Day 78: Blocked Again — While the Stock Does the Slide
Today is Day 78 of my continuing Nextdoor case study.
And apparently we're doing two kinds of sliding:
The NXDR stock price is sliding.
And I've apparently slid right back onto Nirav Tolia's LinkedIn blocked list.
Well, that didn't take long.
On August 29, I was once again able to comment on Nirav's LinkedIn posts.
So I did.
I surfaced the same questions I've been raising publicly about how Nextdoor is being run: leadership decisions, communication, accountability, transparency, customer experience, and what I believe are some very questionable strategic choices.
And now?
I'm blocked again.
I have to admit, this one really gets me.
I'm one guy.
I'm not running a public company.
I'm not a Silicon Valley CEO.
I'm not appearing on podcasts discussing leadership, entrepreneurship, community, and human connection.
I've never sat in one of those big chairs on Shark Tank deciding whether somebody else's company deserves an investment.
I'm just a small shareholder with a website, a LinkedIn account, questions—and apparently a remarkable ability to locate Nirav Tolia's block button.
Meanwhile, Let's Talk About the Stock
NXDR has been doing a little slide of its own.
The stock closed at $2.68 on August 10.
By August 28, it closed at $2.27.
Stocks go up. Stocks go down. Eighteen days certainly don't determine the future of a company.
But shareholders are allowed to ask questions when the direction isn't the one we'd like to see.
And Nextdoor's latest quarterly results still included a net loss of $2 million.
Yes, that's a significant improvement from the $15 million loss during the same quarter a year earlier. Nextdoor also reported positive adjusted EBITDA.
I acknowledge progress when it's there.
But a loss is still a loss.
And here's what gets me:
The CEO of a public company can receive compensation worth millions while shareholders watch the stock struggle and the company continues reporting a GAAP net loss—and somehow my LinkedIn comments are enough to get me blocked again?
That's fascinating to me.
I'm not the person running the company.
I'm one of the people invested in it.
Imagine This on Shark Tank
An entrepreneur walks into the Tank.
The Shark starts asking uncomfortable questions:
Why are you losing money?
Why is the stock struggling?
Why isn't the strategy producing better results?
What are customers saying?
Why should investors believe in the turnaround?
The entrepreneur doesn't like the questions.
So instead of answering...
they block the Shark.
🦈 “And for that reason, you're blocked.”
I'd watch that episode.
Leadership Isn't Tested by Compliments
It's easy to talk about transparency when everyone agrees.
It's easy to talk about community when everyone is applauding.
It's easy to talk about listening when the message is flattering.
Leadership gets more interesting when someone says:
I don't think you're doing this well. Explain why I'm wrong.
Maybe I am wrong.
Show me.
Challenge my argument.
Explain the strategy.
Tell me why the decisions I'm criticizing make sense.
I'd welcome that conversation.
Blocking is easier.
And apparently we've chosen easier again.
Day 78 — And the Questions Haven't Been Blocked
I'm still waiting for the detailed Insights data that started this entire counter.
I'm still documenting what happens.
And I'm still a shareholder who wants Nextdoor to succeed.
That's precisely why I'm asking questions.
Nirav can block my LinkedIn account.
He can prevent my comments from appearing underneath his posts.
But here's the problem:
Blocking the shareholder doesn't block the questions.
It doesn't change the earnings report.
It doesn't move the stock price.
It doesn't improve communication.
And it doesn't end this case study.
So here we are.
Day 78.
The stock has been sliding.
I'm blocked again.
The detailed data still hasn't arrived.
And somehow, one guy with a blog keeps being worth blocking.
That's becoming a story all by itself.
Read the complete continuing Nextdoor case study at NielFlamm.com/blog and subscribe at NielFlamm.com to see what happens on Day 79.
Day 76: Maybe I’ve Been Asking the Wrong Question
For 76 days, I've been asking some version of the same question:
Where is the detailed data?
Today, I'm changing the question.
Why advertise something as available if you're not prepared to provide it?
That's a much more interesting question.
Nextdoor published Insights articles that don't simply say, “Here's our research. Hope you enjoyed it.”
They specifically invite readers who want more to reach out.
The language is pretty clear: if you want “detailed data, additional audience segments, and strategic recommendations,” contact the person Nextdoor identifies.
So I did.
And here we are.
Day 76.
Imagine This Anywhere Else
A restaurant puts this on the menu:
“Ask your server about today's desserts.”
You ask.
The server hands you the dinner menu again.
You explain:
“No, I already read this. I'm asking about the desserts you told me to ask about.”
They hand you the dinner menu again.
You clarify exactly what you're requesting.
You point to the sentence telling you to ask.
You eventually send them a picture of the sentence.
And then...
Nothing.
At some point, you're no longer wondering what's for dessert.
You're wondering why the restaurant put the sentence on the menu.
That's essentially where I am with Nextdoor.
This Isn't Really About a Report Anymore
The research is almost secondary now.
What fascinates me is the disconnect between invitation and execution.
