This week has been so exciting!! I finally got all my questions together and finalized them with Liz. Yesterday I posted the survey link on Nextdoor (restricted to Collins View) and have already gotten almost 30 responses! Seeing as I probably want at least 100 and this initial spike was probably the most traffic my survey will see at one time, I now realize I have a long way to go. But for today, I will bask in the victory of my 30 responses. My survey was developed around a few themes: general Nextdoor usage and satisfaction, its trust-building/eroding qualities, whether there are insiders and outsiders in the neighborhood, and to what extent Nextdoor is successful as a third place. Below, I will list my questions. I’ll hold off on describing my motives behind them in case one of my internet savvy neighbors somehow stumbles across this post — no time for data corruption!!
- What do you use Nextdoor for?
- Classifieds
- Crime & Safety
- Documents/Neighborhood information
- Free items
- General
- Lost & Found
- Recommendations
- Services
- Information from local organizations
- Other
- How many of your neighbors have you met in person because of Nextdoor?
- 0
- 1-3
- 3-6
- 6-10
- More than 10
- Which of the following would you be comfortable doing with a neighbor you met on Nextdoor?
- Borrow an item
- Provide a needed service (rake leaves, fix something)
- Meet for a social activity (i.e. a class, hike)
- Provide/Receive Childcare
- Feed a pet or water plants while away
- Enjoy a meal together
- House-sit while away
- Give them a key to your house in case of an emergency
- Which of the following do you associate with Nextdoor?
- It’s a neutral platform for me to share information on my own terms
- I am accepted regardless of my rank or status elsewhere
- Useful conversations/posts
- Easily accessible
- Helps me get to know my neighbors
- Informal way to stay active
- Enjoyable culture of interaction
- Makes me feel like part of a community
- Which of the following do you associate with Nextdoor?
- People post too much
- Irrelevant posts
- Offensive posts
- People “attacking” others’ posts
- Inaccurate information
- Not enough community participation
- People are exclusive of certain groups
- Who do you see as active members on Nextdoor?
- Neighborhood organizations
- City-wide organizations
- Teenagers
- College students
- Neighborhood newcomers
- Long-term neighbors
- Other
- Which of the following groups have you ever been bothered by in Collins View?
- Teens
- College students
- Visitors/people passing through
- Strangers
- Pet owners
- Other
- How often do you look at Nextdoor?
- Every day
- A few times a week
- Once a week
- Once a month
- A few times a year
- Barely ever
- Would you recommend Nextdoor to a friend?
- Yes
- No
- Is there anything you would like to add about your experiences with Nextdoor Collins View?
The page after this collects relevant demographic information. After finalizing and distributing my survey, I wondered why it took so long for me to do it. Realistically though, it took me this long to familiarize myself with the happenings on Nextdoor to know what to ask, develop my own theories and frameworks to incorporate into the questions, and be able to put this all into words. It is definitely a process, and I know I will probably be left with more questions after the results come in, but I am happy with the questions I came up with at this point and how they tie into my scholarly research to date.