Starting a parent-community group/list-serv?
February 13, 2016 4:07 AM Subscribe
Have you any experience with starting a new neighborhood list-serv or something like it?
We've moved to a new place, and in our old city, there was this amazing parents' list-serv where parents could join (a yahoo group) and then advertise all sorts of things -- babysitters, used furniture, as well as ask advice, etc. I'd love to start one in my new place, but don't know many people and don't know where to start.
I've seen others that are more like a "weekly newsletter" -- these are amazing, but it sounds like a lot of work for the person who has to collate it. I'm not looking to make any money or anything, just create a network for parents for shared advice.
Any advice on doing this? Just putting out flyers? Recruiting a few people and hoping it catches on? Anything else to think of?
Thanks!
We've moved to a new place, and in our old city, there was this amazing parents' list-serv where parents could join (a yahoo group) and then advertise all sorts of things -- babysitters, used furniture, as well as ask advice, etc. I'd love to start one in my new place, but don't know many people and don't know where to start.
I've seen others that are more like a "weekly newsletter" -- these are amazing, but it sounds like a lot of work for the person who has to collate it. I'm not looking to make any money or anything, just create a network for parents for shared advice.
Any advice on doing this? Just putting out flyers? Recruiting a few people and hoping it catches on? Anything else to think of?
Thanks!
I think your idea of a basic listserv is great.
Many people are not on Facebook. If you are on Facebook, you see the people who are on Facebook, and it's easy to forget the folks who aren't there -- it can _seem_ like everybody's on Facebook.
A listserv avoids a lot of clutter, and is pretty easy once you set it up.
posted by amtho at 4:57 AM on February 13, 2016
Many people are not on Facebook. If you are on Facebook, you see the people who are on Facebook, and it's easy to forget the folks who aren't there -- it can _seem_ like everybody's on Facebook.
A listserv avoids a lot of clutter, and is pretty easy once you set it up.
posted by amtho at 4:57 AM on February 13, 2016
Our neighborhood has both a FB group and a Yahoo Listserv.
But before starting a new one, I'd check more deeply to see if there's already something like that set up by someone else. A new Listserv is likely to rely on word of mouth to get people signed up, which means you're going to need to be tied into some community networking points of contact anyway, so you might as well chat them up first and see if they have any suggestions for a new family to get oriented in the neighborhood. If there's already any kind of online network, you'll hear about it then.
In my own neighborhood, I would start out by checking in with my similar-demographic neighbors (and find out about the babysitting co-op yahoo group), then my next door neighbors (and find out about the neighborhood yahoo list, and also the FB group), the local preschool and elementary school (each with their own listservs and FB groups), check out a nearby church (newsletter and multiple FB groups), and read the local magazine (and find out about the for-profit countywide moms' group).
posted by instamatic at 5:10 AM on February 13, 2016
But before starting a new one, I'd check more deeply to see if there's already something like that set up by someone else. A new Listserv is likely to rely on word of mouth to get people signed up, which means you're going to need to be tied into some community networking points of contact anyway, so you might as well chat them up first and see if they have any suggestions for a new family to get oriented in the neighborhood. If there's already any kind of online network, you'll hear about it then.
In my own neighborhood, I would start out by checking in with my similar-demographic neighbors (and find out about the babysitting co-op yahoo group), then my next door neighbors (and find out about the neighborhood yahoo list, and also the FB group), the local preschool and elementary school (each with their own listservs and FB groups), check out a nearby church (newsletter and multiple FB groups), and read the local magazine (and find out about the for-profit countywide moms' group).
posted by instamatic at 5:10 AM on February 13, 2016
My neighborhood uses a FB group and NextDoor.com. A non-local group that I'm part of used Yahoo until recently, when it became apparent that the listserv features were the least popular - people are okay with push notifications (which both FB and Nextdoor can provide) but seemed to want the features of the other sites in addition. I think a benefit is that Nextdoor is trying to reach the same people you are and FB activity broadcasts to a users friends, some of whom are probably in their neighborhood - in other words, both sites can help you widen the net in ways that a simple listserv cannot.
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 5:18 AM on February 13, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 5:18 AM on February 13, 2016 [1 favorite]
I have 31 houses in my neighborhood. I tried to get a Yahoo group going but several people refused to get a Yahoo email. Facebook is out because several people don't do Facebook. So I did start a Nextdoor group and that has worked out pretty well, but I think a couple people have lost their password or something because they have been emailing me instead of posting on Nextdoor so I plan to put up a permanent sign at the mailboxes so people know how to get in touch with me. And I can help them get back on Nextdoor. Also Nextdoor has weird rules about how to define your neighborhood and it was pretty stressful because they kept saying "you don't have enough members so we are going to shut you down". But I finally got that straightened out by emailing them several times to get more time to get it started.
