Pros and Cons: NextDoor vs Facebook

Submitted by Claudia Henning on Mon, 11/27/2023 - 21:24

Did you know that both companies are listed with the NYSE and have a multibillion dollar value? They both were created to provide a social discourse among neighbors and friends while receiving earnings from advertising and post boosting, which provides revenue for the stockholders.

The evolution of NextDoor is following the same path as Facebook as growth continues to increase nationwide. As with most new ventures, changes have occurred since the POA Board decided to make NextDoor the social "arm" of the Ranch. Here are just some:

  1. Lack of ability to use for “Alerts” (fire, roadwork).
  2. Posts are not time sensitive. The first post seen is one that could have been listed 1 day, or even 6 weeks before. the POA Board is no longer participating.
  3. The Neighborhood now includes Trinidad, South Trinidad PLUS the surrounding area. One may choose to only post in SFTR but if the person posting does not limit their post to SFTR only, privacy falls away creating public exposure to all things SFTR.

The “Official SFTR” Facebook group is currently the best alternative because of the following features:

  1. HIDDEN and PRIVATE as each participant must be pre-approved. Approval is done manually and is available only to listed property owners on the POA website / Metro. All posts remain within the approved members. POA Board is participating.
  2. Takes the best of NextDoor (posting pictures, time sensitive, available for “Alerts” in real time, email/text posts (your choice when joining FB for your own account) when listed.
  3. Participants can opt-out of ads. This is something that needs to be done on a quarterly basis whether you are in the ranch group or your own personal page. Go to Account Settings for more information on how to do this.

Why can’t we use our own website for social discourse? Simple answer: It’s not available within the confines of our current website. This is why the new FaceBook group was created and hidden from public eye (unless you are a member, you will not find it) and private for all posts.