Frequently Asked Questions
Why would I want to join this neighborhood list? I live on [some other street].
Good question and this points out why this system is different. This system uses distance to define a neighborhood around every participating house. You can think of it this way: Picture a map of your area. Imagine a circle on that map around your block and a block or two on each side with your house at the center of the circle. JustMyNeighbors only shows you messages and events by people inside the circle. One of my neighbors likes to say she is “the center of the universe”.
You are joining the neighborhood list around your house… your neighborhood.
We already have a yahoo group or mailing list for our block.
Many blocks have established mailing lists. I believe this system is better. Are your backyard neighbors on your list? What about your neighbors around the corner? Because JustMyNeighbors uses distance these neighbors are included. And JustMyNeighbors is more than a mailing list. You can post local events. You can share documents. And you can participate in special interests, like “gardening”.
Are you trying to replace the [large, district level] mailing list?
No. JustMyNeighbors is for block level communities. People that participate in JustMyNeighbors usually participate in larger community sites too.
Can I send messages to just my block?
When you participate in JustMyNeighbors you are automatically connected to others near you. This almost always includes your block and a few neighboring blocks.
The way to restrict messages to only people on your block is to create a JustMyNeighbors community for your block. JustMyNeighbors communities are simply special interest groups and messages posted to a community are only viewable by that community.
If you set up your block as a community there will be two lists: the people on your block, and the people that live near you (which includes the people on your block). You can post messages to either list.
You may find that much of the communication that normally goes to your block is welcome in the neighborhood based on distance. When your pet is lost it doesn’t know street boundaries. Crime issues are probably not block specific. And it’s fun to invite people on neighboring streets to your block party.
I only want to exchange messages with the people on my block—can I turn off the neighborhood messages?
JustMyNeighbors is all about connecting you to people that live near you. If you don’t want to communicate with nearby neighbors then the other list services may fit your needs better.