Community Is Making a Comeback - Via Tech
Who says people don’t know their neighbors anymore? Or that social media is replacing real-life connections? It’s quite the opposite, actually!
In addition to staying connected with neighborhood parks, community pools and the occasional block party, neighbors are finding new ways to build tight communities with apps and technology designed to foster a sense of connectivity.
Nextdoor
This popular social networking platform helps bring local communities and neighborhoods together by narrowing your network to your surrounding area, allowing neighbors to feel more connected, creating a local, online community that shares an interest in the same news. But the app also has three other purposes: buying and selling (anything from clothes to real estate), organizing events and sharing recommendations on local businesses. We talk to friends and family online all day, and now getting to know our neighbors is just as easy. And the tighter the neighbors, the stronger the community.
Freecycle
Get free stuff. Give free stuff. This community-focused app connects those with extra housewares, supplies and odds-and-ends with others who could use them. It’s all about re-using, keeping things out of landfills and helping others out. Not to mention, the fact that both parties live close by saves time driving to a donation center, or posting and responding to buyers online. Plus, it just feels better to help someone in your own neighborhood. You get to clean out your garage and your neighbor gets a much needed weed eater – on Freecycle, one neighbor’s trash is another’s treasure!
IOBY, aka “In Our Backyard"
Making sure your neighbors have a place to stay up on hyperlocal news is a great way to bring the community together online. But what about encouraging people to step out of their homes and work together for a common cause? Whether it’s sprucing up the neighborhood playground or starting a community garden, IOBY is all about rallying the community to bring positive change to the neighborhood, one block at a time.
These apps are more than a way for neighbors to get to know each other, share local news and rate the corner restaurant – they’re helping foster a new way to connect and a stronger sense of community in neighborhoods across the country. And you can always use that online connection to take community building to the next level. Schedule a block party, start a monthly beautification event or invite neighbors for coffee on your front lawn. Good old face-to-face conversations are always a great way to get to know your neighbors.
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