Day 68: Nextdoor Finally Responded—Sort Of*
Yes, that's an asterisk next to Day 68.
After more than two months of emails, posts, questions, tags, and wondering whether anyone at Nextdoor would respond, Nextdoor Communications emailed me.
Progress?
Well...sort of.
Their email said:
“We did not find it necessary to respond to your request for the following studies because they are both publicly available.”
They then sent me links to the Home Insurance Insights and Financial Advising and Investing blog posts.
There's just one problem.
Those aren't what I've been requesting.
Nextdoor's own Financial Advising and Investing post says:
“Want to explore the complete findings? This summary highlights key insights from our research, but there's much more to discover.”
It then tells readers seeking detailed data, additional audience segments, and strategic recommendations to contact Jacob Chavis.
That's precisely what I've been doing.
I responded and thanked Communications for reaching out. I'm requesting the complete findings and detailed data—not the blog summaries.
Whether Jacob sends them or Communications sends them doesn't matter to me.
I want what Nextdoor's own blog says readers can request.
Then came another interesting part of their email.
Nextdoor Communications told me this would be the only message they would send from that address and directed future support inquiries elsewhere.
Well, at least after 68 days I've confirmed something:
The Communications inbox works.
And since my research request remains unanswered, I'm not backing away from the underlying question. I'm doubling down on asking for clarity.
Meanwhile, Nurav Tooleyah Has Left the Neighborhood
Remember my experiment testing Nextdoor's verification system?
I created a duplicate account using the intentionally fake name “Nurav Tooleyah.”
Nextdoor Communications specifically mentioned the duplicate account in its email, and the account has now been indefinitely suspended.
Reason:
Duplicate account.
So, credit where it's due: Nextdoor eventually caught it.
But there's another asterisk.
It took more than 68 days.
That's the part that should concern anyone interested in platform trust and safety.
My account was an experiment intended to test the verification process. But imagine someone creating a false identity with genuinely malicious intentions.
How much damage could a bad actor potentially cause in 68 days while appearing to be a verified neighbor?
Could they build trust?
Collect information?
Contact vulnerable neighbors?
Promote a scam?
That's why I've been questioning Nextdoor's verification model.
Eventually catching a fake account is better than never catching it.
But how quickly you detect it matters.
And there's an interesting irony here.
Nextdoor found my duplicate account.
Nextdoor Communications found my email.
Nextdoor Communications found the two blog posts.
After 68 days, I haven't received the detailed research those posts explicitly invite readers to request.
So yes:
Day 68.*
The asterisk matters.
Nextdoor finally communicated.
The fake account finally disappeared.
But the original question remains remarkably simple:
Jacob, could you please share the complete findings and detailed data that Nextdoor tells readers to contact you to obtain?
Full timeline at NielFlamm.com/blog.
Day 36: What Gets Highlighted Says a Lot
Today marks Day 36 since I requested a copy of a Nextdoor study. I still haven't received the study or a response.
I spent some time viewing my local neighborhood on Nextdoor using a non-personal address and a parody email address. I noticed considerably more moderation activity today than I saw the last two weeks. Whether that's coincidence or simply increased activity, it was noticeable.
I also hope Jacob Chavis' next career opportunity is a significant one. The internet has a long memory, and prospective employers often review a candidate's public work and online presence. One question they may ask is why a Senior Manager didn't respond to a straightforward request for a study referenced by the company.
Today's featured story on Nextdoor highlights Dallas neighbors helping protect eaglets. It's a positive community story, and it's interesting that the featured neighborhood is in the Dallas area, where CEO Nirav Tolia is based.
What I continue not to see are deeper discussions about how the platform itself operates:
- How are volunteer moderators selected?
- What training and oversight do they receive?
- How are moderation standards updated and communicated?
- What accountability exists when users question moderation decisions?
Community success stories deserve attention, but so do the governance and transparency practices that shape the community experience.
As both a shareholder and a former user, I'll continue asking those questions.
Join the discussion on NielFlamm.com.
Where Are Nextdoor's Moderators?
The Nextdoor experiment continues, and once again I find myself asking the same question:
Where are the moderators?
I came across a post from a neighbor that asked what I thought about whether golf carts should be driven across grassy common areas. The neighbor even compared it to commercial landscaping crews using zero-turn lawn mowers.
Whether you agree with the comparison or not, it was a discussion.
Then came the comments.
One neighbor called another "unintelligent."
