Social media is a phrase that has disparate meanings depending on the  demographic. While those 60 and older might say email and websites are social  mediums, those younger consider these to be otherwise antiquated preferring  texting, Facebook and Twitter. For board members and managing agents, social media means one thing:  communication—it’s simply a matter of adopting the right approach for the right building.  

 “The rise of technology is underused in my opinion and none of our buildings use  Facebook or other similar sites for communicating,” says Enid Hamelin of Lawrence Properties, a management company in Manhattan. “It depends on the age of the board and age of the residents. And, there are many  seniors, who have been living in these buildings for 50 or 60 years, and they  need more special attention.”  

 An Online Presence

 While there is no hard data that illuminates the proportion of buildings and  homeowner associations in New York City that use social media to communicate,  Georgia Barton of Barton Management LLC says that approximately one-third of  the buildings in the company’s portfolio use some form of website-based communication. “The primarily communication is via a group email like Yahoo groups,” she says. “We also have segregated email groups for shareholders/unit owners, which  excludes tenants/sublets.”  

 When asked the same question, Alex Kuffel, president of Manhattan-based Pride  Property Management Corp., says roughly half of the buildings managed use these  communication methods. The majority of websites used convey community  announcements, calendar events and newsletters, among others applications. “For the websites, the primary function is as an electronic repository for  building information,” says Kuffel. “Building rules, resale applications, sublet forms. Community-wide announcements  are best done via email, particularly if they are time sensitive.”  

 Kuffel says that technological advancements, while successful for many  properties, are not the answer for all clients. “In a setting with a diverse demographic group, some of the residents may not be  interested in or willing to embrace technological advances thus making multiple  forms of distribution necessary.”  

 Technology Changes Minds

 Since one-third to half of the buildings managed by those interviewed use  websites, a significant communication gap exists for other buildings requiring  multiple forms of communication such as combining technology with traditional  methods like hard copy mailers. “Nothing compares to the human touch, to a human voice and that is our job,” says Hamelin. “At the same time, things are changing because 15 years ago very few residents 75  and over had computers but nearly everyone has a computer now as well as smart  phones.”  

 Last year, the Nielsen Company released statistics finding that approximately 50  percent of U.S. consumers used smart phones with Android dominating the market  with 48.5 percent. Apple, while seemingly more popular, represented a smaller  market share at 32 percent. And while these rates are expected to grow in the  coming years as the devices become less expensive, adoption as a board or HOA  communication tool remains doubtful in the near term.  

 “These social medial methods are more mainstream for one-on-one personal  communication, not for building-wide communication at this time,” says Barton. “Since most buildings have some residents without email/text capabilities, we  often continue to post written notices in consideration of those residents.”  

 There are those buildings, however, that are progressive opting for real-time  alerts. “Text message notifications of building information such as water shutdowns are  common. Also, maintenance payments via text are on many building’s agenda if not already implemented,” says Kuffel. “Electronic doorman is a concept that many boards have embraced to keep security  high and overhead low.”  

 In many cases, residents have access to advanced technologies but choose not to  embrace it. This presents issues for building managers as they have to  continually determine how best to communicate with boards and residents. “A lot of people have a smart phone, for example, but they don’t use them. It’s like those people that have a DVR on their television but never use it, or don’t know how to,” says Hamelin. “Some people just choose not to engage in these technologies.”  

 Both Barton and Hamelin explain that certain clients have selected to use  web-based management services such as BuildingLink.com. The web-based platform  is used in over 1,200 properties in the U.S. and worldwide. The customizable  system oversees all day-to-day operations via mobile apps, biometric scanners,  electronic key lockboxes and laminate ID card printers, among other  applications.  

 “The Yahoo group emails are primarily for community-related chit-chat such as  someone selling furniture or seeking a babysitter. A couple of buildings use  BuildingLink, which is a more comprehensive operation-communication system,” says Barton. “This product enables residents to log work order requests/close-outs,  communicate via email building-wide, produce staff work-order reports and log  visitors/packages, among other uses.”  

