Neighbors along Oakdale Road in Mableton and Smyrna are using Nextdoor, a community-based social media tool, to keep in touch and exchange information.

The site was launched in 2011, and allows members to read and respond to either people within their own specific neighborhood, or an expanded range of nearby neighborhoods.

For instance, the neighborhoods in my group include Johnston’s Crossing (my specific neighborhood), Grayson Pointe, Riverline Hill, Oakdale Ridge Court, Legacy at the River Line, and Riverline Crossing, six adjacent neighborhoods in all. If I have a message to post, I can direct it to Johnston’s Crossing only, or send it to all six neighborhoods.

Each neighborhood has a designated lead, who moderates the discussion and removes inappropriate messages, and adjusts the way Nextdoor defines the neighborhood boundary if needed.

Roney Smith, the lead for Johnston’s Crossing, had this to say about Nextdoor in an email:

I attempted to sign up for Nextdoor months before it became available for our subdivision after seeing either an article or social media post about the concept.

It is really great since Mableton is unincorporated and most organizations that could provide a greater sense of community for Mableton are extremely territorial and not generating enough awareness to successfully connect everyone.

Nextdoor will succeed either virally or over time because it is communications for residents regardless of owning or renting homes.

Homeowner associations are never replaceable and yet Nextdoor is not infringing on anything HOAs offer or do.

When you sign up for Nextdoor, either by clicking on an email invitation sent by another neighbor, or by going directly to the site and entering your address, the site identifies the subdivision or neighborhood where you live, and sets up your account based on that location.