I've been using it for years. I'm actually on the review team as of February. When people flag posts they are submitted to us and we vote & comment on status. Moderators use that info to decide. Interesting system.

Yes, there is some complaining and whining. There are a few Karens but that is life these days. Sometimes things turn political or angry and that is why I'm on the review team I'll guess.

For the most part I've found it useful. It is a good way to keep up on goings on around you. I and others have received great recommendations on restaurants, doctors, dentists, specialty stores & services, handy people (who to hire and who to avoid). All in all pretty decent for me up here.

It’s a hoot!
Take it all w a grain of salt, naturally.

When a four y.o. kid wandered away from the baby sitter ,last year.

11 people showed up to search for him.

A tiny town resident responder found him in a pasture 1/4 mile away.
Leaning on a fence post.

So that turned out pretty good.

I use NextDoor but you're right, not many people pay attention to paid advertisements.
I have gone to nextDoor to get recommendations like plumbers, etc. I value what people post as their recommendations and I look for repeat recommendations from different people. I think this cuts down on shills or, at least, shills will post like shills.

quote:

Originally posted by oddball:
My wife tried it maybe 6 or 7 years ago and ditched it after a few tries. She said it was a gathering space for Karens to bitch and moan.

It hasn’t changed at all. My wife has an account and says the primary activity is outraged local Karens.

I'm on it and and also on Ring too because of cameras.

Nextdoor has idiots but they are the same idiots you'll find everywhere else so you just have kind of mentally filter out their stuff.

Ring is the same with but with vids.

Two weeks a nearby 20 year mentally disabled boy somehow detached his Apple Airtag and walked out of the house unknown to his parents, who just moved here from out of state.

She posted on both Nextdoor and Ring and with people replying, he was found a short time later by the police.

I don't know how you'd get that many eyeballs on a problem without the apps so on balance, they're both good.

I tried it years ago to try and find some info on an incident that happened about a mile from me. It's worse than Facebook IMHO. To much junk to find any real information.