• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, June 23, 2021

Nextdoor has seen explosive growth in the past year, but it wasn’t easy to achieve.

Engagement on the site grew swiftly. The neighborhood network became “microcosms of national tensions” when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, followed by George Floyd’s murder.

“Political divisions, racial profiling and criticism of its content moderation practices seeped in,” writes Kim Hart, national technology correspondent at Axios.

There are more than 276,000 Nextdoor neighborhoods across the globe, according to the company.

It seems like an easy way for brands to reach consumers searching across neighborhoods and among neighbors for answers -- combining word of mouth from friends and neighbors with search.

The site could evolve into the next social media platform to replace Facebook to share thoughts and pictures, and keep in touch with friends and family -- especially if the company allows members to join more than one neighborhood.

There are plenty of advertising options such as Local Deals and Sponsorships that enable businesses to share. Then there are sponsored posts for national brands.

This is likely why Nextdoor -- in partnership with Albertsons Companies and Moderna -- launched a map that helps people locate nearby pharmacies, schedule appointments, and find information about COVID-19 vaccines.

A web landing page allows site visitors to type in their ZIP code to locate and schedule an appointment at a local store, such as Albertsons Pharmacy, CVS, Rite Aid and others.

About 45.3% of U.S. adults have been fully vaccinated, according to June data from the CDC.

Some 37% of Nextdoor neighbor app users say they are encouraged to get vaccinated by seeing more research into COVID-19 vaccines. With the Nextdoor Vaccine Map, neighbors will now be able to discover when, where, and why they should get vaccinated.

The COVID search engine seems to be an extension of the Help Map that Nextdoor introduced in March 2020, when Nextdoor introduced two new features intended to support members during the crisis: Help Map, an interactive map of your neighborhood to mark yourself as someone who can pitch in for neighbors in need, and Nextdoor Groups, to aid in the continued organization of local help groups.