Streetlife (website)

Streetlife was a British social networking website that linked users together based on the neighbourhood where they live.

Background

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Streetlife was developed by entrepreneur and software developer Matt Boyes, after his brother-in-law's new London home had been burgled in 2008 and he had found it awkward to get in contact with his neighbours.[1] Originally called "Streetbook", it was trialed in the London Borough of Wandsworth.[2] Streetlife.com was launched in the rest of the UK on 21 March 2011.[3]

Streetlife received financial investment from newspaper and magazine company Archant, Caffè Nero co-founder Paul Ettinger, and Friends Reunited founder Steve Pankhurst, amongst others. By 2013, they had raised £1.4 million investment and Archant's media connections were used to re-market the website.[4]

By 2015, Streetlife claimed to have a million members,[5] doubling its size over the first six months of the year, and covering 4,000 communities across the UK.[6]

In February 2017, Streetlife was purchased by US firm Nextdoor.[7] Streetlife sent an email to its members recommending they transfer to Nextdoor. It announced Streetlife would be closed at the end of the month.[8] However, Nextdoor's different privacy policy has provoked anger and serious safety concerns amongst some former Streetlife users.[8][9]

References

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  1. ^ John-Paul Flintoff (20 March 2011). "Log on to the local network". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on May 29, 2015.
  2. ^ Rosie Niven (15 December 2011). "Case studies: Using social media to increase neighbourhood co-operation". theguardian.com. Retrieved 2015-12-16.
  3. ^ "Society Daily 21.03.11". theguardian.com. 21 March 2011. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  4. ^ Steve O'Hear (30 July 2013). "Streetlife, The U.K. Local Social Network, Raises Further £600K From Archant Digital Ventures, Shohet & Cie". Tech Crunch. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  5. ^ "Streetlife: Community Spirit is Alive and Well! - Business Wire". Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  6. ^ "Streetlife: Community Spirit is Alive and Well". Reuters. 30 June 2015. Archived from the original (press release) on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  7. ^ Cellan-Jones, Rory (6 February 2017). "US neighbours' network Nextdoor buys UK's Streetlife". BBC News.
  8. ^ a b Cellan-Jones, Rory (9 February 2017). "Streetlife users in Nextdoor privacy row". BBC News.
  9. ^ Streetlife users urged to consider privacy & safety Get Safe Online February 17, 2017
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