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10 COOPERATORNEWS NEW JERSEY —EXPO 2022 NJ.COOPERATORNEWS.COM TRENDS Co-ops, Condos, & Social Media To Tweet…or Not to Tweet? BY A. J. SIDRANSKY While some co-op and condo com- munities have tried social media plat- forms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, gossiping with the doormen.” or Twitter as ways to build community spirit and facilitate better communica- tion between neighbors, management, co-op and condo management firm based and even the board, most have remained in Manhattan, says, “With the many chan- ‘old-school,’ sticking with newsletters, nels of communication management can bulletin boards (both digital and cork) in avail itself of, we disseminate information the lobby or mail room, and email blasts in multiple methods so residents are noti- to residents. With the ubiquity of social fied of building news in the way they may media these days, it may be worthwhile to prefer. When there is news—whether it ask why multifamily communities haven’t be regarding COVID regulations, water really embraced it. If It’s Not Broken… “We have a Facebook page that was Link where subscribed, and snail mail, as started by one of my neighbors,” says well as lobby distribution of materials and Dana Greco, a longtime resident of a signage when appropriate. Residents are large, active co-op community in the always invited to communicate with their Bronx, “but nobody posts anything.” The property management team about issues 17-story high-rise building features a pool or questions of concern. It often happens and manicured grounds. “We have a brief that these issues are already under discus- newsletter perhaps twice a year,” Greco sion by the board, or we will bring new says. “There’s just not a lot of newswor- thy events. We also have a bulletin board managers, we are proactive in our com- for those in need of assistance from munications with shareholders and unit neighbors, or who want to sell something. Honestly, most of our news comes from Gayle Goodman, director of commu- nications for Gumley Haft, a prominent shutdowns, or notice of annual meet- ings—we use email notification, Building- matters to the attention of the board. As owners. Not everyone in our buildings uses social media, and we do not currently use and social media interact? Josh Schuster, social media as one founder and managing principal of Sil- of our communica- tion methods to resi- dents—but that could mixed-use properties in New York, Con- change in the future.” In the writer’s own able experience trying to integrate the building, a 54-unit two in his business. co-op in upper Man- hattan with a large “For many, three brands come to mind community garden in when one mentions social media: Face- back of the building, book, Instagram, and TikTok. But we communications are also have social media in terms of com- even more basic. We mentary. We live in an age of storytelling. have an old-fashioned Today, everyone thinks their opinion is cork bulletin board in important. Yelp, Google, and Tripadvisor the hallway leading are good examples of this. They serve as out to the garden. If bullhorns for users, and everyone today anyone has a message wants to be heard and praised at an am- about anything for plified level. If you go to a restaurant, or our neighbors, includ- ing using the backyard asked to leave a review.” for a private event, we leave it prominently tate, Schuster explains, no one buys into posted there in bright, a condo and goes onto a commentary bold, magic marker. Zachary Kesten- baum is CEO of Build- ingLink, a company dia platforms to complain. So most of the that provides many time, the commentary is negative. And forms of computer that’s a problem, because it’s unfair, and and cell phone-based community and the sponsor is unable to respond or react.” management apps for co-op and condo properties in the tri-state area and around the country. He says he has come across scathing personal attacks and handwrit- communities that have tried common so- cial media platforms like Facebook and your kid’s notebook and stuck to a cork- Instagram, but that such efforts usually board? Yes. take the form of private Facebook groups, and their success is pretty limited. “They don’t work for several reasons,” cial social media platforms that provide says Kestenbaum. “First of all, it’s a sepa- rate platform that’s not integrated into the electronically. “We have a module with life of the community, so there’s little en- gagement: a low level of participation and and many buildings are using it,” he says. community penetration. Second, these “It’s a part of BuildingLink’s product and forums are freeform and unmoderated, has multiple features. There’s a bulletin so anything can get posted—and that’s board that every resident has digital ac- a minefield that devolves quickly into a cess to. They can post items there—say complaint situation and infighting. Com- munities can’t control the complaining, ing a couch, for example—and it’s fully and factions form within the community moderated by the building’s managing that can cause conflict, or make existing agent for appropriate behavior and con- conflict even worse. It’s just not represen- tative of the community, and people get during COVID was that in many build- turned off.” The Venn Diagram of Real Estate & Social Media So where do the worlds of real estate verback Development, a New York-based property developer of residential and necticut, and Florida, has had consider- “Social media is a broad term,” he says. buy a product online, you will always be But in the world of residential real es- platform and says, ‘This building is amaz- ing.’ But “if folks are unsatisfied with the place,” he says, “they will use social me- Viable Alternatives So is there something in between ten notes on dog-eared paper torn from Kestenbaum explains that companies such as his have alternatives to commer- communities with a way to communicate these features for community building they’re looking for a babysitter, or sell- tent. One interesting thing that occurred continued on page 26