A social networking site that encourages you to connect locally may seem odd, especially considering how easy it is to connect with people all over the world using the internet. However, connecting locally with OneTwib has a lot of advantages.

The neat thing about connecting with people in your area is that you can talk about things that are relevant to your community. You can share information on upcoming events, talk about what’s happening locally and even buy and sell and trade locally. Are you starting a new business and in need of new customers? OneTwib is a great way to share what you have to offer within your own community – and best of all, register your business now!

When you visit OneTwib you can check and see if there are any members in your area yet. If not, you can be the first and start growing your network by sharing OneTwib with family, friends, and coworkers who can also do the same. Before you know it you will be part of a huge local network that you helped build!

With any social networking site you can never be too careful. That is why OneTwib allows you to join anonymously and does not reveal your exact location. And as with any social networking site it is very important to stay safe online by not revealing information about yourself with people that you don’t know. And if you do meet up with people locally, such as through buying or selling you should consider meeting in a public place.

OneTwib is really new, in fact it just launched this summer but by joining today and sharing with everyone that you know locally you can start building a great community. Join today and start connecting with people in your community! You may even find yourself reconnecting with old friends! To see if anyone in your community has joined or to become the first, visit OneTwib today!

Set A Date – work out with family and friends the best date for the party. It may not happen on the actual birthday so pick a date that is right for everyone.
Decide On a Venue – depending on the number of guests will determine where to hold the party. If you don’t invite a large number of people to the party then you may decide to hold it in your home or even a restaurant. The benefit of holding it at a restaurant is that it is much easier to get the guest of honor there!
Sending Invitations – enlist the help of the guest of honor’s spouse and friends to help you make your list of guests. You may just decide to invite close family and friends but don’t forget co-workers as well. Be sure to note on the invitation that it is a “surprise” party. Tell guests to RSVP to your private email address so that the guest of honor does not find out. The best way to get your neighbors together is to use OneTwib
Planning the Menu – your menu can be really elegant or you may decide to order in pizzas. You could also plan a barbecue or have it catered. To cut down on costs you could ask each guest to bring a plate of food so that you can all share. Another idea is to theme the menu such as Italian or Mexican.
Decorating the Party – if you have known the person for a long time, get photos of the guest of honor as a baby and growing up through the years. Put out yearbooks, school report cards and any other awards they may have won throughout the years. Pick out music to play from their era and fill the room with balloons.
Playing Party Games – you can organize a few different games for your guests to play and you could ask each guest to say something special or humorous about the guest of honor. You could also arrange a “This Is Your Life” game so that everyone can say what they know about him/her. Trivia games are always a lot of fun and you could theme the questions around the birthday person.
Giving A Special Gift – put together a scrapbook of the life and times of the guest of honor, adding paper clippings, postcards from countries they may have visited and special notes etc. that you present to him/her at the party. Put together a funny birthday card and get all the guests to add a humorous saying to it.

Planning a surprise party can be a lot of fun for the person organizing it and if you need help with ideas about what to do, ask a couple of neighbors or friends to offer their suggestions.

There may be issues in the neighborhood such as cars speeding through the streets, or a house is known on the street as the place to go for dealing drugs. Whatever the issue, if it affects you or your family living in that same neighborhood, then you have to do something about it. How do you organize a monthly meeting?

• The other residents in your neighborhood must also be concerned with what is happening then they will be willing to go along to a meeting to discuss it. Ask all your neighbors using OneTwib
• If your neighborhood is relatively small then you can arrange for the meetings to be held in someone’s home, or maybe your local school or church will let you use their hall for a couple of hours a month.
• If you have an issue of public safety then it would be advisable to ask your local enforcement officers to send a representative to your meeting. If you collaborate together you will be able to reach a solution which will be satisfactory not only to you the residents, but also to the local police department. In conjunction with the local police, you could help them out by gathering information for them. The information could then be handed over at the monthly meeting. This will make it so much easier for them to apprehend the persons causing the problems.
• If you have speeders in the neighborhood, try to take down the model, make and number plates so that you can pass on the details. It would also help if you could video tape the cars speeding through your neighborhood. The more information you can supply the quicker you will have the speedsters off your street.
• If the issue in your neighborhood is a drug problem, then you really will have to be in contact with law enforcement agencies so that you can be re-assured that you aren’t doing anything wrong.
  They will probably ask you to observe who goes in and out of the house in question and find out as much as you can about the residents without raising their suspicion.

