Facebook launches a Nextdoor-clone ‘Neighbourhoods’

Facebook groups are a key connector for many people and have become even more so during the COVID-19 pandemic. They’re also an essential tool for local communities – according to a recent Facebook survey, 38% of Facebook group members look to connect with people in their local area through groups.

That, to Facebook, spells opportunity, and this week, The Social Network has launched a new test of an option called ‘Neighborhoods’, which aims to better connect more people to others within their immediate vicinity.

The app revolves around “neighborhoods,” as initially defined by data culled from geographic boundary data firm Maponics and subsequent user-generated content.

Day-to-day interactions on the platform revolve around sharing neighborhood news, debating local issues and ordinances, complaining about noisy neighbors, discussing local eateries, rehoming or locating pets, posting items for sale, and sharing recommendations for local service providers.

The last item, in fact, constitutes a huge percentage of user behavior on this platform. According to a piece published last year in the Atlantic, “Service requests and recommendations constitute 30 percent of chatter, and discussions of real estate make up another 20 percent.”

In other words, Nextdoor is a place where homeowners are highly engaged with their own local community and are actively seeking advice from their neighbors about local service providers.

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