When it comes to engaging with your community, most agencies are familiar with using social media tools like Facebook or Twitter to communicate. But next time you’re sharing information about flu shots – or a potential flood – the neighborhood news network Nextdoor may be a good way to connect with those most affected by your message.
The private, virtual social network includes 42,000 neighborhoods throughout the country. Residents join through a special code sent to their address to ensure they are indeed part of that particular neighborhood, and members often share information about local issues, including crime and safety.
This conversation grew, and the company recently launched Nextdoor for Public Agencies, a new, free platform designed for first responders. It allows city agencies to securely communicate with members and send targeted information to specific neighborhoods, groups of neighborhoods or the entire city.
Co-founder Sarah Leary said reaching out to public safety was a natural progression soon after the company launched.
“It quickly became clear that residents also wanted local agencies to join the conversation and help make their neighborhoods safer,” she said.
At the same time, Leary said public safety agencies were asking for a better way to share news like power outages, emergency evacuations, Amber alerts, weather alerts and disaster recovery information. Over the last two years, Nextdoor has been working with 250 cities and regions, including Plano, Texas; Santa Cruz County, Calif.; North Las Vegas, Nev.; and Orlando, Fla., to develop and refine the platform.
Nextdoor in action
In 2014, during wildfires in San Diego, the police department was sending out important information on Nextdoor. If another agency, like the fire department, was also using Nextdoor, they wouldn’t want to send duplicate messages or contradict each other.
“Using Nextdoor for Public Agencies, they would be able to see each other’s messages and better coordinate their communication,” Leary said.
Police officer and Police1 columnist Mike Bires applauded Nextdoor in a recent column, saying one of the major benefits is the ability to communicate only with your intended audience, which also reduces widespread panic or speculation.
“As we’ve watched events unfold across our nation — for example, following the Michael Brown shooting — law enforcement has found that the majority of trouble-makers aren’t even from the particular area where the incident occurred. In fact, many of those arrested in Ferguson, Mo. didn’t even live in Ferguson.
“As a law enforcement agency, you don’t need people from another community, city or state weighing in on an issue occurring in a certain portion of your community. When you publish information on Nextdoor, you distribute it to the particular areas you feel should have the information.
For example, if you have potential mudslides which are going to affect residential areas near the base of some hills or mountains, you can send messages only to those affected areas. This is great for limiting speculation and panic from those not located in the affected areas. On a security level, in the event evacuations were ordered, only those in the affected areas would be notified, and not the criminals just yearning to hear homes have been left unattended.”
How public agencies and the public benefit
An agency can only see its own posts and replies, and isn’t able to access or view individual’s personal information. Members can send private messages to public agencies, mute an agency, and adjust the frequency of email notifications from public agencies.
Bires said it allows for open communication, without the public fear of “Big-Brother.”
“For example, if you as a law enforcement entity published an alert for a particular area about car thefts, and people commented on your post, then you see it,” he said. “However, if someone started his or her own new post about the thefts, you wouldn’t see it.”
The fact that the conversation is limited to a particular area also cuts downs on trolls who purposely harass others on social media sites, he said. By the same token, when there’s a real issue – be it a thief who targeted a neighborhood or a missing elderly woman with medical problems – an agency alert means many more eyes are on the lookout for that person.
Leary said the public agencies using the platform find that the two-way communication with residents helps build trust and community partnerships – which is something Nextdoor would also like to see more of. The company currently partners with law enforcement, fire departments, EMS agencies and emergency management agencies, and plans to expand to other types of organizations in the future, Leary said.