The importance of holding a monthly meeting to solve these and any other issues in the neighborhood will become more evident as time goes by. Being able to report findings once a month will enable your local police department to follow up on your information and then you and your neighbors will be anxious to find out at the next meeting if there has been any resolution.

Doing things within your community which will benefit everyone will be a rewarding experience and allows you to liaise with other residents in your neighborhood as well as the local law enforcement agency. Anything that brings the neighborhood together can only be good.

If you don’t do something about your weeds they can spread rapidly and can choke rivers and streams endangering marine plants and animals. The best way to control them is to be alert and remove them as quickly as possible. Some of the main culprits are field bindweed, spurge, puncture vine and thistles. If they spread throughout your neighborhood you will have a hard time eradicating all of them. Their seeds spread rapidly and before long can take over parks and vacant lots.

• These noxious weeds cause so much trouble in some states that they have laws to address the issue of weed control. If you have a neighbor who refuses to control his noxious weeds you can take the following steps.
• Before you do anything about your neighbor, find out if there is an identification guide of all the weeds in your state. The publication should also contain information on the laws pertaining to that state.
• Go to your local nursery or call them and ask them what the best methods are for controlling the weeds in your neighbor’s yard. Once you have all your information you can then approach your neighbor.
• Do not be confronting when you approach your neighbor. Tell him about the information you have and show him pictures which will identify his weeds. Explain to him that you have been advised that the weeds can spread if they are not eradicated quickly. If the meeting is pleasant you should be able to resolve the issue amicably and the weeds will be removed.
• If on the other hand your neighbor is totally unreasonable, then you will have to get the local authorities involved. Many states will enforce the noxious weed laws, but there are those that won’t.

If you don’t have an agency set up in your city to control noxious weeds, then your county should have a local office. Their job is to monitor the spread of weeds and have ways of dealing with them. They will usually contact the owner of the yard with the noxious weeds telling them to control them within one week. If the owner fails to comply with the notice, the county will deal with them and then send the owner the bill.

Do the right thing in your neighborhood and control the spread of these noxious weeds. The county has enough to do without checking on all residents to make sure they are doing the right thing. Help your community by dealing with your weed issues and encourage your neighbors to do the right thing also. If everyone does their part you’ll not only be helping each other but ensure that these noxious weeds don’t overtake your community.

If you are an animal lover and you want to take care of lost or injured animals, why not organize an animal rescue center in your neighborhood? Many of our animal rescue centers are overcrowded and are always looking for people to take sick and injured animals into their homes. You must be prepared to be on call 24 hours a day when you have an animal rescue center so don’t take it on if you aren’t prepared to put the time into it.

If you are interested in becoming a carer within your neighborhood then it might be a good idea to talk to your local animal shelter and ask them what is required for you to be a volunteer. You may need to undertake a course learning how to care for the animals and you may have to show that you have your house and yard set up to look after the animals properly.

Many people who organize rescue centers in their neighborhoods fund it themselves but others may need some help, so why not get the neighborhood involved and arrange a fund raising event? If your neighbors know that you have a rescue center in your home they will contact you if they come across stray, sick or injured animals.

If you want to set up a permanent animal rescue center in your neighborhood, find suitable premises and ask the landlord to lower the rent for a good cause and if it’s not possible to do that, organize a fund raising event in your neighborhood which will not only help you raise the funds you need to open your center, but it also lets the neighbors know all about you.

