The evolution of social media is known everywhere, regardless of if you participate or not. It’s a large part of most people’s lives, whether they wake up and look at Facebook or Twitter before they get out of bed, or it is the last thing they do at night. Many see it as a way to kill time during the day, as opposed to watching television. Most are now watching TikTok, scrolling on Instagram or watching what happens on their streets via their Ring cameras. Media has evolved to include even older generations; it isn’t just limited to our children anymore!

Think back to 2001, what did associations have regarding social media? I am sad to say that most didn’t even have email addresses! This is a far cry from all the media at our fingertips today, which has been somewhat of blessing and a curse. As social media has grown, associations have been forced to quickly learn and join the race, some have hired management companies that have a “Social Media Expert” on staff, while others have added this to the job description for board members.

When MySpace and Facebook were introduced to the world, it took everyone by storm. People posted their feelings and thoughts without having to deal with face-to-face confrontation. This was amazing, and scary at the same time. Now boards must worry about what has been posted on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or any other platform and how it will affect the community, whether positive or negative. Let’s face it, most posts are not as positive as one would like.

Social media often dominates our lives, keeping everyone on their toes by having everything at their fingertips. While social media continues to evolve, it will continue to challenge associations to accept more channels and evolve with them. As GenZs and Millennials become a strong force in the work environment, we have some things to think about. Will social media replace the USPS? The answer is simple, probably yes. QR codes have already begun to replace some forms of paper applications, sales, or welcome packages. Think about this, what if you were to send out an email with a link or post a flyer at the pool with a QR code that allowed residents to submit their pool pass applications online? I know, some of you are reading this and saying to yourselves that you already do this. Many associations still send out applications and passes via the mail. It might be as easy as sending an owner their pool passes via QR code. No different than seeing a movie at a movie theater.

Social media has been able to help this industry work smarter and not necessarily harder. It allows for instant gratification, which in our world today is what is desired by so many people. Everyone needs to know everything before anyone else. While I wish this were the end of evolution for social media, I fear that it is just the beginning. In 20 years, who knows where we will be with all our technology? The key thing to keep in mind is as the world keeps evolving, associations cannot be left in the dust. They must be able to keep up with the times and continue to grow and change as needed. Fast forward to 2022, associations are faced with many options, and must ask themselves what kind of platform is the Board looking for? What kind of legal requirements are there in place? At least in Virginia, the board is required to provide a “free” platform for members to communicate with the board, management, and other residents. Once the board has deliberated, they determine what policies should be put in place to protect the Homeowners, board members and the association. The board must review their governing documents before agreeing to any platform, however most associations are silent on this matter. Policies must be adopted by the board, what can and cannot be published on behalf of the board. Boards must be reminded on a regular basis, that they should act as one, a united front. Best practices are for boards and management to have posts be positive and informational on a regular basis to engage residents.

Managing an association’s social media can be a full-time job! As the younger generations grow and purchase homes, each association will be faced with the challenge of keeping up with the media. This includes any architectural guidelines that might need to be adopted to allow for private cameras, whether it is a Ring, Blink, Nest, or any other model. Owners must remember this is technically an exterior change and as per most governing documents, requires board or committee approval. Allowing the residents to have some sort of doorbell camera, is creating a new sense of community. Community picnics are somewhat a thing of the past as more and more residents are connecting on social media or apps like NextDoor. This might be our new “community”. It seems that more and more feel a better sense of security in their homes with this newfound camaraderie in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, at the same time, this allows for some to become more of a hermit crab therefore losing the interpersonal contact as in the past.

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