What do you think would happen in a neighborhood that did not ever put up any Christmas lights, but all of the sudden every household decorated this year? How would residents feel about the neighborhood? Do you think there would be any change in perception about the neighborhood among the surrounding community at large?

There is something special about Christmas lights. They tend to evoke festivity and conversation among neighbors. Passersby take notice too and sometimes even judge a neighborhood by its use of lights or lack of lights. When many households in a community put up lights, the neighborhood feels like it is bright and full of hope – as if neighbors are attentive to the community and “beaming” with pride. But when a neighborhood has little to no lights during December, one might wonder if there is any sense of vibrancy or connection in the neighborhood at all. 

It might sound silly, but hanging up lights in December is a very simple and practical way to show your involvement in the community and shape a festive and positive image for your community. 

Do you agree? Disagree? Any plans to put up lights this year?

What do you think of police departments using Twitter and Facebook? What are the positives, negatives, and potentials? Is this something good for neighborhoods and society? Do you actually follow law enforcement or even local city government on social media outlets? Have you ever found any real benefit to following PD on such social media platforms.

Okay, enough questions. Watch the video below to get a glimpse into twittering police from a department in the Greater Manchester area of England. Follow GM Police at @gmpolice. For reference, as of now, their twitter account has 16,318 followers.

Last month I interviewed Graffiti Removal Services and we did a demonstration of their “safewipes” product on my truck. Today I wanted to test these little graffiti handy wipes on real graffiti. Do they work? While walking to return a Red Box video to the local store, I figured a quick test would be fitting. Check out the video below to see the results.

How do you think a product like this could be used in a community?

NOTE: I was NOT paid to do this review.

Have you noticed that Halloween events at malls and churches have seemed to get bigger and bigger? It’s as if spending time in the neighborhood on Halloween is less popular, so other venues now step up to provide a “safe” alternative for us. But wouldn’t the safest thing for the community really be for residents to stay in their own neighborhood to focus on providing something festive for the kids and to build relationships with other residents?  

What do you think of outside venues hosting Halloween? Why are residents celebrating outside of the neighborhood?

Did you know that student homelessness is a big issue in many communities? In fact, many school districts have an official position of a “District Liaison for Homeless Services” to help care for these kids and keep them in school. “Homeless” is defined as “an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate residence.” These “homeless” kids are often not homeless in the classical sense (on the streets), but they are couch surfing, living without a parent or legal guardian, in the foster care system, and living in motels and other less than stable circumstances. 

The video below introduces you to the Homeless Services Liaison in a school district near Sacramento. She is thanking a group of locals who are about to embark on a drive to collect hundreds of hoody sweatshirts for kids in her caseload. Yes, full disclosure, I happen to be involved in this effort, and I’m really stoked!!

If you are looking for something to do to help kids in your community, you might consider finding out who the Homeless Liaison in your district is, and then ask a very practical question: “What can I do to help out?” Maybe he or she can give you a very doable project idea that you and your kids can take on once per semester. Or maybe you can make yourself available on an as-needed basis when the Homeless Liaison needs immediate help with the kids. Wouldn’t it be wonderful too if a group of neighbors all started to make themselves available to the Liaison?

Does your school district have this position? Are there homeless students in your school district?

The image and videos below show very clearly the power of residents deciding to work together for the sake of a neighborhood. This is my community and I am proud that residents got together in 2008 to do a huge painting project to transform a very ugly gray cinder block wall into something more pleasant. Then very reently a local leadership group approached the neighborhood to see about putting up brick columns and fresh paint. Good things happen when residents combine efforts to improve a community (and sometimes you get more help from outside sources too).

Do you like the change? Does it look a bit better?

Here is a video from the original painting project in 2008:

Here is a slideshow / video from the most recent project in 2010:

Gary Bradford moved to a new neighborhood and started a community forum on a whim, not realizing that it would grow to be a very successful conversation hub for his area. Gary’s experience really highlights how one resident can step up to the plate in a very practical way and impact the community. Also, his story shows how residents can meet online and then connect face to face.

What do you think of Gary’s story? Check out the Plumas Lake forum, follow Gary on Twitter, and see his campaign website too.

Many times we think the way to get results in our community from City Hall is to use all the typical tactics we’d bring out for local retailers. Screaming, cussing, belittling, and name-calling are all potent WMDs in our vocal arsenal. But do they really work?

Words like Facebook, Twitter, and blog are part of our daily vocabulary. If so many of us are using technology and social media to connect, how do you think we can leverage it for neighborhood communication? What’s out there there that might be useful? Comments are welcome below.

I met with GRS (Graffiti Removal Services) and we did a little graffiti demonstration. I tagged up the body of my truck and their product took it off very easily. Additionally, I talk about the importance of working with the city, talking to police, and working together to cover graffiti within 24 hours of when it occurs. 

Let me say that I feel like such a dork to have misspelled “neighbor” in the video, but that’s life isn’t it? (especially after only 2-3 hours of sleep the night before).

How does tagging make you feel? Has your neighborhood or community had a graffiti problem? Big or small? Have you seen anyone attempt to do something about it? If you could say anything to a tagger, what would you say?

Note: This is not an advertisement. Products like this can empower residents – that’s all. A more complete video demonstration is coming soon.