[gnicholas]

I used to buy/sell on Craigslist a lot but now use NextDoor (neighborhood-based, address-verified social network). I never had any safety issues with CL, but ND definitely feels safer/friendlier. Most of the people I meet are local housewives getting rid of stuff. There tends to be less haggling, and because it's neighborhood/town based, you don't have to drive as far to meet (huge plus). I think the reason that people behave better (e.g., don't lowball) is because they know they'll see you in discussion forums on the network, and it's not worth pissing someone off and getting a bad reputation.

I'll try out FB's new feature, but ND sets the bar pretty high.

[tshannon]

Yeah but what I don't like about next door is that by default you're sharing your entire profile with your closest 16+ neighborhoods. That means your actual verified address, what you're selling, and anything else you put on nextdoor.

Why do these sites keep making privacy settings open to all by default?

[gnicholas]

That is the default, but you can also opt not to show your address, and to hide all but your name from anyone outside your neighborhood. It's definitely smart not to show the address — but even still it's wise to censor yourself (don't say "seeking housesitter for 10/1 to 10/14) because people can just google you and see where you live from public records. HN folks probably realize this, but many people on ND do not...

Also note that you can post to just your neighborhood, or to yours and a few close by. You don't have to share with all (and frequently, I don't).

[fourstar]

I've used Nextdoor for awhile and have had much better success getting rid of things on it, than Craigslist.

Plus the fact that I know the people on it are geographically close get rid of the flake factor for me.

[askafriend]

I agree. There's a ton of spam and fake accounts in these types of Facebook groups which isn't a great experience and only marginally better than Craigslist.

Nextdoor is far better positioned to avoid this kind of spammy experience. They require real names and verify addresses so you know the people you are interacting with are real, and actually live near you.

[gnicholas]

FYI, their user verification is very weak. So while the vast majority of folks on the network actually live where they say they do, it is trivial for an outsider to join and lurk. People share all sorts of private details (when they'll be out of town being the most common), and I'm surprised there haven't been any (publicized) incidents where thieves used ND to find leads in ritzy neighborhoods.