‘Nextdoor’ : An Online Social Media Network for Taplow

A resident of Marsh Lane, Id Williams, has set up a new online social media network for Taplow called, “Nextdoor”. It already has 176 members and is proving to be very popular. He told us:

“My wife, Margi, and I have lived in Taplow for 15 years but, like many people, we’ve mostly travelled out for work, entertainment and social life. Consequently, apart from our very close neighbours in the street, we’ve not connected much with the local community. We both now work at home and are keen to make more connections within the Taplow community.

I came by Nextdoor by accident. I’d never heard of it until, in December, I met someone from Dorney Reach, who mentioned a social networking site for local neighbourhoods to share community information. By email she invited me to join the Dorney Reach Nextdoor group but when I clicked through I was assigned to Taplow instead because we are the other side of the parish boundary. The Nextdoor site assigned me as ‘Leader’ by default as there were no other active members of the Taplow group at that time. So it really was a happy accident.

I was given 14 days to sign up 10 members for the Taplow site to go live. I wasn’t sure I’d find 10 neighbours who would be interested, but it took off and grew incredibly quickly. We now have 176 members – many more than any of our nearby groups. Postcards advertising the network have been particularly effective in reaching all parts of the parish.

What this has shown us is that there is a real appetite amongst Taplow residents to connect as a community. What I like about Nextdoor is that it doesn’t seek to replace any existing (formal or informal) networks, but can complement them all and provide a quick and convenient way to seek and share useful information.

In the short time the group has been established I’ve noticed that people seem keen to find local contractors and services wherever possible. That means that Nextdoor is achieving more than just social networking, it is also supporting the local economy by providing more local opportunities for Taplow-based businesses. I’m struck also by the willingness of members to provide answers to requests – whether it is someone seeking a chimney sweep, plumber, estate agent or dentist (to give just a handful of recent examples), most requests have been met by several very quick and helpful responses.

In short – a very positive start that has exceeded my expectations by some distance!”

You can access Nextdoor on your computer or download an app for your smartphone. Click on the link to Taplow Nextdoor to find out more.

Published on Friday 10 February, 2017 by Zoe Hatch

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