General

How do I register?

Currently, the only way to register for SmallerCity is to be invited. We're rolling out SmallerCity on a neighborhoood by neighborhood basis. If you've received an invitation to sign up, please visit our registration page.

Is SmallerCity free to use?

SmallerCity is currently an absolutely free service thanks to our generous sponsors and advertising partners. Without them, SmallerCity wouldn't be possible. Please try to support your locally-owned businesses!

What information about me can other users view?

We understand and empathize with your concern about privacy on the internet. SmallerCity allows you to let other users view as much or as little about you as you want to three groups of users, thus enabling you to share information with people who might need it and protecting your privacy from everyone else.

You can limit who may view personal information, such as your last name or phone number, to just your "neighbors," or even specific individuals. For example, you could let all your neighbors (everyone who lives within 3,000 meters of your home) view your last name and just your next door neighbors and Mr. Williams who lives across the street to view your phone number.

What items show up in the neighborhood feed?

The neighborhood feed aggregates what's happening in your neighborhood. When a neighbor creates a new group or posts an announcement, it might show up in your neighborhood feed, depending on how much else is happening in your neighborhood. We're continually updating and modifying the neighborhood news feed to provide you with relevant and valuable information. We are exploring adding information such as police crime reports and local news to the feed. Stay tuned!

Anything you create that is set to private will only show up in the feeds of people who you have given permission to view it. For example, if you create a group and limit it to just people within a specific region, a news feed item will only show up for people who live in that region.

What items show up in the public feed?

Some neighborhood content is available to all users, including users who have not yet registered. Content on pages that are accessable without logging in come from information acquired at other websites as well as content that the creator selected as viewable to everyone. Once you register, you can view content that has been limited to just neighbors. This might include a neighborhood parenting group or the neighborhood's block watch. If you are the creator of a group or event, you can change who can view it anytime by editing the group or event.

How is a "Neighborhood" defined?

Each "Neighborhood" is defined by a 3,000 meter radius around your home. Note that the precise "Neighborhood" definition may change to make the site more useful and valuable to you. Registered users can view an image of their neighborhood boundary.

How can I submit feedback?

We'd love to hear your thoughts about the site, complaints, and comments! Help make our service better by sending us a message at our feedback page or email us at support@smallercity.com.

Announcements

Who can view my announcement?

Currently, anyone can view the announcements you post.

News

Can I submit a news article?

Submitting a specific news article not currently enabled. If you'd like us to include a local paper or blog, contact us.

How do you choose the blogs and newspapers?

Content in our news section is chosen for you on the basis of news relevance and geographic proximity to you. For example, articles from a city newspaper are chosen if they a geographically-relevant to your neighborhood. Bloggers who write up neighborhood news as well as local newspapers are included on a case-by-case basis.

Groups

What is a GeoGroup?

Any group that is created with an associated geographic region is considered a GeoGroup. You can use GeoGroups to limit membership to people who live in that region or simply to help target your audience. A GeoGroup is indicated by the image.