Should we commune virtually, and have a social network to call our very own?

Today in Montclair limits the two-way conversation, due to the blog format.  We find something interesting to share almost every day, and are amazed by the traffic from Montclarions and other Oaklanders.  You send over all kind of ideas and questions, and I try to post items based on what’s interesting to you – but that’s only one posting a day.

Where do you go to ask a quick local question?  It feels like our virtual options are limited today.  Montclair Safety (MSIC) runs a Yahoo group that focuses on safety and crime matters.   Yelp provides user-contributed reviews about restaurants and some retail shops.  There seems to be a gap here.

Let’s try out a real Montclair social network, where anything goes.  We just set up this site – http://montclairoak.ning.com – and encourage you to join and post messages to everyone.  It’s a pretty simple way to share questions, comments, events or even photos.  You even have “your own” pages to use.

Right now, your faithful Montclair blogger is there with a few others – and I’m officially rolling out the welcome mat.  Remember this social network succeeds if you and your neighbors have reasons to use it.  I’ll report back here about what happens…stay tuned.

More info:   Check out the specific resources on the site, through this quick tour.