Web Sites

Started by RobertR1 • 17 replies • 1939 views

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RobertR1 (South Carolina)
Posts: 5,164

Posted:

Please comment.

A small group in our 65 unit condo approached our president and asked if the Board would put up a W ebsite. Our president said he was not going to becausse it might create negative remarks. We told him we would set it up and the Board could have editorial approval. The purrpose being we thought absentee owners could be informed of newsy thingss dealing with work being donee and events on the island. He refused. So we set up a web site and using part of the condo name and stated it was a web site set up for owners by owners. We put up some pictures (complimentry) and listed our Board names and e-mail and telephone and also a copy of our rules of conduct and link to our CC&R's. Nothing offensive, nothing contriversal. We really thought it was a swell idea and have received many ccompliments from owners, and no negative remarks. We put up the published prices for the few units on sale. We put up nothing that was not sent to all owwners of the condos, or available in newspares etc..

Today we receive a letter from our president threatening us with some king of legal action for putting up site. We bought and paid for our domain name and it so happens there is a Village with our same name that is also on the internet. We were not in anyway cconnected with this village and never meant to be and have a different Domain. I mention this for information purposes because it seems to me if our Board can stop us from putting up a site with Part of the name of our condo, they would have to object to this site put up by a Village in Michagan.

The letter was signed by direction of our president by our Regime Manager. The letter we received referenced supposed conversation with a board member about the site that never happened and a bunch of critical remarks about our intent motivation.

Who thinks this president is out of line, maybe way out of line? He wantsd us to include a disclaimer or else. We never said or implied the Board was in any way connected to the site and when the Secretary of our board requested we take his name off we did as requested.
How about some feedback?

HaroldS (Arizona)
Posts: 906

Posted:

I'm curious why your president is afraid of putting up a web site? He says there would be negative postings? So is he doing things that would or does generate negative expression? If you search for past threads here you should find many touting the benefits of a web site. Everyone is always citing communication, communication, communication as the best medicine for an HOA. Let him huff and puff. I don't think he has a leg to stand on since yours does not pretend to be an official site. It is by the members, for the members who want to keep in contact as to what's going on. How can he prevent you from doing that? Good luck. Harold

RogerB (Colorado)
Posts: 5,067

Posted:

Robert, there can be legal ramifications of which you need to be aware. Do you have insurance protection? I strongly recommend HOA web sites only be put up by the association to provide needed protection.

For an independant web site it is prudent to have a disclaimer that this is not an official web site of the association. Also, only post documents which are in the public record; do not post a name without permission of the person; and be extremely cautious about posting prices of properties.

BrianB (California)
Posts: 2,820

Posted:

include the disclaimer (it's smart to do so), publish facts (not rants, raves, opinions, etc.), and stick to publishing publicly available information, and you are well protected by your first amendment rights under the US constitution.

hoatalk (California)
Posts: 603

Posted:

If your Board funds and starts a website, then they should not worry about negative remarks. Why? The Board has the responsibility for and control over the website content if they fund it. It is true that a website that just turns into a negative rant will not be used by many members and not really serve any good purpose. However, a site that allows positive discussion of the problems and their solutions can really bring a community together and encourage involvement.

For example, HOATalk's private community websites offer moderated community forums, meaning a Board member or their website committee would have to approve any message posted by a member before it would appear on the website. So, just establish posting rules and block any message not meeting those rules. The other alternative is not to have a community forum, rather allow a feedback form like a one-way suggestion box. This prevents members from posting anything to the site, but still allows feedback to the Board. There are lots of options. We also have security over who can post to various parts of the site.

The Board's concerns are waranted but can be dealt with in many ways and still allow improved communication.

You are correct that communication is the key to HOA harmony. The more people know and the more they can be heard, the better off all parties will be.

HOATalk.com, A free service of Community123.com
Provider of Upscale Community Websites
CLICK HERE to get a FREE trial community website
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RonaldW (South Carolina)
Posts: 901

Posted:

First, I think a website for a Homeowners Association is a great idea. It's a way to get news out, a way to publish CC&Rs, and a way to promote pride in the community. We have a website: http://indigofields.org/ I am the webmaster.

Having said that, I believe it was not a good idea to create an "unofficial" website for the HOA. This can only be divisive and as you already know, create problems. The website should be an official website approved by the BOD.

