When Self-Promotion Is Celebrated—Until It Isn’t: What a Sourdough Baker Exposed About Nextdoor
I genuinely enjoyed this recent The New York Times article about home bakers and microbakeries turning sourdough passion into community-supported businesses:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/dining/home-bakers-sourdough-microbakeries.html
(paywall)
👉 “Home Bakers Are Selling Sourdough. The Microbakery Boom Is Here.”
I’m happy for Merlak and others like her. She identified demand, served her community, and built something meaningful. That’s neighbors supporting neighbors.
But here’s the uncomfortable part: what Merlak is celebrated for—local self-promotion, selling, and visibility—is exactly what got me suspended on #Nextdoor.
Where the Story Breaks Down
On #Nextdoor, I tried to sell a few extra items I owned at more-than-fair prices. Nothing commercial. Nothing deceptive. Just neighbor-to-neighbor selling. Here’s what followed:
- Flagged for selling more than one item
- Told to bundle items into one post
- I complied
- Flagged again
- Asked where this rule exists in the Terms & Conditions
Silence. No citation. No clarification. No appeal resolution. That unanswered question is what started this entire journey. This Isn’t Moderation. It’s Bias.
The New York Times article shows how informal commerce thrives when communities support it. On Nextdoor, similar behavior is enforced inconsistently based on:
- Who are you are
- Who flags you
- Which unpaid, anonymous moderator reviews it
That’s not governance. That’s discretionary enforcement—and it erodes trust.
Leadership Silence Isn’t Neutral
This mirrors something else that’s hard to ignore. #NiravTolia, who returned as CEO promising renewed connection, hasn’t posted on Twitter (X) since November 25, 2025—64 days and counting. For a company built on “connection,” silence at the top creates ambiguity. And ambiguity is where trust goes to die.
Where Are the Receipts?
What many of us are still waiting for from Nextdoor:
- Transparent moderation metrics
- Appeal overturn rates
- Clear selling guidelines
- Accountability for unpaid moderators
- Clarity on whether suspended users remain in engagement metrics
- A plan for community coordination during a government shutdown
Instead, we get well-written fluff pieces that avoid hard questions.
The Bigger Question
If Nextdoor can’t clearly explain what you can sell, how rules are enforced, or who makes final decisions, then what is the product? Connection without clarity isn’t connection. It’s control.
I’m not asking for special treatment. I’m asking for the same rules, applied the same way, with transparency—whether you’re a sourdough baker featured in The New York Times or a neighbor selling a few items locally.
And I’m still waiting for an answer.
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#NiravTolia #Nextdoor #PlatformGovernance #CommunityTrust #Moderation #Transparency #Leadership #Accountability #UserExperience #LocalCommerce
