“Neighbors Online,” a new study from the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, has found that 20 percent are using digital tools such as email, texting and social networks to communicate with their neighbors. Twenty two percent have signed up to receive local issue alerts via email or SMS.
Eleven percent also report reading or participating in community blogs; nine percent exchange email with neighbors about community issues; and 4 percent exchange SMS about community issues. Women are more likely to be engaged online.
The study, which had 2,258 respondents, found that just 54 percent of respondents have any kind of community discussion with neighbors during the preceding 12 months; 44 percent have had face to face discussions. Just 24 percent said they knew the names of most of their neighbors. Frequent Internet users are much more likely to talk with neighbors than others – fitting into general societal patterns about “information intensives” that we have tracked for years.
One area that several companies have focused on are home owners association blogs and email services. Companies such as eneighbors.com have worked to create a third-party involvement with associations. At one point last year, its sponsored ads on Google read: “I switched because no one visited our HOA website.”
Peter, thank you very much for the eNeighbors mention. By working through the property management companies and HOA boards, we have consistently seen an adoption rate of 50% – 80% over the last 3 years. We also have 99% opt-in rate for weekly email communications. Neighbors want to connect. We’re just trying to make it easier.