Also, any website with a forum or comments section is bound to cause trouble. I posted this on another thread but I will repeat it here:

I would never consider putting anything like this forum on my association website. Every neighborhood has one or more troublemakers who want to argue everything. It's all to easy to post garbage to a forum, call people names (had that here a few days ago), and just generally undermine the community. Think of an association meeting with nobody in charge and no rules. Moderating such a site would be a 24 - 7 job and then there would still be those who posted complaining that their posts were deleted.

Accepting suggestions and complaints from the members is fine as long as they go to the board members only.

You've already started out on the wrong foot so the issue here is how to undo the damage. Apologize, take your website down temporarily, remove any forum or comments section, then approach the BOD (not just the president) with a proposal for an "official" website to be approved by them. Take a copy of yours (on a laptop) and be prepared to show them other HOA websites that you think are good examples of HOA websites.

At some point, most HOAs will have websites, they can be a useful communications tool.

Best of luck.

Ron
SC

WilliamT (Arizona)
Posts: 489

Posted:

I have to disagree with the advice against having a non-community web site. If a board will not have a web site then the members of the community have a right to develop their own web site to communicate with each other. They need only to state the disclaimer that the site is a privately funded site and is NOT an official site of, and is not sanctioned by the HOA.

When I wanted to develop a web site for our community, my fellow board members turned it down. So I signed up for the Community 123 site and developed it myself at my own expense. Now the board is in favor of the site, and are beginning to see the benefits of the site, and within a few months I will make a motion that the board adopt the site for the HOA, and I will continue on as the editor.

Within a few months I have 25% of the community signed up, and they continue to trickle in each time the site is promoted in our newsletter.

The comments and discussions have been very positive. People just want to be informed and know that things are being taken care of. You can view the public portion of the site at www.lakesideatvalvista.com

I had one potential problem. A community member signed in anonymously using false information and posted 5 rather terse remarks. The remarks would have remained on the board and would have been answered had the person registered with their own name. (And had they done that, they would have toned their remarks down anyway. People talk differently when they are anonymous.) We can not allow anonymous posters because we could not confirm that they are members, and the member site must be restricted to members only.

Community 123 worked with me to develop a solution to that problem. Before, we were using instant posting of messages. Now we use delayed moderation. This means that when someone signs up I check their registered information with our records to verify the person. If I'm suspicious then I can send an email or telephone to verify. If the person is not verifiable, then I unauthorize them access to the member section.

If they try to post a message prior to my verifiying them, the message first comes to me as the moderator. Then I can just delete the message from the anonymous person so it never reaches the community. This solves the problem and since it has only happened one time, there really is no time involved. I suspect it will be a very rare occurence.

I also check my emails throughout the day as I work at my desk so there will rarely be a long delay between a person trying to post and the legitimate post reaching the community.

As far as moderating, my policy will just be to keep it civil. A terse tone will be responded to in a polite and factual matter so as to calm the person down, and answer any questions they pose.

This board is a community minded board and operate quite openly and community fully on what is happening. We are attempting to enlist more community involvement.

So keep your website and operate it as you feel the board would operate it so that when the board finally sees the value of the site, they will be willing to adopt the site and take over the operating expenses.

If you are not too far along in the site, I highly recommend Community 123's sites for ease of operation, cost, and their support.

RobertR1 (South Carolina)
Posts: 5,164

Posted:

I appreciate all comments and suggestions. I do have some trouble in understanding how some feel about open wesites, such as this one. First let me say the website in question clearly states that it is not an official site. There are no entries that allow for posting by anyone except "Contact us". The names of the Board of directors appear in other published documents. Some of the directors have Web sites that advertize their condos for sale and list particulars about our condo, list prices, post pictures of our common areas and make reference to structural or unit updates and improvements. We have 65 units, no board members live here, our manager files a copy of boards minutes after a delay of over two months, no draft is filed. These documents are filed in community room that is locked and key is kept at Managers home, again not on site but a mile away. They state this arrangement as "minutes are readily available." Also they will not allow owners to moniter their teleconference meetings, all of them not just executive meetings only.

I am surprised to read some comments here that seem to denigrate open web site for condos, (not that that was our intention) It was referenced there was some misuse of this web site recently. That maatter was handled as it should have been and this site goes on as "open", in fact the replies to my posted are listed. I see no way that this effects the worthiness of this site. Surely, most of us have common sense, but I wonder.
Our little group offered to our board to put up an official site, even voluntered to do the work, we would turn over control of site to Board, we would not put up a "post" feature. We live on an island, are one of several small HOA that comprise the community, a PUD. We are gated and our all residents of the island HOA publishes a web site and publishes the Board of Directors for the Island, an excellent Web site, publishes all minutes of meeting within two days.

