Facebook goes after Nextdoor with new Neighborhoods feature - Android

Facebook Neighborhoods will soon be rolled out to users in select U.S. cities.

What you need to know

• Facebook has started testing Neighborhoods, a mini social network similar to Nextdoor.
• The new feature is claimed to "bring the local experience across Facebook into one place."
• It is now available within the Facebook app in Canada and will soon expand to the U.S.

Social networking giant Facebook today announced that it has started testing a new feature called Neighborhoods, which aims to "build and strengthen local communities on Facebook."

The feature works similarly to Nextdoor, which is one of the best Android apps for hyperlocal social networking. Facebook says Neighborhoods will allow users to connect with their neighbors, participate in their local community, discover new places, and get local recommendations.

Neighborhoods is being offered as an opt-in experience within the Facebook app. To create a Neighborhood profile, however, you will need to be 18 years or older. While creating a new profile, you can add details such as your interests, favorite places, and a short bio to help others in your neighborhood get to know you.

You will be able to create a post to introduce yourself to the local community, participate in discussions on posts from your neighbors, and post answers to Neighborhoods questions in the dedicated Neighborhoods feed. Users can even take on roles within Neighborhoods, such as "socializers."

Facebook Neighborhoods includes a Recommendations feature as well, which helps users get local recommendations and discover new places. Users will also be able to vote on their favorite places and businesses in the neighborhood with "Favorite Polls."

Just like regular Facebook groups, Neighborhoods will have moderators who will review posts and comments in the dedicated Neighborhoods feed. While moderators cannot delete posts, they can choose to hide them. All posts hidden by moderators will be reviewed by Facebook Community Operations and removed from the feed if they violate Facebook Community Standards.

Facebook Neighborhoods is now live in Canada and will soon be available in select U.S. cities.