Hope that helps.
posted by cda at 5:59 AM on February 13, 2016 [1 favorite]
Hope that helps.
posted by cda at 5:59 AM on February 13, 2016 [1 favorite]
Big Tent is another service that is more of a message board, but also emails digests. It has a lot of features. The parent group I am a part of moved to Big Tent from Yahoo, and all really love it as there is a classified section and the ability to make subgroups.
posted by momochan at 7:23 AM on February 13, 2016
posted by momochan at 7:23 AM on February 13, 2016
Echoing peanut_mcgillicuty, have you heard of Nextdoor.com? Each city's neighborhood either already has a service like what you describe, or it's available for you to set up, right now. Once you join, you can invite others to join too.
You can post things to just your neighborhood, or to yours + nearby ones. There are categories, such as lost & found, classifieds, crime & safety, recommendations, etc. Nextdoor will even send a daily email digest to subscribers if that's the setting they choose.
My neighborhood and surrounding ones use Nextdoor for things like organizing snow shoveling, organizing group yard sales, trading baby items, alerting folks to new commercial building & other zoning issues, and keeping up with property and other crimes. I even find it's easier to sell household items on Nextdoor than it is to open up sales to the city at large via Craigslist. It's way better than FB since threaded conversations are possible.
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 10:08 AM on February 13, 2016
You can post things to just your neighborhood, or to yours + nearby ones. There are categories, such as lost & found, classifieds, crime & safety, recommendations, etc. Nextdoor will even send a daily email digest to subscribers if that's the setting they choose.
My neighborhood and surrounding ones use Nextdoor for things like organizing snow shoveling, organizing group yard sales, trading baby items, alerting folks to new commercial building & other zoning issues, and keeping up with property and other crimes. I even find it's easier to sell household items on Nextdoor than it is to open up sales to the city at large via Craigslist. It's way better than FB since threaded conversations are possible.
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 10:08 AM on February 13, 2016
Wanted to add: I'm not affiliated with Nextdoor, and I don't think it's perfect! For example, a business owner can join the site and claim to be a resident by using his/her business address.
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 10:09 AM on February 13, 2016
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 10:09 AM on February 13, 2016
You should be aware that, depending on where you live and what your neighbors are like, there may be some number of people who refuse to use Nextdoor because of its associations with racism and racial profiling. I, for example, absolutely refuse to use that site, and I know lots of other people in various communities where this has been an issue who similarly refuse.
Whatever platform you use, some people are not going to join it. Just like there are some people who don't use Facebook, or don't want to get a bunch of emails from a listserv, or whatever. If I were you, planning to take on the job of organizing, I'd just use whatever (reasonably popular) platform you prefer. If some people don't want to use that platform, they don't have to. But about 85% of Americans use email, and 58% have Facebook, so I think that if your neighbors are interested in such a group, you'll be able to get plenty of people to join no matter what platform you choose.
posted by decathecting at 10:58 AM on February 13, 2016
Whatever platform you use, some people are not going to join it. Just like there are some people who don't use Facebook, or don't want to get a bunch of emails from a listserv, or whatever. If I were you, planning to take on the job of organizing, I'd just use whatever (reasonably popular) platform you prefer. If some people don't want to use that platform, they don't have to. But about 85% of Americans use email, and 58% have Facebook, so I think that if your neighbors are interested in such a group, you'll be able to get plenty of people to join no matter what platform you choose.
posted by decathecting at 10:58 AM on February 13, 2016
In my experience Yahoo Groups has a lot of advantages - searchable archives, no need to have a Facebook account, people can subscribe as "digest" or get all the messages at once. And in my experience, most neighborhood parenting groups are on Yahoo Groups.
However, there are significant downsides and, at least in my current neighborhood, there has been a move to Facebook because it is just so much easier for people to use, especially from mobile devices. This is even more the case when people are using the parenting group to sell stuff - adding a photo to a Facebook post is incredibly easy. Photos don't work very well in Yahoo Groups.
Nextdoor is popular, but I wouldn't use it for a parenting group. Too few people are on it.
I'd recommend Facebook.
Other thoughts from my experience in 3 different sets of these:
- Geographic boundaries: Some parenting groups are very strict about verification that you live in the boundaries of the neighborhood. I'm not entirely sure why they do this - perhaps to keep out spam. But I had to take a photo of a utility bill with my address on it for one. This was also the case in a "Buy nothing" Facebook group that I am in - the moderators had to verify your address before you could be added.
