Nextdoor App Redesign: AI, Local News & Emergency Alerts

Nextdoor Unveils a Comprehensive Platform Redesign

The neighborhood-focused social application, Nextdoor, is introducing a significantly updated version of its service, termed the “new Nextdoor.” This update incorporates local news integration, instantaneous alerts, and an AI-driven feature called “Faves,” intended to facilitate the discovery of local businesses and points of interest. Furthermore, Nextdoor has modernized its overall design aesthetic for a more current appearance.

Addressing Past Challenges and Future Growth

Having been established 15 years ago, Nextdoor initially gained prominence as a platform for neighborhood-level discussions. Users connected through recommendations – from plumbers to dining establishments. However, the platform’s expansion eventually encountered obstacles, with user engagement diminishing due to concerns surrounding misinformation and instances of prejudiced content.

The company is now focused on revitalizing the platform and broadening its user base by enhancing its helpfulness, utility, and timeliness. According to Nextdoor CEO and co-founder Nirav Tolia, the redesign aims to elevate both the quality and volume of local information available on the platform.

Integration of Local News Sources

To provide news content, Nextdoor has established partnerships with 3,500 local publications across the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. These include prominent news sources such as the San Francisco Standard, The London Standard, and The Toronto Star.

Tolia explained that historically, Nextdoor relied exclusively on user-generated content. While valuable, supplementing this with professional journalism is crucial for ensuring comprehensive local coverage. This marks the first time Nextdoor is enabling external publishers to utilize its distribution network.

These partnerships are not based on financial transactions; Nextdoor is not compensating publishers for content, nor are publishers paying Nextdoor. The platform will display headlines, brief summaries, and images, directing users to the originating publications. A comments section will be available for discussion beneath each news item.

Expanding Content Providers

Publishers represent the initial expansion of content types on Nextdoor. The platform intends to allow local businesses, schools, and other organizations to establish a direct presence within the app in the future.

Real-Time Alerts for Enhanced Safety

Nextdoor is now delivering real-time updates regarding weather conditions, traffic incidents, power outages, storms, and wildfires. These alerts will be displayed on a dynamic neighborhood map, fostering timely conversations about safety and preparedness.

The service is collaborating with Samdesk and Weather.com, including The Weather Channel app and Weather.com, to power these alerts.

Alerts are categorized into “yellow” (important) and “red” (critical) states. Critical alerts will take over the entire app interface, prioritizing safety information over other content. Tolia emphasized that during emergencies, neighborhood discussions about less urgent matters become secondary.

These alerts are highly localized due to Nextdoor’s geospatial foundation. Unlike broad-based alerts, Nextdoor can personalize notifications down to the individual household level – for example, only alerting those experiencing a power outage.

Introducing “Faves” – AI-Powered Local Recommendations

The launch of “Faves” is driven by the belief that neighbor recommendations are more valuable than general searches on platforms like Google or ChatGPT when seeking local establishments. This feature provides curated lists of recommendations and allows users to solicit specific suggestions.

“We have an LLM for every neighborhood where we’ve taken 15 years of neighbor conversations and we can now answer questions about that information in a really compelling way,” Tolia stated. “So we have the first, as far as we know, the first truly local AI that’s powered by neighbor conversations.”

Users can pose questions such as, “What is the best place to hike with kids?” and receive concise, summarized responses derived from authentic user posts on Nextdoor. The summary links directly to the original posts for further context.

Tolia highlighted that this content is exclusive to Nextdoor, not indexed by search engines, and unavailable on platforms like ChatGPT. The platform’s knowledge of user location enables highly relevant information delivery.

Recommitting to Hyperlocal Focus

Nextdoor’s core strength lies in digitizing and capturing local word-of-mouth, information unavailable through broader platforms. Tolia used the example of locating neighborhood lemonade stands – a task impossible for Google Maps or ChatGPT, achievable only through neighborly communication.

“So what are we going to do? We’re going to recommit to really making this feel hyperlocal. It’s really important for us to be seen less as a social network and more as a utility-centric network.”