 There are other companies offering similar services as the aforementioned, some  of which can be pieced together as appropriate to a building’s needs. For boards and managing agents, requirements will be different, which  can sometimes require a trial and error approach. “The benefits of using mobile apps, for example, help accelerate some processes,” says Barton. “Boards can also set-up a site for sharing/viewing files, establishing photo  depositories, using cloud-based systems—all of these virtual storage systems help mainstream some aspects of management.”  

 Enhancing Communication: Where to Begin?

 With a plethora of options available to interested boards looking to enhance  their communication offerings, the first question usually asked is: Where to  begin? “Start with basic steps. The first step is to compile an electronic distribution  list: one easy way to do this is to ask residents to provide this information  when they sign in for the annual meeting,” says Kuffel. “The first several communications should be notifications that are not extremely  time-sensitive.”  

 In some cases, the initial adoption process determines the viability of the  effort. “Initially, I would recommend starting a simple process such as a group email,” says Barton. “Based on the level of activity, the board could then consider a more  sophisticated approach or maintain the simple-based system.  

 As was the case with Superstorm Sandy, real-time communication becomes somewhat  essential, which can take various forms. For some of the buildings that  Lawrence Properties manages, evacuations resulted after power outages and  floods occurred in Lower Manhattan. “We had to create a community center and stay close to help displaced people,” said Hamelin. “Communication always varies depending on the circumstance, the people and the  building. Sometimes people just want a phone call and to hear a voice.”  

 With experience comes wisdom. For managing agents and boards alike, lessons are  learned on how best to communicate information or how to introduce or rollout  new technologies. To this end, there are both success stories and failures. “We recommend boards keep their dialogues positive and fact-based. Feel-good  communication includes recent sale figures, building upgrades, local restaurant  openings, low refinance rates; upcoming projects and holiday/party event  announcements,” says Barton. “Avoid any commentary against other residents and avoid using any residents’ name as most residents prefer keeping their residency private.”  

 When communicating with boards and residents, Kuffel says it’s best to make the process as streamlined as possible for both the sender of  information and the recipient. “Do provide return contact information of a general board email address or to the  managing agent,” he says. “Few things are as frustrating as receiving a message which invokes a follow up  question and seeing a ‘do not reply to this email’ disclaimer.”  

 When asked what some of the common communication “don’ts” are, especially in a virtual medium, Barton reiterates the importance of  protecting residents’ rights and privacy. “Boards need to understand the finesse of discretion. They should refrain from  naming any resident/tenant/staff in any content. Avoid any mention of existing  or pending legal matters.”  

 Additional concerns center on security, a prevailing issue for many worried  boards and residents fearful their private information will be hacked. “We make sure that the online sites are secure and that anyone’s personal identification-type information such as social security numbers,  addresses, date of birth, bank account numbers, driver’s license information and employer information are completely blocked,” says Barton. “Only relevant information is posted.”  

 In the final analysis, even those boards apprehensive about adopting new  technologies, whether due to cost or user rates, will have to accept the  changing technological tide. In most cases when technologies are introduced and  rolled out properly, the experiences are deemed successful. “We’ve had a lot of positive response to our electronic initiatives,” says Kuffel. “Thankfully, we don’t have any bad anecdotes.”  

 And while technology will help to bridge certain communication gaps, it can’t be a total replacement for the art of communication between managing agents,  boards and residents. Hamelin explains that Lawrence Properties, like nearly  all agents, still provide hard copies of important documents such as  shareholder reports and brochures to boards and residents. “Communication is our job, it’s not laborious; it’s what we do. We have to always make ourselves available whether it’s through a website, a text message, a phone call or face-to-face,” she says. “When it comes to communication, it’s about following through with the 

 W.B. King is a freelance writer and a frequent contributor to The Cooperator.