In 2010, Joseph Porcelli noticed that Cory Booker, the mayor of Newark, New Jersey, was personally taking requests via Twitter to shovel out driveways in his community following a winter storm. Porcelli thought he could do even better in applying the convenience of social media to real-world problems. “I wanted to see if I could build on Booker’s success but remove him as a bottleneck,” says Porcelli. As a result, he launched Snowcrew. This social network connects those in need of snow-removal help with local volunteers, who receive real-time requests via email.

“Snowcrew volunteers receive the satisfaction of being of service to their neighbours,” explains Porcelli. “The net result is a closer, healthier, and more resilient community.” To date the site has fielded 1,240 requests for assistance and gathered 4,017 volunteers, according to its creator. It’s an example of what might be called “civic social media”: online social platforms that help connect communities in geographic space rather than just virtual.

Sites, apps and platforms like these are emerging to fill in the gaps left behind by technologically inept local governments that might not even have a working Facebook page. Rather than trading likes or gaining followers, civic social media focuses on accomplishing real, tangible goals. Civic social media provides an infrastructure of security and accountability that’s often missing in urban life, helps people connect and also has the power to highlight specific issues that need solving.

Take MyCoop, a social network for people living in apartment buildings that aims to challenge the old cliché that neighbours avoid talking to each other. By hosting spaces for online discussion, on topics ranging from block parties and trading old furniture to helping take care of each other’s pets, MyCoop’s founder Alex Norman hopes to group residents together so they can vote on issues and find their own solutions to problems, instead of relying on landlords or building managers to make repairs or create a community atmosphere.

Rather than trading likes or gaining followers, civic social media focuses on accomplishing real, tangible goals Nextdoor, where Porcelli is now a senior city strategist, connects neighbourhoods in order to solve more pressing issues such as sharing news about break-ins or lost pets, as well as swapping contacts for trustworthy babysitters or handymen. Founded in San Francisco in 2010, it helps engage new communities through its network of users and through partners such as the police department in Sacramento, California, and the fire department in Phoenix, Arizona. Each area has its own Nextdoor site that residents can use to connect to each other, particularly in times of need.

Some problems can be dealt with quickly, but others may need much longer-term investment. “When you’re thinking about developing a city, raising $10,000-$15,000 doesn’t scratch the surface,” says Rodrigo Davies, head of product at Neighborly, a San Francisco-based online platform launching in summer 2015. “The problems are much bigger than that.”