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Nextdoor, the social media app for your neighborhood and local events, has launched a new redesign. The company says the changes are to "meet the evolving needs of neighbors everywhere" as the shift toward remote and hybrid work has resulted in people spending more time in their local communities.
The redesign focuses on three core features that will help you navigate the goings-on of your neighborhood: Alerts, News and Faves. Here's how each of these features works, and how the service is incorporating an artificial intelligence chatbot into the app's overhaul.
The Nextdoor Alerts feature combines information from trusted sources, local emergency services and your neighbors to give you the fullest understanding of a situation.
Nextdoor/Screenshot by Tyler Lacoma/CNETAlerts
As a local social media application, Nextdoor has been able to share information about local emergencies or crises in the past. Identifying this important use case, developers created the Alert tab, a map expressly designed to help you stay on top of critical happenings nearby.
The map tracks power outages, severe weather, wildfires and more. Nextdoor powers this new feature through partnerships with providers like Samdesk and The Weather Company, integrating their latest updates into the map.
The Alerts tab will also allow you to converse with your neighbors about what's happening nearby, sharing warnings or the latest information about a crisis. Local public agencies (such as your town's fire department) can also send out news blasts directly to the Nextdoor Alerts tab.
The Nextdoor News feature integrates trusted local publications into the app.
Nextdoor/Screenshot by Tyler Lacoma/CNETNews
You've always been able to hear about the latest events from neighbors through conversations on the Nextdoor app, but this feature will directly connect you with local news outlets to keep your neighborhood informed.
Nextdoor has already partnered with more than 3,500 local publications across the US, the UK and Canada for this new feature -- the rollout includes a feed of news articles for 77% of US neighborhoods represented on Nextdoor right now.
Local stories from vetted publishers will show up in your feed based on location information, making it easier for you and your neighbors to discuss local sports, politics and more.
Nextdoor Faves integrates an AI agent into the Nextdoor app, allowing you to ask about hidden gems nearby.
Nextdoor/Screenshot by Tyler Lacoma/CNETFaves, Nextdoor's new AI agent
Nextdoor's new AI agent powers the Faves feature, which was launched in select US markets at the beginning of its rollout.
This feature incorporates an AI tool into Nextdoor, which was trained on the 14 years of neighborhood conversation history baked into the app. You can ask the chatbot for specific local recommendations and receive a quick and summarized response to your inquiry.
Nextdoor says that asking the AI chatbot for recommendations will be just as useful as "asking a knowledgeable local." Whether users will prefer this chatbot to normal conversations with their neighbors remains to be seen.
More than 100 million people use Nextdoor internationally, and the company estimates that one in three US households maintains an active account. It's yet to be seen whether Nextdoor's active user base will embrace the redesign, but it will affect how millions of Americans interact with their neighborhoods.
A representative for Nextdoor did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.
