Neighborhood leaders see value in social media

At the Neighborhood Institute in March, one of our most popular workshops was Samantha Armacost’s ‘Social Networking with Your Neighbors.’ Sam shared tips on how to effectively use social media in a community setting, including sites like Twitter, Facebook, and NextDoor – a new social networking site designed for communities. In response to the workshop’s popularity, GHCC’ most recent Neighborhood Leaders Forum focused on community communications strategies, including NextDoor.

On April 10, community leaders from Harwood, Lake Walker, and other north central Baltimore neighborhoods gathered over pizza to share their concerns and strategies for better communication among neighbors. GHCC Community Organizers Ira Kowler and Hannah Gardi shared examples of successful flyers and newsletters from several communities, while Medfield Community Association President Cindy Cabales gave a demonstration of her neighborhood’s NextDoor. Many participants said their community had various listservs or websites to communicate information, but were surprised by the wealth of features on NextDoor. Some features that excited participants included the ability to see what houses have been invited to the site, the ease with which they could send messages to neighbors, and the ability to create and manage community events. All participants left the Forum with a commitment to either create or expand their neighborhood NextDoor site.

If you would like more information on the Neighborhood Leaders Forum, NextDoor, or GHCC Neighborhood Programs, please contact Lead Community Organizer Ira Kowler at 443-814-9206 or ikowler@strongcitybaltimore.org.