Day 33: Silence, Culture, and the Identity of Nextdoor
Today marks Day 33 since I requested a copy of a Nextdoor study from Senior Manager Jacob Chavis, as directed in a company communication. I still haven't received the study or a response.
While scrolling LinkedIn today, I came across a post discussing company culture, particularly how culture is reflected in hiring and leadership. It made me think about my own experience. If this is how a straightforward request is handled, it raises questions for me about the culture that supports that experience.
I also noticed a post on Nextdoor where someone asked what was happening in their subdivision, only to be told the information was on Facebook instead.
Then I opened Citizen. Within seconds, I saw real-time information about power outages within about a mile of my location. No wall of text. No advertisement every few posts. No constant stream of email notifications filling my inbox.
That got me thinking about identity.
What problem is Nextdoor trying to solve in 2026?
Is it the best place for timely neighborhood information, or have users found faster, less intrusive alternatives? If important neighborhood updates are happening elsewhere and competing platforms provide real-time information with fewer interruptions, that's a question worth asking.
As both a shareholder and a user, I believe these are important conversations. Products evolve, user expectations change, and listening to feedback has always been one of the best ways to stay relevant.
What do you think the future of neighborhood platforms looks like?
Citizen vs. Nextdoor: My First Few Days of Real-World Use
After spending the last few days using the Citizen app alongside my ongoing experience with Nextdoor (which I’m still accessing through a parody email account for research), the differences have been hard to ignore.
Citizen has been refreshingly simple.
I haven’t been bombarded with emails all day long. I don’t see my feed cluttered with advertisements. I can immediately see how many users are active within a small radius of my location, and that number updates as I travel.
I also like that Citizen offers optional premium features, such as access to local police and fire radio feeds. I haven’t subscribed yet, but it’s a straightforward value proposition: if it’s useful to you, you pay for it.
One feature I find especially interesting is the ability to livestream an incident. Rather than relying on speculation or secondhand accounts, users can provide a real-time, firsthand view of what’s happening. Citizen also offers contributors opportunities to earn money for qualifying content.
Compare that with my experience on Nextdoor.
Even after trying to reduce notifications, the platform continues to generate a steady stream of emails about everything from barking dogs to garbage cans left at the curb overnight. The text feed is saturated with advertising. Users generate the content, volunteer moderators enforce the rules without compensation, yet there is no meaningful opportunity for contributors to share in the value they create.
As someone who has written extensively about Nextdoor as a shareholder and user, I expected another neighborhood app. Instead, I found a platform that, at least in my early experience, feels more focused, less intrusive, and more useful.
The clear winner for me so far is Citizen.
For transparency, Citizen is not a publicly traded company. I have no financial interest in it. I’m simply evaluating it as a user. If the company ever went public, it’s one I’d seriously consider researching as a potential investment.
What has your experience been with neighborhood and community apps? Have you used Citizen, Nextdoor, or both? I’d be interested in hearing your perspective.
Join the discussion on NielFlamm.com.
Citizen vs. Nextdoor: What Are People Really Looking For in a Local App?
During my semi-weekly Zoom call this evening with my Fraternity Brothers from Tau Epsilon Phi Fraternity, Phi Chi Chapter, someone mentioned the Citizen app. I had heard the name before, but I had never really looked into it. After the conversation, I did some research — and tonight I’m starting to use it.
The more I looked, the more interesting the comparison became.
Nextdoor has always positioned itself as the digital neighborhood — a place to connect with neighbors, ask for recommendations, discuss local issues, and discover businesses.
Citizen takes a different approach: real-time awareness. It focuses on what many people immediately want to know when they open a local app:
What is happening around me right now?
Is there an accident nearby? Police activity? A fire? A safety concern? An emergency alert?
Sometimes people don't want another social network. They want useful information that affects their day, commute, family, and safety.
Nextdoor has a massive opportunity because community connections and local intent are incredibly valuable. But the challenge has always been balancing conversations, commerce, moderation, and trust.
Citizen appears to have a clearer "why open the app?" moment.
I’m beginning my own Citizen experiment tonight. I’ll see how the alerts, accuracy, usability, and overall experience compare.