If an organization publicly tells people:
Contact us for X
there should probably be a process for what happens when someone actually...
contacts you for X.
Who qualifies?
What gets sent?
Is there a sales requirement?
Is it only available to advertisers?
Is there a minimum advertising spend?
Is it proprietary and unavailable to the general public?
Is there an NDA?
Is it simply not something Nextdoor wants to provide to me?
Any of those answers would at least be an answer.
And if there are conditions attached to receiving the information, why not disclose those conditions when inviting people to request it?
Maybe There's a Bigger Marketing Lesson Here
Calls to action are promises.
Download the guide.
Request a demo.
Contact us for more information.
Reach out for detailed data.
Every one of those statements creates an expectation.
Marketing gets someone through the door.
Operations determines what happens after they walk through it.
And when those two things don't connect, the customer discovers the gap.
This has become much more interesting than my original request.
I didn't have to uncover some hidden Nextdoor process.
I followed Nextdoor's own call to action.
So Day 76 Has a New Question
I'm not asking Nextdoor where the detailed data is today.
I've asked that plenty.
Instead:
Nextdoor, what is supposed to happen when someone does exactly what your marketing tells them to do?
Because I did.
And 76 days later, I'm still trying to figure it out.
Maybe the most important data I've collected during this experiment isn't contained in the reports at all.
Maybe it's the 76 days of customer experience generated while trying to obtain them.
That's becoming quite a dataset in its own right.
Day 76.
The research request continues.
But apparently, so does the research on Nextdoor.
My LinkedIn posts are the condensed version. The full continuing Nextdoor case study is at NielFlamm.com/blog.
And subscribe at NielFlamm.com to follow along.
Day 75: What Could Nextdoor Have Accomplished in 75 Days?
Today is Day 75.
Instead of writing another post about unanswered emails, detailed data, panels, communication strategies, or who did—or didn't—respond, I started wondering:
What can actually happen in 75 days?
Quite a lot.
A company can launch a product.
A marketing team can build and execute a campaign.
A business can hire and onboard employees.
A research team can conduct a study, analyze the results, write a report, and publish the findings.
A CEO can appear on multiple podcasts.
Nextdoor can publish new Insights reports, announce initiatives, change how small businesses interact with the platform, promote advertisers, celebrate emergency managers, and launch a Good Neighbor recognition program.
While one simple request remains unresolved.
Let's Measure This Differently
Forget days for a moment.
75 days = 1,800 hours.
That's approximately 108,000 minutes.
My original request probably requires one of three responses:
1. Here's the detailed data.
2. The detailed data isn't available to you.
3. Here's who you need to contact to obtain it.
That's it.
At this point, I'm almost impressed.
We've taken something that potentially required a two-minute email and turned it into a 75-day communications case study.
As someone with more than 20 years in Learning & Development, I've taught and designed training around efficiency, customer experience, communication, process improvement, and identifying performance gaps.
If this were presented as a training scenario, I'd probably ask learners:
“What could the organization have done differently?”
I have a feeling that discussion would be lively.
The Opportunity Cost Is More Interesting
Here's the part organizations sometimes miss.
Every unnecessary customer interaction has a cost.
Someone reads the email.
Someone forwards it.
Someone discusses it.
Someone decides whether to respond.
Communications becomes involved.
Leadership gets copied.
More emails arrive.
More public posts appear.
And suddenly the cost of not resolving something becomes greater than the cost of resolving it.
That's the fascinating part of Day 75.
Nextdoor didn't just spend 75 days not providing the detailed data.
It turned a two-minute question into a 75-day story.
And I'm still writing it.
So Let's Try Something New
I'm giving Nextdoor a hypothetical challenge:
You have two minutes.
No committee.
No communications strategy meeting.
No executive approval process.
No corporate language.
Just answer:
Is the “detailed data” referenced in your blog available to me?
Yes?
Send it.
No?
Tell me.
Restricted to advertisers?
Tell me.
That's communication.
And then we can finally retire the counter.
Because I'd much rather write:
Day 75: NEXTDOOR SENT THE DATA
That's a post I'd genuinely enjoy publishing.
Until then...
1,800 hours and counting.
This is the condensed version. My complete thoughts and continuing Nextdoor study are at NielFlamm.com/blog.
And subscribe at NielFlamm.com because apparently we're finding out together how high this counter can go.
Day 74: I’m Trying to Make the Questions Impossible to Misunderstand
It's Day 74 of waiting for the detailed Nextdoor Insights data I've been requesting.
Last night, I sent another email to Jacob Chavis, copying Investor Relations, Press, Nirav Tolia, Kelsey Grady, Michael Kiernan, and Sarah Leary.
This time, I tried to remove any possible ambiguity.
I am not asking for links to the publicly available blog summaries.
I am specifically requesting the “detailed data” that Nextdoor itself says is available at the bottom of its Insights posts.
Both posts tell readers seeking:
“detailed data, additional audience segments, and strategic recommendations”
to contact Jacob.
That's what I'm doing.
Again.
I even attached a screenshot of the paragraph so there's no confusion about which information I'm requesting.
