Social networking based on nearby neighborhoods

Abstract

Disclosed embodiments relate to a system and a method of managing an online social network having a plurality of neighborhoods. The system may receive a location from a user, and select, based on the location, a neighborhood from the plurality of neighborhoods. The system may further assign the user to the selected neighborhood and grant the user access to communications by users assigned to the selected neighborhood. In an embodiment, a computer-implemented method comprises creating and storing in computer data storage neighborhood data defining a plurality of geographical neighborhoods based upon a plurality of vertices or boundaries; using a computer, for each particular neighborhood among the plurality of neighborhoods, determining one or more nearby neighborhoods is associated with a geographical area proximate to the particular neighborhood; using the computer, receiving from a second computer that is associated with a user account, activation input specifying selections of one or more nearby neighborhoods as activated in association with the particular user account, wherein the activation input specifies fewer than all the one or more nearby neighborhoods; updating a database coupled to the computer to associate the selections of one or more nearby neighborhoods as activated in association with the particular user account; using the computer, receiving a request from the second computer to perform any of displaying a map page that includes the nearby neighborhoods, displaying a feed of messages, and creating a new message; using the computer, in response to the request, performing causing the displaying the map page that includes the nearby neighborhoods, causing displaying the feed of messages, or the creating the new message based upon only the selections of the one or more nearby neighborhoods as activated in association with the particular user account.