Neighborhood listservs are great. Regardless of your status in the neighborhood, your age, race or gender, living in a rental or own, in a house or apartment, you should absolutely sign up to any and all neighborhood listservs. Yes, some tend to amplify anything tangentially related to crime, giving preference to racist tropes over anything else (Hi, Nextdoor!), but neighborhood listservs that are actually used by residents and not a social networking site masquerading as a real listserv (Hi, Nextdoor!) are great.

Sometimes it’s difficult to stay positive when you’re casually deleting emails from the listserv. It may seem like every other post is about crime or the potential of crime or the potential for the debate about the correct terms when writing about crime. Those emails are there, but they’re not the majority. It’s mostly people trying to unload kid stuff they no longer need (My one piece of advice I give every new parent is SIGN UP FOR YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD LISTSERV! You can find most everything anyone told you to register for for a baby shower and any other item you may think you need for anyone under the age of 10.) and small businesses letting you know they exist. This is a reminder that real listservs are great. What follows at the top 10 subjects from the last 7 days on my neighborhood listserv. The name of the listserv and the users aren’t included because I don’t want anyone to feel bad about their postings and I don’t want to end up as a subject of an email.

10. Borrow a wheelchair?

This is the type of post that makes me happy there’s a neighborhood listserv. Someone’s mom is visiting and might need a wheelchair in case they visit a museum or another attraction. This is a nice posting!

9. Borrow Riding boots for Monday?

Maybe it’s because I have big feet but the likelihood of this seems remarkably low. This is a hopeful post.

8. Free sugar-free popsicles!

They got some free popsicles and want to pass along the popsicle wealth!

7. fort/space exploration vehicle opportunity (large cardboard box)

It’s a box.

6. FFPPU: pet cone and starch-based packing peanuts

Trash in most every neighborhood is wanted in this neighborhood.

5. How to use Apple – “Garage Band” with a microphone and Electric Guitar?

Writing this email took longer than Googling “How to use Apple – “Garage Band” with a microphone and Electric Guitar.” Also, the first result in that Google search is a very easy to understand YouTube tutorial about how to use Garage Band with a microphone and electric guitar. But hey, maybe this person just wants a slightly more human digital interaction and who am I to say that’s bad?

4. FFPU — “Roll with it” giant inflatable toy / Claimed with back ups — Mute This Topic Date FFPU — “Roll with it” giant inflatable toy

Of course multiple people wanted, maybe even needed, the giant inflatable thing you saw at parties 15 years ago.  

3. FFPPU: assorted envelopes

Waste not, want not.

2. Will 5G Kill the Climate? / URGENT: Act Now — Or We’ll Have Cell Towers in Front of Our Homes

If you don’t have someone on the listserv that’s constantly freaking out about 5G, you don’t have a real listserv.

1. Old dried beans for crafts?? / Claimed with backups: Re: Old dried beans for crafts??

My wife and I laughed when we saw this. An hour later, we laughed again at ourselves for thinking no one would want old, dried beans, let alone multiple people wanting old, dried beans. 

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