streetlife.com? Anyone know it?

[Ian Macmillan]

The other day our post included a letter addressed anonymously to "The lovely person who lives at ..." followed by our address.  Had an email arrived addressed in that fashion, I fancy it would have gone straight into Junk without further consideration.  However, I opened the letter to find an invitation from streetlife.com "to join the online community for Bishop's Stortford," where we live.  I've had a look at their website which has a voiceover from Stephen Fry extolling the benefits of being part of a local online community, with the project apparently initiated by a chap whose flat was broken into on his first night there and who, not surprisingly, didn't know any neighbours. It is said to be "handy for sharing practical information like crime alerts, lost pets and community events and for exchanging skills, belongings and recommendations with locals."

 

On the face of things, it looks genuine and may be simply something that aims a bit more widely than Freecycle.  The website says there's a staff of 11, with premises somewhere around Covent Garden, all mainly privately funded.  Now, surrounded as we are these days by scams online and on the phone, I've become very wary of all uninvited approaches by organisations of which I know nothing and it all looks a bit too good to be true.  So, has any Forum member come across streetlife.com in their own area and, if so, is it really as altruistic as has been made out?

[Fiz]

I have never heard of it, Ian. Sorry I can't be more helpful.

[Anon2]

I've never heard of it either but is it worth contacting your local community police officer or neighbourhood watch coordinator and asking if they know anything about it?

Recently my mother was contacted by a company wanting to test her wiring - I only knew because I was in her house at the time phone call came and I could hear her making an appointment for someone to visit. She was convinced it was genuine as had only had a new meter a few weeks before. I made her cancel the appointment, contacted the police who advised I also contact trading standards. Both parties investigated and it was genuine coming back to me with contact details etc. Neither agency made me feel I was wasting their time.

[John Mallinson]

Looking around the web streetlife.com looks very genuine and could be useful for local networking. It's even featured (briefly) on BBC news.