Nextdoor is replacing the small-town paper • Hacker News Board

Re: Nextdoor is replacing the small-town paper

#51

Post by MilnerRoute » Fri, Feb 05, 2021, 1:42 AM UTC

davidw wrote: post #46

No, it is not. The small town paper where I live sends someone to sit through city council meetings, which at times decide important things, but often debate relatively unimportant things in lengthly, excruciating detail. Like that time I went to comment about a housing issue that was important to me and had to sit through a discussion of the city sign code. In any event, even people who care about one thing or the o…

The article makes the point with the story of a crucial school-funding referendum that failed. They spoke to people who believe that widespread rumors on Nextdoor caused the devastating swing in popular opinion.

So while local newspapers may still be reporting on schoolboard meetings, those articles aren't necessarily being read by voters. Instead, many voters are now drawing their information from Nextdoor.

So it's replacing local newspapers in that sense -- as the source of information.

Your comment speaks to the reasons why it shouldn't replace a local newspaper. But the greater worry is: maybe it still is, anyways.

Re: Nextdoor is replacing the small-town paper

#52

Post by ghaff » Fri, Feb 05, 2021, 1:44 AM UTC

sumthinprofound wrote: post #47

ghaff wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many places have exactly zero local daily papers. My town had a labor of love for a few years before the publisher fell ill. Now there's basically nothing unless something is big enough to hit a more broadly targeted audience. So Next Door/Facebook. (7K person town.)

How is the quality of news sources for your area that you find on facebook? I try to get as little news from fb as possible.

There's basically zero information in general.

Re: Nextdoor is replacing the small-town paper

#53

Post by stevenwoo » Fri, Feb 05, 2021, 1:45 AM UTC

tshaddox wrote: post #41

hawktheslayer wrote: post #4

I tried Nextdoor but quickly closed the app when it was filled with rumors about who in the neighborhood isn't cleaning up after their dog. Maybe I'm throwing away the baby with the bath water, but I don't feel like I miss out on all that much by forgoing yet another social media platform vying for my attention

I understand why it might be harmful (or at least annoying) to see people spreading rumors about who isn't cleaning up after their dog, but I'm curious how you might better handle the problem of people in the neighborhood not cleaning up after their dog.

The fines should be proportionate to income to pay for the program but this would work https://time.com/4552903/mislata-spain-dog-feces/

Re: Nextdoor is replacing the small-town paper

#54

Post by p1necone » Fri, Feb 05, 2021, 1:50 AM UTC

jacob2484 wrote: post #27

MattGaiser wrote: post #3

I must wonder whether the misinformation is the excuse and not the reason, as there are plenty of places in America where school funding is a major state issue and that doesn't change a thing. Oklahoma has a shortage of teachers and election after election, the population collectively shrugs. I haven't ever heard someone openly oppose education. Privately, I have heard plenty of people say "kids can make do" and "I d…

- I oppose growing education bureaucracy where little of the increase in education funding goes to teacher salary, and instead to rent-seeking bureaucrats that waste tax-payer money - Public schools have failed kids in the US due to overly powerful teachers unions who protect terrible teacher and do injustice to students prospects. I'd rather pay for charter schools, not some general state education budget.

You're simultaneously claiming that not enough money goes to teachers salaries and that the teachers unions are too powerful. I'm not really sure I follow.

Re: Nextdoor is replacing the small-town paper

#55

Post by jedberg » Fri, Feb 05, 2021, 1:51 AM UTC

goles wrote: post #49

jedberg wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Out of curiosity, are these neighborhoods mostly one race and one socioeconomic class? It seems like racism and classicism are the biggest issues.

Sure those could certainly be exacerbating factors. I'm a pretty private person so I'll just say the area is majority white and and a high median income area. I guess my question is how do you weigh good outcome areas generating positive outcomes from using the platform vs. lower performing outcome areas generating negative outcomes (e.g. mentally-challenged skateboarder) in their area. The platform isn't generating…

The platform is fine. Like any social media, it amplifies existing biases that the population it serves already has.

But the specific issue with Next-door is that by design it serves a very limited population, so if that small population has any sort of bias, it is massively amplified.

Re: Nextdoor is replacing the small-town paper

#56

Post by foolinaround » Fri, Feb 05, 2021, 2:01 AM UTC

stevenwoo wrote: post #53

tshaddox wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I understand why it might be harmful (or at least annoying) to see people spreading rumors about who isn't cleaning up after their dog, but I'm curious how you might better handle the problem of people in the neighborhood not cleaning up after their dog.

The fines should be proportionate to income to pay for the program but this would work https://time.com/4552903/mislata-spain-dog-feces/

it should be for all crimes

Re: Nextdoor is replacing the small-town paper

#57

Post by ravenstine » Fri, Feb 05, 2021, 2:06 AM UTC

For me, Nextdoor is primarily people looking for lost pets, complaining about "suspicious" strangers, and making dubious crime reports. That's hardly a replacement for a local newspaper.

Re: Nextdoor is replacing the small-town paper

#58

Post by qwertay » Fri, Feb 05, 2021, 2:09 AM UTC

tshaddox wrote: post #41

hawktheslayer wrote: post #4

I tried Nextdoor but quickly closed the app when it was filled with rumors about who in the neighborhood isn't cleaning up after their dog. Maybe I'm throwing away the baby with the bath water, but I don't feel like I miss out on all that much by forgoing yet another social media platform vying for my attention

I understand why it might be harmful (or at least annoying) to see people spreading rumors about who isn't cleaning up after their dog, but I'm curious how you might better handle the problem of people in the neighborhood not cleaning up after their dog.

Install a camera on the front of your house and if you see a dog shit on the street you grab the video and forward it to authorities.

Re: Nextdoor is replacing the small-town paper

#59

Post by qwertay » Fri, Feb 05, 2021, 2:13 AM UTC

Shared404 wrote: post #36

peteretep wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is this an attribute of the platform or an attribute of neighbourhoods without community?

The nastiness is an attribute of the neighborhood, amplified by the platform.

These platforms amplify things way too much. Before you would have simply complained to your family and friends but now you can start a suburb wide witch hunt on someone trivially.

Re: Nextdoor is replacing the small-town paper

#60

Post by goles » Fri, Feb 05, 2021, 2:14 AM UTC

jedberg wrote: post #55

goles wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure those could certainly be exacerbating factors. I'm a pretty private person so I'll just say the area is majority white and and a high median income area. I guess my question is how do you weigh good outcome areas generating positive outcomes from using the platform vs. lower performing outcome areas generating negative outcomes (e.g. mentally-challenged skateboarder) in their area. The platform isn't generating…

The platform is fine. Like any social media, it amplifies existing biases that the population it serves already has. But the specific issue with Next-door is that by design it serves a very limited population, so if that small population has any sort of bias, it is massively amplified.

Ok so what is your solution to this problem?