One of the features of Facebook is Facebook Neighborhoods. The purpose of designing this feature is to add a section within the Facebook app to assist people in connecting with their local and regional communities, finding new places nearby, and joining their neighbors. It is possible for users to make a neighbourhood profile that is different from their main profile. They can easily connect with other users living in the same part of the city.    

The definition of Facebook Neighborhoods

Facebook Neighborhoods is defined by Facebook as a single destination to create and boost local communities on Facebook. The purpose of creating this section is to be a dedicated space within the Facebook app that authorizes the users to connect with their neighbors, engage in their local communities and discover new places and suggestions within communities. The idea is to support local businesses, enable people to share recommendations in local groups, and connect people with common interests.   

The function of Facebook Neighborhoods

Facebook Neighborhoods occupies a specific section of the Facebook app, so the users can select whether they want to join it or not. The Neighborhoods profile is detached from the Facebook profile, yet the Neighborhoods profile consists of a name, profile picture and cover photo from that Facebook profile. The neighborhood is also noticeable; you can easily join by confirming it. It is also possible to join nearby neighborhoods to view posts from surrounding neighbors. The users must be over 18 years old to be able to join Facebook Neighborhoods. It is also possible to add personal interests, favorite places and biographies while setting up Facebook Neighborhoods to allow nearby people to know you better.  

Who Can Join Facebook Neighborhoods?

To join Facebook Neighborhoods, you must meet the following criteria:

1. You must be at least 18 years old.
2. You must have a Facebook account that’s in good standing, which means you haven’t violated any of Facebook’s Community Standards or Terms of Service.
3. You must live in the neighborhood that you want to join.

When you sign up for Neighborhoods, Facebook will ask you to verify your location by sharing your address with them. Facebook will then use this information to verify that you live within the boundaries of the neighborhood you want to join.

It’s important to note that not all neighborhoods may be available on Facebook Neighborhoods, as Facebook is gradually rolling out the feature to different regions. Additionally, Facebook may limit access to certain neighborhoods if they determine that your account activity or behavior violates their policies or guidelines.

How to join Facebook Neighborhoods?

To join Facebook Neighborhoods, you can follow these steps:

1. Open the Facebook app on your mobile device.
2. Click on the three horizontal lines in the bottom right corner of the screen to open the menu.
3. Scroll down and click on “Neighborhoods” (if it’s available in your region).
4. Facebook will then prompt you to set up your Neighborhoods profile, which includes verifying your location by sharing your address with Facebook. You can choose which details to include in your profile, such as your name, profile picture, and interests.
5. Once you’ve set up your profile, you can start browsing and interacting with content in your local community.

If you don’t see the Neighborhoods option in your Facebook app, it may not be available in your region yet. Facebook is gradually rolling out Neighborhoods to different regions, so keep an eye out for updates.

It’s important to note that to join Neighborhoods, you must meet the eligibility requirements mentioned earlier, including being at least 18 years old and having a Facebook account in good standing. Additionally, you must live in the neighborhood that you want to join.

What Makes Neighborhoods Different to Facebook?

Facebook Neighborhoods is a separate feature within the Facebook platform that is designed to connect people who live in the same local communities. Here are some of the ways that Neighborhoods differs from the main Facebook platform:

1. Localized content: The content on Neighborhoods is specific to the local community, such as discussions about local events, news, and issues. This content is not available on the main Facebook platform.
2. Privacy: Neighborhoods have separate privacy settings that allow you to control who can see your content, including posts, comments, and profile information. You can choose to share your content with your neighbors, your friends on Facebook, or both.
3. Enhanced engagement: Neighborhoods has features that are designed to promote engagement among neighbors, such as the ability to create polls, recommendations, and events that are specific to the local community.
4. Limited membership: To join Neighborhoods, you must be verified as living within the boundaries of the neighborhood. This means that only people who live in the same community can join, which helps to build a sense of trust and familiarity among members.

Overall, Neighborhoods is designed to be a more localized and private experience than the main Facebook platform, with a focus on building connections within local communities.

Important and efficient features of Facebook Neighborhoods

Facebook Neighborhoods have specific features and characteristics. These features facilitate the process of connecting with other people in the nearby neighborhoods and help users know these people better and more accurately. In other words, these features make it easier for users to work with Facebook Neighborhoods properly and take pleasure in this great space in a pleasant and enjoyable way.

1. Neighborhoods Directory

You can easily gain access to the information of the other neighbors in your neighborhood by Neighborhoods Directory. It is possible to see their bios, favorite places and interests here. The users can introduce themselves in a post and you are able to join in discussions of other users’ posts and answer their questions in the devoted Neighborhoods Questions feed. It is very useful to know other users.

2. Create Neighborhoods groups

Facebook Neighborhoods gives users this chance to create Neighborhoods-bounded groups according to their interests such as a group for football fans to talk about football matches. Admins of Facebook Groups can also incorporate their group into Neighborhoods so as to local people who look for this group find it easily and effortlessly. A Neighborhood group can be private, public, hidden or visible. When it is private, only members can have access to the posts who are members of the Neighborhood. If the group is public, people in the Neighborhood or nearby neighborhood can view the group members and the posts. If the group is visible, the group is easily accessible to anyone in the Neighborhood. For hidden groups, the group is accessible only to members.        

3. Recommendations

One of the practical features within Facebook Neighborhoods is the dedicated Recommendations feature that intends to facilitate the finding of recommendations on the best restaurant in an area, the best café or boutique. This feature allows neighbors and the local community to make suggestions and recommendations that can be very useful for other users.     

4. Neighborhoods Favorite Polls

One of the features that can complete the Recommendations feature in Neighborhoods is Neighborhoods Favorite Polls which enables neighbors to give a vote on their sought-after places and businesses in an area such as restaurants and parks. It is also a very important feature that can help users make good choices since they can make use of the opinions and experiences of the other users in the Neighborhood.  

5. Neighborhoods Guidelines

Neighbourhoods Guidelines aim to ensure that neighbours’ communication is friendly, comprehensive and pertinent. Neighborhoods are equipped with moderators that make use of Neighborhoods Guidelines to evaluate posts and comments in the Neighborhoods feed. If a post or comment opposes the set Guidelines, the moderators can act by concealing, which will be assessed by Facebook Community Operators later on. If the post infringes Facebook Community Standards, Facebook will eliminate it from Neighborhoods.

Conclusion

Facebook Neighborhoods is a very practical and efficient section in the Facebook app that can make it easier for users to connect with their neighbors effortlessly. Facebook Neighborhoods has some important features that add to its efficiency. These features include Neighborhoods Guidelines, Neighborhoods Favorite Polls, Recommendations, Neighborhoods Directory and Neighborhoods groups.