If you can get the whole community involved in your rescue center, you will never be short of volunteers to help man it. It’s very hard to take a break if you are running an animal rescue center on your own as it can be a 24 hour service. Taking time out for a vacation will be out of the question if you are there on your own. If you ask for volunteers to help you, you may find yourself inundated with offers because many people have a soft spot for animals and their welfare.

You could even specialize in particular animals to take care of such as birds. Once you’re known throughout the neighborhood to take in birds that are sick and injured your reputation will grow.

Setting up an animal rescue center in your neighborhood is a great idea especially if you live in an area which has a lot of wildlife. Any injured animals can be taken to your rescue center for immediate attention.

• Organizing the Party: If you’ve planned a party before then you will know the initial steps to take in organizing it. Finding out if he/she has any special interests can also be a help in choosing a theme. Once you’ve chosen a theme eg. movie stars, what are the next steps?
  - Try to find invitations to reflect your theme and carry that through to paper napkins etc.
  - Choose a date to hold your party and make sure that there are no conflicting events on that day.
  - Send invitations out to your guest list telling them to come dressed as a character from your theme. In the case of movie stars they will have many actors and actresses to choose from.
  I’ve found a pretty good tool to send invitations to your neighbors, it is called OneTwib
• Choosing a Venue: If your neighbor decides to hold the party at their house then you will have to decide whether or not to hold it inside or outside. If you hold it outside then you have to allow for changes in the weather, so make sure you have shelter arranged.
  Holding a party in your home can also present a problem with noise, so if you aren’t inviting your nearest neighbors, inform them beforehand that there will be some noise coming from your home. It’s the polite thing to do and may stop you from getting a late night visit from your local police department!
  Choosing to hold the party in a hall or some other venue will save your home from being damaged in any way. There’s always the risk of someone dropping a glass of red wine on your nice white carpet!
• What to Do At the Party: If you love music and have a really good sound system, then load up your CD player with all your favorite CD’s and have them playing in the background.
  If you decided to have a Rock ‘n Roll theme, you could hire a jukebox filled with all the hits from the 50’s and 60’s. Set aside a place in your yard or home for your guests to dance. If you’re in a hall then there is probably a set area for a dance floor.
  Play some party games. Games are not only for the kids! Adults can play too. Pick games such as Charades, Trivia questions or even a “Name That Tune”. This will bring back a lot of memories for the guest of honor and the guests attending.

  There are so many things you can do to make your party special and putting in a little time and effort will be well worth it. The reward is seeing so many happy, smiling faces. The effort you and your neighbor went to, to make the party successful, will be appreciated by everyone.

  Share and Enjoy:

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  ]]> http://www.meetneighbor.com/offer-birthday-party-ideas-for-your-neighbor/feed/ 0 http://www.meetneighbor.com/food-drop-center/ http://www.meetneighbor.com/food-drop-center/#comments Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:08:09 +0000 admin http://www.meetneighbor.com/?p=48 The economic downturn has had a drastic affect not only those who were already homeless, but many middle-class citizens who are now finding themselves out of work, they’ve lost their homes and are virtually living on the streets.

  The need for food, shelter and clothing is becoming more desperate as time goes by. You may be doing okay but know friends or neighbors who have not done so well and are now homeless or have no money to buy for their families. So what can you do to help out? Meet neighbor is here to help.

  Create a food drop center! You may feel that you don’t have enough skills to organize a drop center but it really doesn’t require you to have any skills other than being able to organize somewhere for the food to be collected. Once you have collected quite a bit ask for volunteers in your community to help you sort it into packages which can be delivered, or the alternative is to let people know that they can drop in and choose what they want from the goods you have collected. It could be a good day to meet your neighbors.

  Don’t forget to advertise your food drop center either by securing a free ad in your local newspaper or putting up posters all over town. Get the word out whichever way you can. If you meet a neighbor, tell him!

