News

Just outside his sealed bedroom window, beyond the chain-link fence that surrounds his next-door neighbour's yard, sit the reasons David Adams says he can't sleep: two bushy-tailed dogs that bark and howl all night.

The Magnolia, Miss., resident plugged up his ears and even took his neighbour to court alleging a noise violation. But the barking went on. Finally he discovered a website seemingly tailor-made for such suburban woes: RottenNeighbor.com.

"Nothing seemed to work. I couldn't get any help from the city," Mr. Adams said. "So I figured, let's try public humiliation."

He posted a video of the troublesome pooches on the site, and other users chimed in on his plight. Some offered sympathy and methods of silencing the mutts. Others berated him for blaming the animals.

Founded last July, the site is part online therapy, part trashy paperback novel. It singles out neighbours for offences ranging from shoddy lawn upkeep ("They have garbage all through their yard") to alleged violence ("He has tried to run us down with his push lawnmower").

"It's kind of like watching a train wreck," admits 51-year-old Maegan Polak, of Flossmoor, Ill. "You know you shouldn't be enjoying it, but you are."

Users are invited to post advice on dealing with neighbours who fight and yell, who let their animals defecate on other people's property, who neglect their septic tanks - even those who cook foul-smelling food.

The site shows how neighbourhoods are changing, said Ms. Polak, a figure skating instructor who visits RottenNeighbor.com occasionally.

"Most people don't go knocking on the doors of future neighbourhoods like they used to," she said. "We always knew who was moving in and how many kids they had, all that stuff. People were a little more outgoing. Now they just don't seem to care."

Using Google Maps, the site zooms in on homes of the accused, represented by structures coloured red (for the rotten) and green (for the good) that resemble plastic pieces of a Monopoly board game.

Most of the postings are anonymous, which is just fine with site co-founder Brant Walker, 27, who came up with the idea when he moved into a new apartment and noticed a rotten smell coming from his neighbour's door.

Mr. Walker, a website designer from San Diego, said the site averages several hundred thousand hits a day. He said it is a good resource for people moving to a new neighbourhood because it offers a glimpse behind closed doors - "things that a real estate agent won't tell you."

But he admits the site was forced to add a "flag for removal" option after people complained that they were unfairly targeted as bad neighbours. If a post gets flagged a certain number of times, it is now removed.

Site co-founder Thomas Adams - no relation to David Adams - said RottenNeighbor.com is pitching ideas to major networks for a reality show based on the site.

Mr. Walker said the site has received numerous e-mails from users who asked to have postings removed because they resolved their conflicts, but he declined to cite an example. He said the postings were removed.

The dogs are still barking on Regan Drive in Magnolia, but David Adams said the whirring of several box fans in his bedroom has helped drown out the noise.

He has not taken the advice of fellow RottenNeighbor.com users, who suggested he buy his neighbour a gift certificate for dog-training classes or put peanut butter laced with sedatives over the fence.

Mr. Adams' neighbour could not be reached for comment. The phone number listed at the home was disconnected and no other listing could be found.

Mr. Adams has contemplated selling his house but acknowledges he would first have to take his complaint off the site.

"If anybody's looking to buy my house, then that would be awful if they check it out," he said.

***

The good and the rotten

A sampling of postings on

RottenNeighbor.com:

The Rotten

"Lawnmower trouble" in

Columbus, Ohio: He has tried

to run us down with his push lawnmower; he also tells other people how they should mow their lawns.

"Tone-deaf saxophone player" in Maplewood, N.J.: Blasts his horrible music out the window - practices incessantly but never improves.

"Amazon jungle of weeds"

in Hayward, Calif.: The weeds are six feet tall and the house looks like an old barn.

"Crappy neighbors" in

Pawtucket, R.I.: They have

vehicles that could never pass

inspection and they like to rev their engine, filling the surrounding houses with exhaust fumes.

The Good

"Nice young couple" in

Durham, N.C.: Nice young

couple with a pleasant, quiet dog. Always say hi, and I noticed lately they've been watering plants to help keep them going despite the dry, hot weather.

"Sweet lady, thoughtful son" in Reno: You couldn't ask for

nicer neighbors. She is super sweet and her son always offers to help when we're in a bind.

"Great hippie" in Willoughby, Ohio: Wonderful hippie-type neighbor. Always willing to help those in need.

Associated Press