Anyone get a Knoq.com invite?

[Robert2715]

Curious if anyone has any thoughts on this “neighborhood” site. (Why would we need Knoq when we have WSB? :-) )

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[JanS]

Have never heard of Knoq, but I do belong to Nextdoor.com, which is similar. My neighborhood is called Admiral District Central. It allows us to comunicate with each other in this neighborhood specifically. We can report crimes to our neighbors, we can it report ultra local happenings, post wants and need….but it just in your neighborhood – more intimate than WSB at times. I use it now and then, as do others.

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[Sue]

I got an invite to it, and then forgot all about it. :)

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[Sue]

I was googling it just now and found this conversation on MyBallard that was insightful: http://www.myballard.com/forum/topic.php?id=14924

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[WSB]

I have one thing to say about this and also about the company that Jan mentions:

They are set up ONLY to harvest your information for marketing purposes as the wise people from the myballard.com forum link discussed. The “oh, we’ll give you a microsite” is the equivalent of a Trojan horse.

They also (I am more familiar with ND, which is funded by millions in venture capital, and NOT local) are dangerous attempts to siloize people away from each other. Here in West Seattle, it’s one big neighborhood. A criminal that is spotted in Admiral may strike next in Arbor Heights. A murderer who killed in Fauntleroy was caught in Highland Park – because in large part of a discussion in WSB comments.

These sites, because their owners want to keep you close for marketing purposes, do not allow the wider web to see in. And that means that information in your neighborhood that might help a ‘hood a few miles away won’t get out.

My .02. If you want a more “intimate” neighborhood communication, blog-format sites and mailing lists are free, and not trying to get your info to sell to advertisers. Many neighborhoods use them quite successfully.

Right now, sites like these are trying to prove to their funders that they can get lots of info from people. ND was even bribing people to sign up, or to get referrals.

Those of us who are in the neighborhood news business for real can’t compete with that. We sell advertising at rates we haven’t changed in five years, and the money stays here in West Seattle – supporting West Seattleites, covering West Seattle news. We don’t have venture capital, and we don’t sell your information to advertisers or other marketers. We’re here for real, not another startup that’s going to go bellyup in a couple years – selling your info to whomever picks up the pieces. So if you choose to use those sites, please also remember to share the info where the neighbors in your wider neighborhood – West Seattle – will benefit.

-Tracy

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[anonyme]

Tracy, thanks for that. I succumbed to pressure from neighbors to join ND despite reservations. It almost feels like a pyramid scheme in some ways, as well as a good way to let criminals know who and where you are…

Can’t really see any point to it, especially as crime reports on ND usually link to WSB!

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[Sue]

I figured it was just an info harvesting thing too. I don’t like sites where you need to give them your email and address before they’ll even let you look to see what it is or really tell you anything about it. Honestly, Facebook is the same way, but at least I had enough friends on it that I could see into it before I signed up.

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[anonyme]

Update: I just tried to delete my account on ND. It won’t let me. They provide a link to do so, which involves sending an email somewhere (can’t tell where) but then the email won’t go anywhere. I’m going to contact the local administrator directly to request deletion.

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[luckymom30]

Yes, WSB is great for reporting crimes on a much bigger scale, but we have learned of many crimes in our immediate neighborhoodand via ND that have not been posted on WSB. Both sites are great sources, but we now have a sense of community in our immediate neighborhood with ND getting to know our neighbors in a way that WSB does not provide. ND also offers the ability to private message.

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[Rainier]

Thank you WSB for the info. I got that sense from their pitch that it would create micro-communities who wouldn’t be talking to each other. My spidey sense told me to steer clear and having the WSB, I couldn’t see why I needed this too. I tried to remove myself from their mailing list at catalogchoice.org but it’s not listed under Knoq. Does anybody know its parent company or another way to track it down?

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