Day 108: New X Account. Blocked Again. That Makes Three.

Well, that didn't take long. 😂

One important correction to my previous version of this story.

I created another X account.

Nirav had already blocked my original account, so I created a new one and kept doing what I've been doing: posting about my experience with Nextdoor and sharing feedback.

Could creating another account to get around a block violate X's Terms and Conditions?

Possibly.

I'm not going to pretend otherwise. It's a risk I'm taking, and if X decides I've violated its rules, I'll deal with the consequences.

But here's what happened next.

Within about 24 hours:

The new account was blocked too.

Based on my records, that's now three blocks, with two different accounts blocked within roughly 24 hours.

At this point, I feel like I'm participating in the world's strangest game of digital Whac-A-Mole.

Who Is Actually Pressing the Button?

Here's something I’m not sure about.

I’m not sure whether Nirav blocked me personally.

The screenshot tells me his account blocked mine. It doesn't tell me who was operating his account when it happened.

Maybe it's Nirav.

An executive assistant can help manage the account.

Maybe someone else has access.

I don't know.

And that's an important distinction because I'm trying to document what actually happened, not fill the gaps with assumptions.

What I do know is that @niravtolia blocked another account I used to provide feedback about Nextdoor.

Again.

Somebody Is Paying Attention

That's the part I find fascinating.

For over 100 days, I’ve been requesting detailed Nextdoor Insights research that the company advertised as available by contacting its Insights representative.

Getting the research has proven remarkably difficult.

Getting blocked?

Apparently we're pretty efficient at that. 😂

Whether Nirav himself is seeing my posts or someone else managing his account, somebody is noticing.

And if company resources are involved—and, again, I don't know that they are—I'd rather see those resources directed toward something that helps Nextdoor.

Find another advertiser.

Improve the small-business experience.

Improve moderation.

Answer customers.

Answer shareholders.

Develop another revenue opportunity.

Build something that increases engagement.

Create company value.

As a shareholder, that's considerably more interesting to me than another block.

Yes, I Created Another Account

I'm not going to bury that detail.

I created another X account after being blocked.

People can decide for themselves whether they think I should have done that.

X can decide whether it complies with its rules.

I'm comfortable owning the decision.

What I'm not doing is pretending to be someone else, inventing allegations, or hiding what I'm doing.

I'm putting my name on my commentary.

I'm taking screenshots.

I'm documenting dates.

And I'm publishing the history as I experience it.

If I'm wrong about something, please tell me.

I've made public corrections before.

Blocking Doesn't Stop the Historical Record

Here's the bigger issue.

Blocking an account doesn't erase the underlying questions.

It doesn't delete the emails I've sent.

It doesn't eliminate the screenshots.

It doesn't make 108 days disappear.

And it doesn't prevent me from writing about the experience elsewhere.

Nirav has a substantially larger social-media audience than I do.

That's fine.

I don't need a bigger audience to maintain a record.

Please provide screenshots, dates, emails, public statements, and the patience to keep everything organized.

I've got those.

Compare That With Sarah Leary

I've also been providing feedback about Nextdoor co-founder Sarah Leary.

I've noticed that the @sarahleary account I've been following stopped posting, while she's been posting through another account.

I don't know why she changed where she posts.

I have no evidence whatsoever that my commentary had anything to do with it.

But from my perspective, it looks different.

Don't want to engage with me?

Fine.

Ignore me.

Post somewhere else.

Don't respond.

Disagree.

There are plenty of options.

That looks better than repeatedly blocking accounts belonging to someone who is publicly documenting a company in which he owns shares.

And We Just Published a Study About Trust

The timing continues to amuse me.

I just wrote about Nextdoor's new study with The Harris Poll examining trust.

And I praised it.

Imagine that.

After months of providing feedback about Nextdoor research, I saw something I thought the company did well and said:

Bravo.

Then I connected the study's discussion of trust and communication with my experience dealing with Nextdoor.

And now another account is blocked.

It looks like you couldn't write this script.

Feedback Isn't Always Comfortable

I've spent more than 20 years in Learning & Development.

Feedback isn't always pleasant.

Sometimes it's wrong.

Sometimes it's poorly delivered.

Sometimes it's repetitive.

Sometimes the person receiving it wants nothing more than for the person providing it to disappear.

But feedback can also expose something worth examining.

A leader doesn't have to agree with it.

A company doesn't have to implement it.

A CEO doesn’t need to debate every shareholder on social media personally.

But I still think there is value in an organization asking:

Why does this person keep raising the same issue?

Maybe he's wrong.

Maybe the company is wrong.

Maybe both sides are missing something.

There's a remarkably effective way to find out.

Have a conversation.

So, Yes, Nirav—You Got Me Again

Third block.

Two accounts within roughly 24 hours.

And yes, one of those accounts was created after the previous one was blocked.

I'm not hiding that.

Maybe X eventually tells me I can't do that.

That's a chance I'm taking.

But this case study doesn't live on X.

It lives on my website.

The emails still exist.

The screenshots still exist.

And the questions still exist.

And I'm still documenting what happens.

Day 108.

Another account blocked.

The questions?

Still here.

👉 NielFlamm.com/blog

Day 107: Nirav Tolia Blocked Me Again. Apparently, We’re Doing This Twice.

