By Melissa Robinson
Contributing Editor 

  The city of Stockbridge has teamed up with Nextdoor.com in order to connect neighbors within a particular neighborhood and foster communication with city officials.

  Nextdoor.com is a private social network for neighborhoods and is free to Stockbridge residents with Internet access. The service launched last week and residents can now create private websites for their neighborhoods on the site.

  Miranda Allen, events manager for Stockbridge, said the new service has been in the works since last summer and was the idea of the city treasurer, who utilizes the site’s services in his own neighborhood.

  “This is nothing new, but it’s a site that helps build better communities, joining neighbors together,” said Allen.

  She said the service is free, and as with most social networking sites, it makes its money through advertising. She said boundaries for neighborhoods have already been established for Stockbridge and the only thing residents have to do to join is to log on and enter their address to join their online neighborhood community.

  “Getting to know your neighbor can be as easy as logging onto a computer,” said Stock-bridge Mayor Mark Alarcon. “The free Nextdoor.com service provides a forum for neighbors to organize events, exchange advice, talk about safety concerns, or even sell stuff they may no longer need.”

  The city plans to keep residents informed about Stockbridge using the site. Members of Nextdoor.com will also be able to better communicate with city officials through the locally-moderated site. Allen said the two-way communication between residents of particular neighborhoods and city officials will enhance communication, for example to alert residents of roadwork being performed on a particular street or waterline work that may affect a certain area.

  “It might be something as simple as sharing the name of a great, reliable babysitter or plumber. It’s about bringing neighbors together and sharing information,” said Allen.

  She said information shared on Nextdoor.com is password-protected and cannot be accessed by those outside of the neighborhood site. In addition, Nextdoor.com never shares personal information with any third parties.

  For more information about the initiative, contact Miranda Allen at mallen@cityofstockbridgega.gov.