According to the timestamp, the comment remained on the platform.
That leaves me asking the same questions I've been asking for weeks:
Where are the unpaid moderators?
Who reviews their decisions?
Is there any quality assurance process?
How is this type of personal attack allowed to remain while other users are suspended for much less?
For those who can't see the screenshot, I've included it in today's post on NielFlamm.com/blog.
As a shareholder, I'm also scratching my head.
The stock closed around $2.54 today.
What value is the market seeing if the platform continues to struggle with consistent moderation and identity verification? That's a question I'm trying to understand as I continue following the company.
On a different note, I've started using Citizen, and my initial experience has been positive.
Within minutes, I learned about a fatal crash approximately 3.9 miles from me, could see how many active users were nearby, and viewed other developing stories, including reports of a gastrointestinal outbreak affecting multiple states.
It's still early, but I'm looking forward to comparing the two platforms as I continue using Citizen.
Competition has a way of making every company better.
And that's good for users, advertisers, and shareholders alike.
Join the discussion on NielFlamm.com.
The Nextdoor Experiment Continues: When Does Moderation Become a Barrier to Community?
The Nextdoor experiment continues, and this latest example left me asking more questions.
While browsing the Low Country Nextdoor platform, I saw that a neighbor had a post removed and their account suspended for writing a post in French.
French.
A language spoken by millions of people worldwide.
The first question that came to mind:
Where in Nextdoor’s Terms and Conditions does it state that posts must be written only in English?
If the concern was understanding the content, there are countless free translation tools available. A moderator could have copied and pasted the text into Google Translate in seconds and determined whether the post was appropriate.
This wasn’t a discussion about nuclear codes, Area 51 secrets, or the next strategic move of the New York Yankees.
It was a neighbor attempting to connect with other neighbors.
That raises a bigger question:
Is the moderation process helping build community, or unintentionally creating barriers to it?
Nextdoor promotes itself as a platform connecting neighbors. But communities are diverse. People speak different languages, come from different backgrounds, and have different ways of communicating.
A strong moderation system should consider context.
It should encourage connection.
It should apply rules consistently.
This is another example where I believe Nextdoor’s unpaid moderator model deserves a closer look:
What training do moderators receive?
Are there guidelines for language-related posts?
Is there a quality assurance process reviewing suspensions?
Are decisions consistent across neighborhoods?
When moderation decisions feel unpredictable, trust in the platform declines.
As a shareholder, I also continue watching the business side. The stock recently moved upward, which is positive for investors, but the long-term question remains:
Can Nextdoor build a sustainable business while creating a consistent and trusted experience for every neighbor?
Community is built through connection—not unnecessary barriers.
Join the discussion on NielFlamm.com.
The Nextdoor Experiment Continues: When Are Politics Allowed?
The Nextdoor experiment continues, and I have no clue what's going on with moderation in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina... assuming there are active moderators.
While browsing the platform, I came across a political discussion started by a self-described independent voter discussing MAGA, the future following the death of Senator Lindsey Graham, and what comes next politically. The conversation quickly evolved into a back-and-forth between left- and right-leaning viewpoints.
When I captured the screenshot, the thread had been active for about four hours.
That made me think.
I remember neighbors in my area being suspended over political discussions.
So I did what many people do—I searched online to better understand Nextdoor's policy.
My understanding is that discussions about local politics may be permitted, while national political discussions generally are not.
If that's accurate, then this thread appears to raise questions about how those policies are being applied.
Once again, I find myself asking:
Are there active moderators in my area?
If so, how often are they reviewing content?
Is there any quality assurance process to ensure moderation decisions are consistent?
Why do some political discussions remain visible while others reportedly result in suspensions?
These are questions about consistency, not ideology.
Whether someone is conservative, liberal, independent, or somewhere in between shouldn't matter.
The same standards should apply to everyone.
Sometimes it feels like the unpaid moderators are asleep at the wheel, the guards aren't guarding, and the police aren't policing.
For years, I've heard there are three topics guaranteed to start an argument:
Politics
Religion
Whether the New York Yankees are the greatest franchise in sports history.
(I'm sure Boston Red Sox fans—and probably Los Angeles Dodgers fans, too—have already stopped reading.)
Humor aside, moderation works best when the rules are clear and applied consistently.
If users can't predict how those rules will be enforced, confidence in the platform begins to erode.
Consistency builds trust.
Inconsistency invites questions.
Join the discussion on NielFlamm.com.
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