Nirav, you got me. 😂

I've been posting about my request for the detailed Nextdoor Insights research that the company said readers could get by contacting Jacob Chavis.

While making my rounds across the various platforms and Nextdoor accounts, I came across CEO Nirav Tolia's X profile.

And there it was:

“@niravtolia has blocked you.”

Again.

Yes, again.

This is the second time in roughly six months that I've found myself blocked by Nextdoor's CEO.

I have to admit, that's almost impressive.

A Speed Bump, Not a Roadblock

The screenshot says I can still view Nirav's public posts, but I can't engage with them, follow him, or message him from that account.

Okay.

I'm resourceful.

This is a speed bump. It won’t end the conversation.

More importantly, blocking me doesn't answer the question I've been asking.

And this story didn't actually begin 107 days ago.

How Did I Even Get Here?

Long before the Insights report became part of this case study, I was a Nextdoor user in my local neighborhood.

I was eventually banned.

One issue involved my posting multiple personal items for sale. I questioned where the applicable restrictions appeared in Nextdoor's terms and policies and sought clarification.

From my perspective, meaningful communication eventually stopped.

So I started writing about my dissatisfaction on LinkedIn.

Then the discussion expanded.

I started looking more closely at Nextdoor's moderation model, communications, small-business experience, research, leadership, shareholder value, and other aspects of the company.

Eventually I came across Nextdoor's Home Insurance Insights research.

That’s where things got almost comical.

Nextdoor Told Readers to Contact Jacob

The June 15 Home Insurance Insights article says the research came from a survey of 1,000 U.S. adults.

Other Nextdoor Insights articles have been even more explicit about how to get additional research. For example, its summer-travel report tells readers who want the complete findings and detailed data to contact Jacob Chavis, Customer Analytics & Insights Manager.

So I did what Nextdoor told readers to do.

I contacted Jacob.

And then I followed up.

And followed up.

And followed up.

We're now at Day 107 of this particular chapter.

Communications eventually responded, and I've publicly acknowledged that. I didn't receive the complete, detailed material I requested.

Last week, I expanded my email to Nextdoor's Executive Team.

Now, as I continue to post about the experience, I discovered that Nirav has blocked me on X again.

Blocking Is Certainly an Option

Let's be fair about something.

Nirav has every right to decide whom he wants to interact with on his social media accounts.

Being CEO of a public company doesn't mean he owes me a personal conversation every time I have a question.

And I can't tell you why he blocked me.

Maybe he's tired of seeing my posts.

Maybe he thinks they're repetitive.

He may not like my approach.

Maybe he doesn't want to engage.

Only Nirav knows.

But here's where I think this becomes interesting from a leadership perspective.

Nextdoor's own leadership page identifies Nirav as its CEO, President, Chairperson of the Board, and co-founder.

That's a lot of leadership hats.

So when the person wearing all those hats blocks a shareholder who has been publicly questioning the company's communication, I think it's fair for me to write about the experience.

I'd Rather Have a Conversation

I've said this repeatedly:

I would rather talk than type.

Phone.

Video.

Virtual coffee.

An actual conversation.

I'm not asking Nirav to agree with me.

I'm not expecting Nextdoor to implement every idea I throw at it.

I'm not even expecting Nextdoor to enjoy my posts.

Some of them probably aren't particularly enjoyable from their side of the screen.

But if you're going to lead a company built around neighbors communicating with neighbors, criticism and uncomfortable questions come with the territory.

That's leadership.

I've Got Time

I've also joked before that Nextdoor may have picked the wrong person for a waiting contest.

My medical circumstances mean I have more downtime than I once did.

I can write.

I can research.

I can ask questions.

I can follow up.

And apparently I can periodically discover that I've been blocked again. 😂

I prefer Nextdoor to focus on building the business, improving the product, and creating long-term shareholder value.

Yesterday I wrote about NXDR closing at $2.43.

As a shareholder, I'd love to see the company deliver the kind of sustained performance that sends that number substantially higher.

I'd like to see a business return capital to shareholders through a dividend, if and when its financial position and board determine that makes sense.

That's a much more interesting use of corporate energy than this 107-day saga.

Leadership Includes Taking Some Heat

I don't think a CEO needs to respond personally to every critic on social media.

That's unrealistic.

I also don't think blocking someone proves their criticism is correct.

It doesn't.

Leaders of public-facing companies should expect scrutiny.

Especially when they're highly visible themselves.

Especially when they're talking publicly about community, connection, listening, and the “power of we.”

Sometimes leadership means standing behind the product and the rhetoric when somebody says:

“Okay. I have some questions.”

And sometimes those questions aren't flattering.

I don't prefer Nirav to have “thicker skin” because I have no insight into how he personally feels. I don't.

My point is about the leadership behavior I'd prefer to see:

Engage with difficult questions.

Delegate them to someone who will.

Answer them.

Disagree with them.

Explain why they're wrong.

Or say, “We're not providing that information.”

Any of those outcomes would be more interesting than another block button.

So, Nirav, You Got Me

Blocked for the second time.

I laughed when I saw it.

Then I took a screenshot.

And now, naturally, I'm writing about it.

Because after everything I've documented, this has become part of the case study too.

Day 107.

The detailed research question remains.

The Executive Team has my latest email.

And Nirav Tolia has blocked me on X.

Again.

I'm still here.

👉 NielFlamm.com/blog