Members of the East Torresdale Civic Association learned about a Web-based social network that could become an alternative for folks who can’t attend their neighborhood civic association meetings.
The Nextdoor.com site has expanded its coverage into East Torresdale, allowing residents to communicate online with their neighbors to share information privately about community groups, local businesses, neighborhood problems and each other. It’s free to sign up for the network.
Sabra Townsend is a Nextdoor field organizer for Philadelphia. Residents interested in joining the program may log on via nextdoor.com/phl or email her via [email protected].
The company was founded in 2010 in San Francisco and claims on its website that “thousands of neighborhoods are already using Nextdoor to build happier, safer places to call home.” People have used the site to spread the word quickly about crimes in the neighborhood, to organize Town Watch groups, to find reputable babysitters and contractors, to find lost pets, to organize block parties and to introduce themselves to each other, the company says.
The site claims that access is password-protected and restricted to residents, although it’s unclear if people who move away from a neighborhood retain access to the site.
Although East Torresdale is entirely within the 19114 ZIP Code, the “neighborhood” as defined on the website omits the portion of East Torresdale between Interstate 95 and Frankford Avenue, while including all of Upper Holmesburg in the 19136 ZIP Code. Nextdoor calls the territory “Holmesburg,” according to an interactive map on its website.
To sign up for the service, residents must be willing to submit their email address and street address as well as their home phone numbers, cell phone number or credit card number for instant access. The phone or credit card numbers are needed to verify the user’s address, according to the site, which claims that all personal information is kept private and not shared with third parties. Those who don’t want to give a phone number or credit card can request a postcard verification, which takes three to five days.
In unrelated East Torresdale Civic Association business, members voted to donate $50 to sponsor the sixth annual Glen Foerd Gala at Glen Foerd on the Delaware on Oct. 24. The dinner will honor Nancy Morozin, proprietor of The Dining Car, civic leader and philanthropist.
The ETCA also approved a five-member nominating committee for the civic association’s executive board elections. Sitting Vice President Bill Kennedy and Recording Secretary Connie Siffel are on the committee, along with Marjorie Pappas, Ed Rice and Nancy Dellavella. Nominations will begin at the ETCA’s next general meeting on Nov. 11 at Liberty Evangelical Free Church, Linden Avenue and Milnor Street. ••
