RHE Neighbors Might Have Their Own Social Network Soon

Rolling Hills Estates neighbors might soon be able to talk to one other without leaving the house or picking up the phone.

The City Council on Tuesday night in a new neighborhood social network site, Nextdoor.com. The site allows residents to share information on everything from trusted babysitters to break-in alerts.

"Not many of us know many of our neighbors," Nextdoor representative Justine Fenwick said during the Council meeting.

The network, which launched in October of last year, has some Facebook-like characteristics. Its forum allows residents to connect with each other on a private platform designed to build communication between neighbors.

People can find their neighbors in a directory, view a neighborhood map and exchange local recommendations.

"We 'friend' more people than ever and 'follow' strangers we’ve never met, yet we don't have a good way to communicate with the people who live right next door," CEO and Co-founder of Nextdoor Nirav Tolia said in a statement last year.

Users of the site have to prove they live in the neighborhood and use their real names. Neighbors can join the free network once it's started in their city by accepting invites from other neighbors or signing up on the site.

"Even though social networks are completely ubiquitous, I didn't see a social network for one of the most important communities in our lives: the neighborhood," Tolia said in a Los Angeles Times article published last year.

The company has set up more than 2,000 neighborhood sites across the country, each with about 500 to 750 households, according to a New York Times report.

Read more about how Nextdoor works here.

Don't forget that you can also share info with your neighbors on Patch! If you've got an upcoming event, be sure to add it to our calendar listings. And if you want to share a new birth, missing pet post or other announcement, you can do that here.

How do you communicate with your neighbors? Tell us in the comments section below.