Meta is abandoning a Facebook product similar to Nextdoor called Neighborhoods before it was even released. The social network offered the option to select users in Canada in 2020, advertising it as a special space where people could interact with their local communities.
Last year, it expanded its tests and provided access to different communities across Canada and the U.S. According to a screenshot of a message written by Meta product manager and obtained by social media consultant Matt Navarra, the company will end Neighborhoods testing on Oct. 1. After that, the feature will simply disappear.
Neighborhoods spaces have special features, unlike regular groups. They allow users to create separate profiles with limited access to their public information if they don’t want people nearby to know something they shouldn’t. Users can also find groups for specific activities in which locals participate through the Neighborhoods tab.
The reason for the ‘Neighborhoods’ closure hasn’t been announced. However, according to TechCrunch, the company said it initially invested in the project when it saw how popular Nextdoor was. But the company later decided that, for this particular area, it was best to let people create their own local communities using the site’s existing Groups feature.
The reason may be that Meta is closing the project as part of a cost-cutting effort. The company also recently decided to shut down a separate Facebook Gaming app, which may be a move to help the company survive what Mark Zuckerberg calls “one of the worst downturns [it has seen] in recent history.”
