Why does it matter if your real name is used? That’s to stop troll posts, I assume.
I downloaded it ages ago but deleted it son after. It’s all ads for things I don’t want (ultrasound service for pregnant cats, anyone?), or people saying ‘Hi, thanks for letting me join!’ which say nothing and clog up my inbox.
I also worry that it attracts people who don’t know how to keep themselves safe online. There are posts like ‘My name is Sylvia and I’m 87. When Stan, my husband, died in 2015 I moved to High Street, where I now live with my cat, Tiddles in the house with the blue door. I’d love to connect with people as I get a bit lonely on my own.’ Scary.
Any useful information is posted on the local Facebook page (found purses, lost dogs, recommendations for plumbers and so on), but in my experience NextDoor is pointless and open to abuse. For some reason people seem to think that it’s safer than other social media because it’s local but it’s really not.