WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 1, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Responding to requests from residents, the city will start using the popular social network for neighborhoods Nextdoor on Monday, June 1, as another way to communicate with residents.
More than 9,000 residents from 97 neighborhoods in Bellevue are already using Nextdoor. The new partnership will expand the city’s ability to communicate with residents about issues of concern to specific neighborhoods.
“It is great to have a new tool to improve communication with our neighborhoods,” said Mike McCormick Huentelman, Neighborhood Outreach manager. “Our residents are already using Nextdoor to connect to each other, and now we can connect to them with information that matters the most to their neighborhood.”
On Nextdoor, neighbors can get to know one another and exchange local advice and recommendations. Bellevue staff, primarily in Neighborhood Outreach, Police and Fire departments will be able to post notifications on Nextdoor.
“Glad to hear it,” emailed Ryan Barton of Wilburton, who asked that the city join Nextdoor last year. “I think the fact that Bellevue is joining Nextdoor goes to show that the city continues to lead the region in forward-looking municipal governance. I’ve never once felt ‘out of touch’ with what’s happening in the city, and with the City of Bellevue beginning to use Nextdoor, I expect Bellevue officials will be able to do even more, and even more efficiently.”
Many Bellevue notifications will focus on neighborhood-specific events, local incidents, neighborhood planning and crime prevention.
The city will continue to use other communications channels for citywide messages, including online news releases on its website, text and email Alerts to subscribers and Facebook and Twitter (Bellevue Social Media). All of our communications channels can be accessed via the MyBellevue mobile app.
Nextdoor was specifically designed to make neighbors feel comfortable sharing information with one another. All members must verify that they live within the neighborhood. Information shared on Nextdoor is password-protected and cannot be accessed by those outside the neighborhood — including city staff — or found on search engines. Staff cannot monitor Nextdoor “conversations” in neighborhoods.
The city’s account with Nextdoor allows it to post notifications and receive responses to such notifications. Residents can also send direct messages to the city through Nextdoor. People will be able to simply log in or join Nextdoor (www.nextdoor.com) to take advantage of the city program.