  There are a few different ways you can create a food drop center:

  1. Ask your local church if they have a hall they would be willing to let you have for free or rent to you for a very nominal fee. If they don’t have any activities planned they may let you use it for an extended period of time. Ask people to drop in their food donations to the hall so that you have it all in one place.
  2. Does your town or city have a town hall? Ask your local authorities if they’d be willing to donate space, even if it’s only for a day, so that you can collect food for the needy.
  3. Would your local supermarket be willing to allow you to place a bin inside or outside their door for food donations? Some store managers may donate food items as well. A supermarket is a great collection point as people will be willing to donate an item from their shopping.
  4. Organize a food drop center at the local schools. Ask each child to donate a tin of food and you’ll be amazed at the response. Many families will be willing to donate one tin of food to help others not so fortunate. It’s not the same as donating money, which is tight for a lot of people.
  5. Setting up a picnic in a park and asking each participant to give a tin of food as a donation to a worthy cause is another way to create a food drop center. It doesn’t take much to pack an extra tin in with the picnic supplies.

  Creating a food drop center isn’t hard to do and if you get desperate for somewhere to store the goods you may even consider your own garage!

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  ]]> http://www.meetneighbor.com/food-drop-center/feed/ 1 http://www.meetneighbor.com/dancing-party-neighbor/ http://www.meetneighbor.com/dancing-party-neighbor/#comments Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:56:23 +0000 admin http://www.meetneighbor.com/?p=42
  
  Whenever you decide to hold an event at your home there is always some organization required. This is particularly true if you are organizing a dancing party at your home for your neighbors. There are so many things to organize you don’t know where to start! Meet Neighbor gives you a few tips to start the ball rolling. Don’t forget, this party is a good time to meet your new neighbor!
  1. Decide on the date and time and organize an invitation to either send to your neighbors or hand deliver them. Be sure to mention whether your dancing party has a theme so that your guests will dress appropriately.
  2. You have to make the decision of where in your house you’re going to hold your party. If you have a substantial sized house you may want to hold it indoors in a room large enough to fit all your guests. Make sure that you have plenty of room for a dance floor. You may decide to hold it in your backyard and this is a great idea especially if the weather is great. You can set aside an area of your yard for dancing and another area for food and drinks.
  3. What about music? Most people these days hire a juke box or they have a decent sized CD player which can hold many cd’s. Maybe one of your neighbors plays in a band or knows of a band who would be willing to play for you. It really doesn’t matter what you do as long as you have music. You cannot have a dancing party without music!
  4. If you are having a rather large party, you may need to hire chairs, crockery, cutlery and glasses, so don’t leave it until the last minute to source these items.
  5. As for food, you may decide to cater yourself, or you could ask each of your neighbors to bring a plate of food. This would cut down the cost and not take up too much of your time. The other idea is to have the party catered. There are many mobile catering services available these days and they can take the hard work out of preparing food for such an event. They bring everything you need for the party and clean up and take it all away with them when the party is finished.
  6. Not all of your neighbors will want to attend and decide instead to stay at home. It is up to you to approach them and let them know that there will be noise coming from your dancing party and you are being courteous by informing them. As long as you let people know what is happening then they are usually okay with it.

  Once you have everything in place and the evening has arrived, all you have to do is wait for your guests to arrive. As long as you have put the effort into creating a night of fun for everyone, the end of the evening will see you with a satisfied smile on your face!

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  ]]> http://www.meetneighbor.com/dancing-party-neighbor/feed/ 2 http://www.meetneighbor.com/car-wash-neighborhood/ http://www.meetneighbor.com/car-wash-neighborhood/#comments Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:22:51 +0000 admin http://www.meetneighbor.com/?p=31 Organizing a local car wash for charity takes a bit of preparation, but it can be a very worthwhile endeavor. It can turn out to be not only a fun day for those involved, but also be very profitable. It could be a great day to meet your neighbors. To make your car wash a success, you must involve your neighborhood so that they will give you all the support you need.

  So what do you need to organize a car wash in your neighborhood for charity?