Our web site we put up is bare bones and maintained by man and wife that live here full time. These folks are active in all kind of civic programs and serve as directors or chair of many social and island activities boards. We have 8 full time owners living here, probably 70% of units are rental. Heavy rental in summer, some in fall and spring and sparse in winter. We care about our home, we don't care to be dictated to. We all know our CC&R's and are more than willing to abid by our covenants. Our prroblem seeems to be that the board is chastizing us for some smoky interpertation of rules. Exaample: We have an underground parking garage. Our covenants forbids parking of Boats, trailers, etc. Our board decreees that those people renting unit can store boats there for one week or in some cases longer. We just recently had a large trailer full of construction equipment that was stored on complex for well over three months, a rental unit. It took that long to get the board to have it removed.

RobertR1 (South Carolina)
Posts: 5,164

Posted:

This is the Home page of our Website:
villageofnewhaven.info

Anyone see anything wrong with this

Welcome neighbors!

As nonresident owners in Newhaven for ten years we always had a desire to know more about
our neighborhood, our neighbors and up-to-date information about the “little things”. Our
regime manager and Board do a great job keeping us informed about all the important
“business” issues, but we always wanted to know the rest of the story. For us, our dream has
come true. We can now call Fripp Island and Newhaven “home”.

With this website, by Newhaven owners, for Newhaven owners, we hope to develop a better
sense of community, promote better communication and a link to our nonresident neighbors,
as well as provide a link for the nonresident owner to their home away from home. We hope to
give you a place to go to get the latest neighborhood news.

NOTICE: This website is not and has never claimed to be authorized or sanctioned by the
board of the Village of Newhaven Horizontal Property Regine, Inc. and none of the opinions
nor any of the content expressed herein should be considered to be an expression by or for
the Regime.

Please let us know what you like about the site, what you don’t and suggestions for additions to
the site. (See “Contact Us” page.) To keep expenses down the site will remain small and
without a lot of bells and whistles. It will be updated as new info becomes available. To the
best of our knowledge any information posted here is correct. After bad weather we will post
information and pictures as soon as possible so you can see how the latest storm affected
Newhaven.

WilliamT (Arizona)
Posts: 489

Posted:

I think all of the information that you have published should be in a members only section, not visible to the public.

You have member names and directors names posted in a public place.

Your link to FIPOA goes to information that should never be public. I can read all of your minutes and that should never happen. I don't know whether that is your fault or the FIPOA, but even if FIPOA has the private minutes posted in a public place, I would not post a link to it.

Whether yours is a private website, or a HOA sponsored web site, then only information that should be viewable by the public is information that is available in the public records, such as Incorporation, ByLaws, CC&R's and Rules. Pictures of the community and text that promotes the community to potential homebuyers.

Anything else posted to the public could cause problems later on.

Look at the public section of my privately funded web site www.lakesideatvalvista.com and see that only publicly available information is available to the public. Everything else is only viewable by members who are registered to the site.

At the bottom are Terms and Conditions that protect us, and they are very important.

My suggestion is to make what you have available to members only. Community 123 web sites are all set up like that.

RogerB (Colorado)
Posts: 5,067

Posted:

Robert, it is obvious someone did lots of work putting your website together. Love the pictures and will try the recipes!

I still have the same cautions as previously posted; and still encourage working with the Board members and modify it to the official HOA website.

CypressGreensHOA.com is an example of a community123.com website recently developed which provides desirable three levels of security: 1) visitors, 2)members, and 3)Board members.

RonaldW (South Carolina)
Posts: 901

Posted:

Posted By RobertR1 on 12/10/2006 7:22 AM

I appreciate all comments and suggestions. I do have some trouble in understanding how some feel about open websites, such as this one.

Speaking as a BOD member, I feel that your "unofficial" website usurps or could be seen as usurping the authority of the HOA even though you have a disclaimer. Think what would happen if twenty or thirty other members each published a website for the same HOA.