And I Added Three New Questions
My email also asks about Nextdoor's new Good Neighbor Day awards.
Nextdoor says a committee of Nextdoor employees will evaluate nominations based on how “specific, sustained, and impactful” the stories are.
So I asked:
Who are the employees serving on the committee/panel?
Who is sponsoring the awards, if anyone?
What additional information is publicly available about the scoring and selection process?
These aren't complicated questions.
They're transparency questions.
Yesterday I wrote about my concern with an unnamed panel deciding which neighbors deserve recognition.
Today I'm doing something about it:
I'm asking Nextdoor directly.
Hearing vs. Listening—Again
After 20+ years in Learning & Development, I've spent plenty of time discussing the difference between hearing and listening.
Nextdoor knows I'm asking.
Communications has responded before.
Multiple executives and departments have received my emails.
At Day 74, the issue isn’t whether the message has been heard.
The question is whether anyone will listen and answer the actual question.
No interpretation necessary.
No guessing.
No need to send the blog summaries again, please.
The request is in writing.
The screenshot is attached.
The questions are numbered.
Day 74.
Now we wait.
Again.
My LinkedIn posts are the condensed version. The complete continuing study, timeline, and my full thoughts are at NielFlamm.com/blog.
And subscribe at NielFlamm.com so you don't miss Day 75—although I'd be perfectly happy if there didn't need to be one.
Day 71: Emergency Managers, Advertisers…and the Nextdoor Total Gym?
It's Day 71 of still not receiving the detailed Nextdoor Insights research I've requested.
But today's Nextdoor blog gave me something completely different to study.
I clicked on a new post titled:
“This August, Recognize the Emergency Managers Keeping Neighborhoods Safe.”
Full article:
https://blog.nextdoor.com/this-august-recognize-the-emergency-managers-keeping-neighborhoods-safe
Sounds worthwhile.
August is National Emergency Management Awareness Month, and Nextdoor discusses the people coordinating responses when communities face emergencies.
One observation before we continue:
Today is August 24.
Thanks for letting us know before September.
But then I kept reading.
After only a few paragraphs about emergency managers, this appeared:
“It's also a good time to share an update on the other side of the platform.”
And suddenly we're talking about advertisers.
Nextdoor Ads Manager.
Billing.
Credit limits.
Payment options.
Creative management.
Reporting tools.
Campaigns.
I had to look at the title again.
Wasn't I reading about emergency managers keeping neighborhoods safe?
Talk about a pivot.
From Emergency Preparedness to Paid Programming
I understand Nextdoor is a business.
Nextdoor needs to make money.
I'm a shareholder. I want it to make money.
That's also why Day 71 without receiving the detailed research Nextdoor's own Insights posts say readers can request continues to matter to me.
And it's why I pay attention to how the company communicates with the people who create, consume, and pay for its platform.
NXDR is down another $0.02 today, and shareholders aren't currently seeing a dividend.
Meanwhile, I've already been questioning Nextdoor's increasingly aggressive monetization strategy with small businesses.
Businesses can encounter what I consider a pay-to-play dynamic when trying to comment as businesses on posts from neighbors looking for services.
Now I click an article ostensibly celebrating emergency managers and somehow find myself reading about advertiser billing and campaign-management improvements.
It reminded me of late-night television.
You think you're watching regular programming...
Then suddenly:
CHUCK NORRIS IS HERE TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE TOTAL GYM!
All that's missing is:
“But wait! There's more!”
How Much Monetization Is Too Much?
Maybe each decision makes sense individually.
But taken together, I see a bigger question:
At what point does monetization begin interfering with the experience you're trying to monetize?
Small businesses create value on Nextdoor.
Public agencies create value.
Neighbors create value.
Emergency managers create value.
Advertisers pay Nextdoor to access that ecosystem.
The balance matters.
If you're going to recognize emergency managers, recognize them.
Give them the article.
Tell their stories.
Explain what they do.
Highlight someone doing exceptional work.
Tell neighbors how to contact their local emergency management agencies.
There's your story.
Instead, I clicked expecting emergency preparedness and somehow ended up learning about advertiser credit limits.
That's quite the journey.
And from a communications perspective, it fits remarkably well with what I've been documenting over the past 71 days.
Whether it's responding to a research request with links to summaries, communicating a new pay-to-comment business model, or transitioning an emergency-management article into an advertiser update, I keep coming back to the same question:
Is Nextdoor communicating what its audience needs to hear—or what Nextdoor wants to sell?
I remain a shareholder who wants NXDR to succeed.
But generating revenue and creating long-term shareholder value aren't necessarily the same thing.
Sometimes the better communications strategy is remarkably simple:
Write the article the headline promised.
Otherwise, what started as a meaningful piece about keeping neighborhoods safe begins feeling like a late-night Total Gym infomercial.
Chuck Norris would probably approve.
I don’t think emergency managers would.
Day 71. I still don't have detailed research, but I now know more about Nextdoor Ads Manager.
Follow my continuing Nextdoor study and full thoughts at NielFlamm.com/blog.