  • You need to know how many people you want to participate. The minimum number you will need is around 10 people.
  • Look at a long-range weather forecast to choose the day and time that you want to hold your car wash. You will get far more people to pay for a car wash if the weather is great.
  • Make sure that the date is okay with everyone you have asked to help you. If you find that some people can only be there during certain hours, then why not do up a roster so that they’ll only be there for a couple of hours at a time.
  • It is not a good idea to hold a car wash in a parking lot, because the suds and water, along with dirt and grime, will run off into the storm drains which then feed into rivers, lakes and the sea. Instead try to get your local car wash involved so that you can make use of their environmentally friendly facilities.
  • Make sure that you fill them in on all the details of the charity that you are working for and ask them to advise you if you will need permission from your local authority to hold your charity car wash.
  • Is the car wash that you choose in a prominent position? You need one either on a main road or one that is frequented by a lot of customers. Choose a car wash in your local neighborhood, so that you can let as many of the locals know as soon as possible.
  • Determine a suitable price for your car wash, because you don’t want to price yourself out of the market, and if people can get a car wash cheaper down the road then they will bypass you.
  • Try to get your local neighborhood newspaper to support you by placing an ad in their paper so that people know where you are and what time you will be there.
  • Make some big signs and posters and put them up all around the car wash so that they are in a prominent position for prospective customers to see. Make sure that the lettering is large enough for the motorist to read. Be sure to mention on the posters or signs, the name of the charity you are working for, because people are more likely to support you if they know you are working for charity.

  Organizing anything in your community is a great idea to get the whole neighborhood involved and it’s also a great way to meet your neighbors. Just make sure that you are having fun while you’re making money for others who are not as privileged as you are.

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  ]]> http://www.meetneighbor.com/car-wash-neighborhood/feed/ 1 http://www.meetneighbor.com/national-good-neighbor-day/ http://www.meetneighbor.com/national-good-neighbor-day/#comments Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:46:51 +0000 admin http://www.meetneighbor.com/?p=20 National Good Neighbor Day was created by Mrs. Betty Mattson from Lakeside, Montana in the early 1970’s. She wanted to recognize the importance of good neighbors so she began efforts to have the day proclaimed a National day. She asked congressman Mike Mansfield to help her and she succeeded in getting three presidents to issue a proclamation, as well as numerous governors. The three presidents were Nixon, Ford and Carter and part of the Carter proclamation in 1978 is as follows:

  “As our Nation struggles to build friendship among the peoples of this world, we are mindful that the noblest human concern is concern for others.
  Understanding, love, and respect build cohesive families and communities. The same bonds cement our Nation, and the nations of the world.
  For most of us, this sense of community is nurtured and expressed in our neighborhoods where we give each other an opportunity to share and feel part of a larger family.”

  

  In 2003, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution to make September 28th National Good Neighbor Day. Good Neighbor Day traditionally falls on the 28th September, and is a great way to interact with your neighbors. It’s a day to recognize the value of your neighbors in your life.

  If you have new neighbors and you’d like to get to know them, then make it your mission on Good Neighbor Day to go and introduce yourself. You may meet some really interesting people that you would like to spend more time with. Offer to help them get acquainted with all the facilities available in your neighborhood. This is a great gift you can offer to your neighbors and National Good Neighbor Day is an appropriate day to do it.

  Whatever it’s called and whenever you celebrate it, National Good Neighbor Day can be a great way to find new neighbors and show them your appreciation. It doesn’t really need to be a national holiday but it’s a great idea anyway! The value of great neighbors will come to the fore during times of need. If you don’t have any family members living near you, then having good neighbors is like being surrounded by a second family. Being able to call on your neighbors any time of the day or night can be very important, especially if you live on your own.

  National Good Neighbor Day should not be confused with stores who advertize “Good Neighbor Days.” They are doing it to promote sales and many organizations use the same theme to advertize the cause they are promoting.

  National Good Neighbor Day is generally filled with activities that you organize for yourself and your neighbors, or it’s a community celebration. You can arrange a barbecue or dinner for your neighbors, or you might like to go out to a local restaurant. Whatever you choose to do it will be a great time to spend together. It’s a time to sit with and really get to know your neighbors and can be the start of a really wonderful relationship.

  Share and Enjoy:

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