Interesting idea
https://nextdoor.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nextdoor
I was wondering how popular it might be in Jacksonville.
Unmoderated sites often end up as troll nests.
It requires you to confirm your home address via snail mail or credit card, and also give your real name. Which would likely keep trolls out.
I've encountered people who use it in the suburbs. I had a public meeting about a project recently and several people showed up based on Nextdoor discussion. It was annoying that I couldn't go there afterword and read the discussion, but I suppose the privacy is to the users benefit.
QuoteI was wondering how popular it might be in Jacksonville.
Here's your answer - There are 447 Nextdoor Neighborhoods in Jacksonville. Most have a threshold of around 3500 (max) households. That is as of Dec 2015. Nationwide, there are over 85,000 Nextdoor Neighborhoods and growing.
QuoteThese are questions being asked across the country as people experiment with services that bill themselves as a way to prevent crime, but also expose latent biases. The application "SketchFactor," which invited users to report "sketchy" people, faced allegations of racism in both the District and New York. Another social network roiled Oakland, Calif., when white residents used Nextdoor.com to cite "suspicious activity" about black neighbors. Taking it even further was GhettoTracker.com, which asked users to rate neighborhoods based on whether they thought they were "safe" or a "ghetto."
Now "Operation GroupMe" is stirring controversy in Georgetown. In February of last year, the Georgetown Business Improvement District partnered with District police to launch the effort, which they call a "real-time mobile-based group-messaging app that connects Georgetown businesses, police officers and community members." Since then, the app has attracted nearly 380 users who surreptitiously report on — and photograph — shoppers in an attempt to deter crime.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/the-secret-surveillance-of-suspicious-blacks-in-one-of-the-nations-poshest-neighborhoods/2015/10/13/2e47236c-6c4d-11e5-b31c-d80d62b53e28_story.html