- Moderation rules: You'd think that it would be no big deal for people to use this, but if I were you, I'd download a copy of the policies from some other groups and crib them. Have rules about "discussions" and "arguments" as well as what people can sell (like no used car seats, no multilevel marketing schemes). You may also want some policies about "reviews" of local businesses or caregivers.
- Is it your hope that people respond publicly (for the good of all) or privately and do a compile? For example, someone asks "Hey, what are the good summer camps for 4 year olds around here?" - do you want a thread of dozens of suggestions and everyone can see it? Or do you want the person that asked to receive the replies privately and then do a compile post of all the answers? The traffic can get very heavy as you can imagine.
- What is your policy going to be about repeated questions? In a big neighborhood list serv I was on, if people asked "hey, can I get a plumber recommendation?" there were quick attacks "Someone just asked and answered that a week ago. SEARCH THE ARCHIVES!"
- Selling. In a huge neighborhood parenting listserv that I was on, buying and selling went on all the time and it was awesome. In my current neighborhood there are strict policies that one can only post stuff to sell on Sundays. On the one hand it is nice because if you're looking for something, you know to watch on Sundays. On the other hand, if you're out of town or busy, having to wait until Sunday to sell can be a huge pain. Also, what is your policy about "pending pick up" notices. Let's say someone post a bike for sale, and then gets a flood of emails asking about the bike - is there a way for her to say "it's sold!"? Yahoo Groups doesn't do this well, but Facebook would because the post could easily be removed.
posted by k8t at 11:29 AM on February 13, 2016
However, there are significant downsides and, at least in my current neighborhood, there has been a move to Facebook because it is just so much easier for people to use, especially from mobile devices. This is even more the case when people are using the parenting group to sell stuff - adding a photo to a Facebook post is incredibly easy. Photos don't work very well in Yahoo Groups.
Nextdoor is popular, but I wouldn't use it for a parenting group. Too few people are on it.
I'd recommend Facebook.
Other thoughts from my experience in 3 different sets of these:
- Geographic boundaries: Some parenting groups are very strict about verification that you live in the boundaries of the neighborhood. I'm not entirely sure why they do this - perhaps to keep out spam. But I had to take a photo of a utility bill with my address on it for one. This was also the case in a "Buy nothing" Facebook group that I am in - the moderators had to verify your address before you could be added.
- Moderation rules: You'd think that it would be no big deal for people to use this, but if I were you, I'd download a copy of the policies from some other groups and crib them. Have rules about "discussions" and "arguments" as well as what people can sell (like no used car seats, no multilevel marketing schemes). You may also want some policies about "reviews" of local businesses or caregivers.
- Is it your hope that people respond publicly (for the good of all) or privately and do a compile? For example, someone asks "Hey, what are the good summer camps for 4 year olds around here?" - do you want a thread of dozens of suggestions and everyone can see it? Or do you want the person that asked to receive the replies privately and then do a compile post of all the answers? The traffic can get very heavy as you can imagine.
- What is your policy going to be about repeated questions? In a big neighborhood list serv I was on, if people asked "hey, can I get a plumber recommendation?" there were quick attacks "Someone just asked and answered that a week ago. SEARCH THE ARCHIVES!"
- Selling. In a huge neighborhood parenting listserv that I was on, buying and selling went on all the time and it was awesome. In my current neighborhood there are strict policies that one can only post stuff to sell on Sundays. On the one hand it is nice because if you're looking for something, you know to watch on Sundays. On the other hand, if you're out of town or busy, having to wait until Sunday to sell can be a huge pain. Also, what is your policy about "pending pick up" notices. Let's say someone post a bike for sale, and then gets a flood of emails asking about the bike - is there a way for her to say "it's sold!"? Yahoo Groups doesn't do this well, but Facebook would because the post could easily be removed.
posted by k8t at 11:29 AM on February 13, 2016
As far as promoting it, I'd figure out what Facebook groups already exist for your neighborhood and ask the moderators to do a post saying "Hey parents of Whatever Hood, please check out this new community..."
posted by k8t at 11:29 AM on February 13, 2016
posted by k8t at 11:29 AM on February 13, 2016
Another thought - personally, I find the questions that are not related to the neighborhood less helpful - like "how do I wean my baby?" -- I'd rather people go elsewhere for that and leave the neighborhood listserv for questions about pediatric dentists, preschools, and selling stuff. But maybe I am just a jerk.
