Little-Known Social Network 'Nextdoor' Is Fighting Crime And Gaining Traction

Mary Boergers, a retired legislator and community activist who lives in Oakland, who has little interest in the more popular social media websites.

Nextdoor, though, is something she's taken interest in and feels is a positive for her community. The social network has carved out a niche and filled a void that even the giant networks have left open, according to Fortune.

These days most people engage in a number of the most popular social networks for this reason. 

Facebook is for friends and family, Twitter for following celebrities and special interest and LinkedIn for professional relationships. Any of the previously mentioned could be a neighbor, but Nextdoor is designed specifically for neighbors in mind.

The service-a collection of tens of thousands of localized mini-networks-began as a place for neighbors to recommend gardeners and babysitters, advertise garage sales, and ask for help finding a lost pet. But as it grew quietly to nearly 37,000 neighborhoods, up from 12,000 a year ago, some of its most engaged members said they wanted to hear from their police officers. 

After awhile, the service agreed to allow local police departments to post information to it. Now the agencies can alert communities of a road closure or an increase in burglaries, ask for tips to solve a crime, or warn residents about a suspected criminal.

The service was initially hesitant to allow law enforcement to use the website, but since then, its popularity has surged.

"After every new 'partnership' allowing a police agency to join, activity on Nextdoor neighborhoods surged-230% in Dallas, 200% in San Diego," according to Fortune.

That popularity gave co-founder and marketing chief Sarah Leary the idea to start an offshoot called the Nextdoor City Platform.

The Nextdoor City Platform, which launched in June, makes it much easier for officials to post to specific neighborhoods and send real-time alerts from their smart-phones. And it should help Nextdoor, which has formed more than 170 partnerships with police departments and agencies, add new cities at a much faster clip, potentially leading to a new phase of growth for the site. 

This is a large investment and gamble for the companies investors, since crime fighting is not monetized and Nextdoor has yet to bring in any revenue.