Day 73: Who Exactly Is Judging Nextdoor’s “Good Neighbors”?
It's Day 73 of waiting for the detailed Nextdoor Insights reports I've requested.
Yesterday, Nextdoor published something that initially made me smile:
“It’s Time to Say Thank You: Nominate a Good Neighbor.”
Full article:
https://blog.nextdoor.com/its-time-to-say-thank-you-nominate-a-good-neighbor
I like the concept.
Nextdoor is asking people to nominate neighbors who consistently show up for others—the person who brings in the trash cans, checks on someone after a storm, waters the plants, or does the little things that make a neighborhood better.
Five neighbors, one from each region, will be publicly recognized on National Good Neighbor Day, September 28.
Great.
Although I hope the winners receive more than a digital pat on the back.
A medal? Plaque? Certificate?
Even better: How about a Nextdoor-funded donation to each winner's favorite local charity?
The blog itself doesn't mention a monetary prize or charitable donation. It says the five winners will be publicly recognized.
Then I reached “What happens next.”
And my communications-study brain switched back on.
Wait...Who's on the Panel?
Nextdoor says that after nominations close on September 14:
“a panel reviews the strongest nominations in each region”
They're scored based on how specific, sustained, and impactful the story is. The rules further say winners are selected by a committee of Nextdoor employees, one for each of five regions.
Okay.
Who?
Who selects the “strongest” nominations before they're scored?
Who sits on the panel?
What makes those people qualified to determine impact?
How is each criterion weighted?
Is there a scoring rubric?
Will those scores be published?
Are panelists required to disclose relationships with nominees?
These aren't accusations.
They're basic transparency questions.
And perhaps I'm particularly sensitive to the word panel after everything I've documented about Nextdoor.
I've questioned its moderation structure.
I've questioned its communications strategy.
And now we're introducing another group of unnamed decision-makers making subjective judgments.
Nextdoor, Show Us Your Simon Cowell
Look at American Idol, America's Got Talent, or Dancing with the Stars.
You know who's judging.
You know their backgrounds.
You can agree or disagree with Simon Cowell, Sofia Vergara, Mel B, Howie Mandel, or whoever happens to be sitting behind the desk—but at least you know who is making the judgment.
So Nextdoor, who's behind your desk?
If you're going to celebrate the best examples of neighborliness across the country, why not make the selection process part of the celebration?
Introduce the panel.
Tell us who they are.
Explain the scoring.
Show us what qualifies someone to evaluate a “specific, sustained, and impactful” contribution.
That's not bureaucracy.
That's transparency.
And after 73 days of my ongoing Nextdoor communication experiment, transparency remains a recurring theme.
I genuinely like the idea behind #GoodNeighborDay.
But if Nextdoor wants neighbors to trust the outcome, don't just tell us that a panel made the decision.
Show us the people behind the decision.
Otherwise, we're back to another familiar Nextdoor question:
Who's making the call—and why should neighbors trust the process?
Meanwhile...
Day 73. Still waiting for those detailed reports.
Follow my continuing Nextdoor study at NielFlamm.com/blog.
