Eighteen years ago when the worldwideweb was in its infancy and dial up was the only way you could access the internet from home, St Albans NeighbourNet operated a private intranet that offered neighbours a way to connect to neighbours, to warn about a mini crime wave in the area and to share information about the suburb.
The focus shifted to running a drop in computer centre in the St Albans Community Centre and the network never really got beyond a handful of users on a modem attached to a shared phone line.
Nearly 20 years on, internet speeds are much faster and you can even get an app for your smartphone to connect with your neighbours, thanks to a scheme, aptly called Neighbourly, started by a couple of 30 somethings in Auckland earlier this year. It is not planned to supplant anything already in the neighbourhood but acts as a tool to connect neighbours and communities on the web, by cellphone or in person throughout the whole country.
Warning neighbours of crimes in the area by text message, giving away items for free or asking for a recommendation for a plumber are just a few of the things that have appeared on the site.
Groups of neighbours, possibly in a street, can set up sub-groups within the suburb and community groups themselves can have pages on the site and also link to their own websites. It looks like a Facebook-style media.
The idea is based on one in the United States: Nextdoor. If you want to get an idea of what Neighbourly is about without logging in, or to see where it might be a few years down the track visit next-door.
The scheme has the support of the Christchurch City Council who want to use the system to engage more closely with the various communities.
A number of St Albans people are already on the site. If you would like to join them visit the Neighbourly website and set up an account. It’s free but you may find yourself restricted to the suburb Neighbourly decides your address belongs to. You also have to verify your address by responding to a snail mail request (which could be problematic for those temporarily out of their usual place of abode. Sign up to Neighbourly here. Apps for the iPhone are available on the App Store and for Android on Google Play.
