Day 24: The Cost of Silence — Communication Is Leadership

The clock keeps ticking.

It has now been 24 days since I requested information about a study published by the Nextdoor Communications team, which listed Jacob Chavis as the contact person and included his email address.

No report.

No methodology.

No correspondence.

Not even a simple acknowledgment.

Which brings me back to the question:

What is the theory?

Nirav Tolia has discussed the importance of testing theories, learning, and understanding outcomes. So what is the theory behind not responding?

What is the goal?

What does silence accomplish that a simple one-line email could not?

Users, advertisers, and investors may want to ask a bigger question:

If this is the communication model for when someone asks for information about a published study, what happens in a true crisis?

It is easy to say:

“We would handle it differently because ______.”

Fill in the blank with any explanation.

But results are measured by what happens, not what someone says would happen.

Show me actions.

Show me consistency.

Show me accountability.

Relationships — personal and business — often break down when

expectations and reality no longer match.

In the meantime, something unexpected happened.

My following and engagement continue to grow, and ironically, I have Nextdoor to thank for part of that.

That wasn't the reason I raised questions. It is simply the result.

More people are asking questions about platforms, leadership, moderation, transparency, and accountability.

At some point, people become tired of accepting what they believe needs to change.

Nextdoor launched over 15 years ago. The question remains:

Are conversations, interviews, and future promises enough?

Or is it time to focus on measurable results?

Join the discussion on NielFlamm.com.