nextdoor also cross references with sex offender databases as well as "some" criminal databases so that they are banned from joining. It's also a safety feature.

adrianh 12y ago
You should identify yourself as a Nextdoor employee! (Looks like you've promoted them several times in your comment history.)
hnha 12y ago
I'd much rather have a simple web of trust between the people than this central authority.
- wavefunction 12y ago
  That's called real life isn't it? Just choose an unmediated life if that's what you want.
comex 12y ago
> Nextdoor also cross references with sex offender databases as well as "some" criminal databases so that they are banned from joining. It's also a safety feature. Ugh. Those things increase recidivism and violate fundamental concepts of justice by not allowing people to ever 'serve their debt to society'. If I can pass someone by on the sidewalk or walk by their house, I don't see why they should be banned from talking to me on such a network.
- Byzantine 12y ago
  Assuming those people are actual, proven, and unanimously agreed upon sex offenders, such as a 50 year old man who did time for making 10 year year old boys perform fellatio on him, I don't see what is wrong with making them pariahs. If anything, they should have been executed rather than reintroduced into society.
  - blueskin_ 12y ago
    Because no criminal can ever be reformed, right? If they're released, it generally implies they no longer pose a threat, and are monitored if not the case.
  - 12y ago

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

ineedtosleep 12y ago

Can you elaborate on how the postcard is a big privacy issue for you? Their concern is confirming your address, to confirm that you're in the neighbourhood you've chosen -- what forms of data would you be willing to give to prove you live at said location?

lotharbot 12y ago

I didn't find it particularly onerous to register. The thing that bothered me is that I had no indication as to the value prior to signing up. I had no way to know whether my neighborhood had active, thriving, productive discussions or whether it was a ghost town. I had no way to know if it was healthy or full of gossip. This is the down side to it being private.

rotten 12y ago

I set up our neighborhood's NextDoor site last year. I got to name it. As the site owner, I can change the name (I think), if people objected and wanted a better name, I'd do it. It was tough because our area is fairly low density and they require a minimum number of households to set up a neighborhood. I didn't want to include a couple of developments where they really weren't in the same demographic as the neighborhood I was setting up. I did some gerrymandering to make it work. Now Nextdoor is including comments and posts from all of the surrounding neighborhoods, which is really annoying because I don't really care about what is going on over there and would just as soon not have them tracking what is going on over here. Hmpf.

krawczstef 12y ago
You can go to your settings and choose not to receive those notifications. You can also customize which nearby neighborhoods you'd like to receive updates from as well. [disclaimer: I work at Nextdoor]