Stay tuned — I’ll share what I learn.
Help Shape the Future of NielFlamm.com: A Global Audience Survey 🌎
One of the biggest surprises since launching NielFlamm.com has been discovering that people from around the world are reading and watching my content.
Yes, I expected readers from the United States, but I was genuinely surprised to see engagement from countries across the globe — including a significant audience from China.
That made me ask:
Who are you?
What brings you back?
What content do you enjoy?
What would you like to see more of?
So I created a quick audience survey.
It takes less than a minute to complete:
📋 https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/WPQAzYLsgs
Whether you are in the United States, China, Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, Australia, or anywhere else in the world, I would love your feedback.
Your responses will help me create better:
✅ Blog posts
✅ Videos
✅ Reviews
✅ Discussions
✅ Future content ideas
Most creators publish and hope people enjoy what they make.
I want to take a different approach.
I want to listen to the people who spend their time reading, watching, and engaging with my content. I want this to be a conversation, not just a broadcast.
And while we’re talking about global audiences…
I’m putting out an invitation.
I would love to partner with a Chinese company interested in reaching a Western audience.
Maybe it’s a Chinese electric vehicle company. 🚗⚡
Maybe it’s a technology brand. 💻
Maybe it’s a fun snack company. 🍜
BYD (Build Your Dreams), Xiaomi Technology, Polestar, or another innovative company — my inbox is open.
As a self-described “WaSian” (White + Asian), I believe I bring a unique perspective: someone who appreciates both Western and Asian influences while sharing authentic experiences with a global audience.
Also… I’m officially putting C-Pop into the universe. 😎
We have K-Pop. We have J-Pop. Why not C-Pop? Chinese music, entertainment, culture, food, and innovation deserve more global attention.
A creator asking an audience what they want to see isn’t complicated.
But maybe it is a different way of creating.
Let’s build something together.
Take the survey. Share your thoughts. Help shape what’s next.
Join the discussion on NielFlamm.com.
China, Cars, Content, and a Crazy Sponsorship Idea
There is something that has surprised me over the past several months.
A significant portion of the readers and viewers of NielFlamm.com comes from China.
When I first started noticing the traffic analytics, I was curious. I did a little research into what many people call “The Great Firewall” to better understand how my content is accessible there. From what I’ve read, my content is probably about as harmless as it gets. I write about movies, leadership, technology, AI, cars, life as an amputee, dialysis, business, and whatever random thought pops into my head. I’m not trying to stir political controversy or challenge government policy. I like to keep things interesting, fun, and occasionally a little sarcastic.
It also made me think.
If Americans believe we aren’t influenced or filtered in different ways, I think we’re kidding ourselves. Our AI tools have guardrails. Algorithms decide what news we see. Streaming services determine what music and movies are recommended. Social media platforms decide what gets amplified and what disappears into obscurity. Different systems, different methods, but someone, somewhere, is always making decisions that shape what we consume.
That isn’t really the point of this post, though.
The point is that I’d love to partner with a Chinese company as a sponsor for NielFlamm.com.
If anyone from BYD (Build Your Dreams), Xiaomi Technology, or even Polestar happens to stumble across this article, let’s have a conversation.
I’m a lifelong car enthusiast. I’ve watched countless reviews of vehicles that Americans can’t easily buy, and I think there’s an opportunity to create content from a different perspective. As someone who jokingly refers to himself as a “WaSian”—part White, part Asian—I think I can bring a unique voice to a Western audience while genuinely appreciating Chinese innovation and engineering. (More on the “WaSian” story in a future post.)
Whether it’s reviewing technology, discussing automotive design, sharing ownership experiences, or simply introducing products to an American audience, I think there is room to build something fun together.
Before you leave, please take less than a minute to complete my content survey:
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/WPQAzYLsgs
Your feedback will help shape future articles, videos, reviews, and discussions. I genuinely want to know what you enjoy, what you’d like to see more of, and what topics you think deserve more attention.
I don’t know of many independent creators who invite their audience to help guide the direction of future content. I think creating content should be more of a conversation than a broadcast.
Let’s build something together.
Let’s be a little revolutionary.
Join the discussion on NielFlamm.com.