My Real Estate Blog

Internet tools are gaining ground, but face-to-face encounters and phone calls rule as the most common methods of interaction in the hood.

Pew Internet's recent "Neighbors Online" study found that many neighbors haven't made the transition to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace and other online social networking tools. In a recent poll, Pew telephoned 2,258 adults, age 18 and older and asked about online connections to communities and neighbors and found that in the twelve months preceding our survey:

• 22% of all adults signed up to receive alerts about local issues (such as traffic, school events, weather warnings or crime alerts) via email or text messaging.

• 20% of all adults used digital tools to talk to their neighbors and keep informed about community issues.

• 46% of Americans talked face-to-face with neighbors about community issues.

Parents (52%) are more likely than non-parents (43%) to meet with neighbors face-to-face to discuss community issues. Urban, suburban and rural adults are equally likely to have these face-to-face discussions.

• 21% discussed community issues over the telephone.

• 11% read a blog dealing with community issues.

• Only 9% exchanged emails with neighbors about community issues and 5% said they belong to a community email listserv.

• 4% communicated with neighbors by text messaging on cell phones.

• 4% joined a social network site group connected to community issues.

• Only 2% followed neighbors using Twitter.