posted by k8t at 11:33 AM on February 13, 2016
posted by k8t at 11:33 AM on February 13, 2016
You know what would be awesome? Having a get-together and talking over options with some of your neighbors. If they come up with it together, they might even be more motivated to go to a little effort to invite other neighbors personally.
posted by amtho at 11:46 AM on February 13, 2016
posted by amtho at 11:46 AM on February 13, 2016
Please, Facebook, where I can block people, where I can look at photos without having to log in to Yahoo, where I do not have to find out that most of my neighbours are mailing list idiots who do not know how to not include the sixteen previous messages in their posts, who post "PLEASE UNSUBSCRIBE ME FROM THIS LIST? THANK YOU, RICHARD" to the list, who reply en masse to the entire list when somebody says "Could somebody with experience in XYZ please contact me off-list?"
Even reasonably bright people do not know how to use mailing lists nowadays. The days when people read "Welcome to [mailing list]! Here's a FAQ with a brief etiquette guide and instructions on how to unsubscribe" mailings, as they might read a Usenet newsgroup FAQ or, even more bizarrely, printed books on how to behave politely on the internet, are long gone.
Facebook has a lot more tools for both the administrators and the users to cut down irritations.
Yes, some people are not on FB. But some people are very against further clutter in their e-mail inboxes. Nextdoor is US-only and apparently rather problematic.
A FB buy/sell/gossip group for a town in the next county here has 11,463 members; the town population is 9153. 12,385 people live in an amalgamation of small towns that includes my own, and the residents' mailing list, the only one for the area, had, last I looked, eighty-six people on it. (I am not going to look right now because Yahoo wants to text message me a code or some BS before logging in, and that is more effort than Yahoo content is worth for me.) It is so much easier to get the word out on social media. I don't know what mailing lists any of my friends are on, but thanks to FB friends with similar interests I've joined loads of FB groups I wouldn't have heard about otherwise. And it is nicer to socialize or consider socializing with parents I can at least see a photo of, find out a thing or two about, etc, first.
Make, immediately, a rule banning all MLM posts, and operate with zero tolerance for that. There is nothing sadder than a tiny local group here with no noticeable admin; it is called "[Smallcommunity name] Friends" and has been reduced to nothing but MLM spams.
posted by kmennie at 1:48 PM on February 13, 2016
Even reasonably bright people do not know how to use mailing lists nowadays. The days when people read "Welcome to [mailing list]! Here's a FAQ with a brief etiquette guide and instructions on how to unsubscribe" mailings, as they might read a Usenet newsgroup FAQ or, even more bizarrely, printed books on how to behave politely on the internet, are long gone.
Facebook has a lot more tools for both the administrators and the users to cut down irritations.
Yes, some people are not on FB. But some people are very against further clutter in their e-mail inboxes. Nextdoor is US-only and apparently rather problematic.
A FB buy/sell/gossip group for a town in the next county here has 11,463 members; the town population is 9153. 12,385 people live in an amalgamation of small towns that includes my own, and the residents' mailing list, the only one for the area, had, last I looked, eighty-six people on it. (I am not going to look right now because Yahoo wants to text message me a code or some BS before logging in, and that is more effort than Yahoo content is worth for me.) It is so much easier to get the word out on social media. I don't know what mailing lists any of my friends are on, but thanks to FB friends with similar interests I've joined loads of FB groups I wouldn't have heard about otherwise. And it is nicer to socialize or consider socializing with parents I can at least see a photo of, find out a thing or two about, etc, first.
Make, immediately, a rule banning all MLM posts, and operate with zero tolerance for that. There is nothing sadder than a tiny local group here with no noticeable admin; it is called "[Smallcommunity name] Friends" and has been reduced to nothing but MLM spams.
posted by kmennie at 1:48 PM on February 13, 2016
In our area this is done via secret FB groups; ask parents at your school, or neighbors to see if they will add you.
posted by vignettist at 9:05 PM on February 13, 2016
posted by vignettist at 9:05 PM on February 13, 2016
Response by poster: This is great, everyone, thanks! I like the idea of actually talking to more people in the neighborhood, though I'm pretty sure nothing like this exists now. I didn't know about Nextdoor, so that's intriguing, though I need to look more into the racism allegations obviously. I'm not on Facebook, so it would have to be a perfect option to get me to join, and I see the downsides of Yahoo. Hmmm, lots to explore -- thanks!
posted by EtTuHealy at 9:32 PM on February 13, 2016
posted by EtTuHealy at 9:32 PM on February 13, 2016
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posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 4:16 AM on February 13, 2016 [3 favorites]