Even though you have a “disclaimer”, your site appears to be an official HOA website. For example, you publish rules of conduct, make statements such as:

“The Rules of Conduct are to be posted in every unit. This is only a summary of the rules. The complete list of rules was sent to every owner. Please be sure you and your guests are familiar with, and obey Newhaven's Rules of Conduct.“

and

“Obey the 8 mph speed limit in the garage. The Rules of Conduct
prohibit bicycles, roller skates, roller blades, skateboards, scooters or
similar devices, however children have been seen riding in the garage.
Please enter the garage slowly and carefully to avoid a tragic accident.”

You appear to be speaking for the BOD when in fact, you have no authority to do so.

Consider my suggestion posted above to work with the BOD, not against them.

Ron
SC

RogerB (Colorado)
Posts: 5,067

Posted:

Robert, did you view the CypressGreensHOA.com website? Did you click on and read the terms of use? If not I suggest you do and consider how you can modify your website to provide legal and insurance protection. After all we do live in a very litigious society

RonaldW (South Carolina)
Posts: 901

Posted:

Posted By WilliamT on 12/10/2006 8:33 AM

..........................

You have member names and directors names posted in a public place.

Your link to FIPOA goes to information that should never be public. I can read all of your minutes and that should never happen. I don't know whether that is your fault or the FIPOA, but even if FIPOA has the private minutes posted in a public place, I would not post a link to it.

Our BOD and ACC members names and contact information are posted on our website. They gave permission and approved the site and content. I think registering, having a user name and password to access the site or even parts of it would discourage some from using it. The names and contact information are also on the printed newsletter so none of it is really "secret". Also, as a former network administrator for a very large public high school, I can tell you from personal experience that many people gladly share their computer access information with others.

As far as the FIOPA information, I would say that's the fault of the FIOPA website, not his. I had our financial report on our site but took it off after reading some good advice on this forum. I replaced it with an offer to supply it to members.

Ron
SC

RonaldW (South Carolina)
Posts: 901

Posted:

Posted By RogerB on 12/10/2006 9:48 AM

Robert, did you view the CypressGreensHOA.com website? Did you click on and read the terms of use? If not I suggest you do and consider how you can modify your website to provide legal and insurance protection. After all we do live in a very litigious society

Roger, I read your terms of use and thought about putting it on our website. Then I realized that you might sue me for copying it! (Insert wink smiley here.)

I does cover just about everything, though. It reads like a set of CC&Rs. (Another wink smiley.)

Ron
SC

GeraldT1 (<Not Specified>)
Posts: 519

Posted:

Posted By RobertR1 on 12/10/2006 7:22 AM

I am surprised to read some comments here that seem to denigrate open web site for condos...

RobertR1,

I don't see any evidence anyone denigrated open web sites for condos.

Didn't the President tell you he wouldn't authorize the website? Yet you've chosen to list his name, as well as others in a Board of Directors section?

You've received some wise advice regarding caution of an unauthorized website. I recommend you heed it. You’ve received a pretty bad question by one poster asking if your President is doing things that would or does generate negative expression.

Seems to me you are going to do what you want anyway rather than recognize you do not operate in a vacuum, that you bought into and belong to an ASSOCIATION!! Your site is absolutely 100% pretending to be official, regardless as to the disclaimers.

What you should have done was create the website off-line, create a password field for limited access, provide the Board a visual demonstration, and seek their input and authorization.

GeraldT1
NNJ

RogerB (Colorado)
Posts: 5,067

Posted:

Posted By RonaldW on 12/10/2006 10:24 AM
Roger, I read your terms of use and thought about putting it on our website. Then I realized that you might sue me for copying it! (Insert wink smiley here.)

I does cover just about everything, though. It reads like a set of CC&Rs. (Another wink smiley.)

The terms of use are not mine Robert; they belong to community123.com. They illustrate one reason for our choice to go with them.
Don't worry about me suing

Litigation is not in my portfolio

RobertR1 (South Carolina)
Posts: 5,164

Posted:

Roger,
This is Robert. I did go to your site and view it and was most impressed. Swanky place and looks great, lot of stuff to maintain there I bet.
Not sure I understand your reference to me in the above. I hope I didn't misunderstand something. Anyway I thank all of you for your advice and all has been considered, As expected we have to do as we think is the most productive way to handle this and put it behind us. We really are exactly what we say we are. Just vested owners in a common ccorporation that we would like to help make better. Our place has a history and at this point we are the product of that history and we wonder if we. "Are as Good as We can Be." To borrow a phrase.

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