Our cities are getting more and more crowded but paradoxically the majority of urbanites barely know their neighbors. According to studies, 29% of Americans knew very little about the neighbors and 28% even did not know their names. Fortunately, mobile phones are emerging as a powerful tool helping people connect with each other. There are more ways than ever to get to know your neighbor now. Benefits of a community app Let’s briefly look into the various benefits of a community app and how it helps people connect and overcome loneliness. 1. Local news You can get all the local news from a community app. You can get recommendations for the best local jack of all jobs. Users can also use the right apps to buy or sell local items. 2. Events You will be able to get notifications on all the local events and community activities at your location. It can also be used to host and organize parties and events. It can also help you to find garage sales, estate sales, etc. 3. Home services and deals Want a babysitter or a nanny, the app will help you find one. You can search for a pet sitter or any other service available in the neighborhood. 4. Safety tips and crime alerts This is a very useful feature of a community app. You can share information on crime, natural calamity, or disaster. Thus the neighborhood networking app can help keep your surroundings safe. 5. Recommendations You can find reviews of nearby businesses like restaurants which will help you choose the one you may like. Other types of community apps These are some of the other apps which bring specific communities together 1. Social change Social good apps can be used for a variety of different things. They can be used for education, research and keep you socially involved in every facet of life. 2. Dating apps Dating apps help singles to connect with each other. From making friends to finding romance and life partners, these apps play a vital role in the lives of singles and other people interested in finding a match. 3. Online volunteering Volunteering can be a fun social experience. It also helps you to change a lot of people’s lives. You can connect with like-minded people and work for a cause. Types of community apps The popularity of community apps such as Nextdoor, IOBY, and Ring Neighborhood is rising. People are increasingly aware of the distance created among them and want to reconnect on a media platform. Here are some of the apps that are designed to help neighbors meet, connect and share. 1. Nextdoor The Nextdoor app provides a private social network exclusively for the members of a neighborhood. Proof of legal residence will have to be given for joining a specific group. The members of the group can share information about neighborhood activity, create event invites and also inquire about local service providers. This app also helps neighbors share or sell items they no longer need. 2. IOBY This app connects neighbors to support local causes and foster positive change on your block. This is a crowdfunding platform and aims to bring people together to complete neighborhood projects and to generate awareness about neighborhood needs. 3. Ring Neighborhood A neighborhood app is a communication platform between neighbors to make the neighborhoods safer. You can share surveillance footage which comes with the ring camera doorbells. Users can share videos anytime there’s an attempted robbery, theft, or something that looks out of place. Alerts are sent to others in the neighborhood in real-time so they can be on guard. How to build a dynamic app Apart from the apps mentioned you can build one customized to your communities needs. An app maker like SDI can build the right app for you to reap the best results. Below are some of the points you need to consider before developing an app. 1. Define your audience It is important to identify your target audience and know the people you need to approach. Knowing your purpose, cause and target users is essential before developing an app. 2. Functionality Each community is different, thus you need to make a list of “must have” and “nice to have” functionality of your app. While “must have” includes all the basic functions that will enable the community to use the app, “nice to have” are those features which your community would love to use even though they are not essential. 3. Design Choose a design which is apt and attractive. In case you have no idea about the app’s design, there is nothing to worry about. Our designers at SDI can offer several variants of the application UI/UX and you can select the design you like the most. 4. Promotion & Marketing Building and launching an app is not enough. Proper marketing strategies are necessary to get maximum downloads and high publicity. Social networks can be used extensively to market the app in the initial stages. As seen already, community apps bring various benefits to communities. SDI a leading mobile app development company can help you build a great community app which not only brings communities together but also earns money. We can advise on how to monetize your app. Call us at 408.621.8481 or email us at team@sdi.la and we will build an easy, efficient, and affordable app for you.