Web Site Forum

I read through some of the earlier threads on this general issue and found some useful ideas but ended up with as many questions as we started with. I am President of a 503 home community. We have a Web Site which is basically designed to provide information. It has a resident directory, various HOA news items, minutes of meetings, calender events and any other information we think might be of interest. We even have our monthly newletter on-line through the site. There is no provision for resident input except by e-mail to the web-master, a paid part time employee.

Recently, the Chair of our Communications Committee has done some preliminary experiments with a forum page that would allow direct comment and exchange of ideas along the line of HOATalk. There is some question on just about everyone's part (including the Chair) as to whether this is a good idea.

I told the Chair that I would ask HOATalk members if they would share their experiences with this type of feature. The obvious questions that I have are how does one control content, what are the mechanics for control and how much time does it take (for our webmaster). I believe we have excellent communications right now but can see how this kind of interchange could really provide added value. Since I get to read the occassional nasty-grams I also know the potential down-side. Tirades aren't even the main problem because they generally speak for themselves. Well meaning opinions or assertions based on false information can also be damaging - or are they self coorecting?

Please let me know what you think?

DavidS3

It has been my experience that our online forum has been self-policing and that's good for everyone. We don't need to spend time moderating or closing threads. The members of our community take a pretty mature attitude to the forum. It is there to discuss items and present opinions and rarely turns into flame wars.

I think that you will find that the “occassional nasty-grams” that you receive through direct email or other means will not exist in a forum. A nasty-gram is a one-sided attack with limited or no means of retribution. Those things tend not to happen on a forum where any off-base statement can draw direct fire.

Now, your question regarding posts that are based on false information hits home with me. We had one unit owner going off regarding an issue that he claimed was specifically prohibited by local ordinance. One of the other owners quickly found the local law via a Google search and posted the statute and a link to the original document. This quickly ended the debate. Knowledge is a powerful tool and the information was readily available. That would have never had happened in a discussion by the mailbox.

Now, a couple of pieces of advice. First off, do not let a Board member be a moderator of your forum. Since you have a part-time employee, let it be his (or her) job to enforce the established rules and guidelines for the forum. Clearly delineate between an action taken by a forum moderator and the actions of the Board.

Second, make sure that you have a clearly defined registration process for the forum. We do not allow unregistered users access to the forum even to read threads. Our process allows the users to make up their own “screen name” but requires them to enter their real name and unit number in their profile. I believe that people tend to behave better in an online forum when the other participants have the ability to find out who another person really is.

Our registration process automatically looks up the owner(s) name and unit number in the town's tax records and verifys that it matches the registration information. It adds about 2 seconds to the process. It is not perfect since it would be easy for someone to find out this information and attempt to register. But, it prevents absolutely bogus attempts at registering. We also have a back end that allows us to view the site registrations and see if there are duplicate uses of names or unit numbers. We have used that function to identify and revoke access from users that were no longer unit owners.

For your second question, we do not allow renters access to the private areas of the site.

Thank you all for your comments. They are very helpful. I will pass them back to the Committee and wait to see what they decide to recommend.

DavidS3

What ideas do you propose to get people to meetings?

The community web site is a great way to get immediate important announcements to the community, and for supplying permanent information that the community can access.

If the community is not coming to meetings, then there won't be that much posting on the community forum anyway, but for those that do want to post, they will do it. We've found that some of those who signed up for the web site also volunteered for committees.

Most of the time only the people who are upset with a CC&R enforcement will come to the meetings so they can complain and attack the board for anything they can think of.

We recently began strictly enforcing no parking rules. Several people who objected came to the meeting. We formed a committee to study the possibility of amending the parking "Rules" and assigned a balanced view group. At the committee meeting one of the objectors to the parking covenant accused the board of holding board meetings on Valentines evening Feb 14, and also the March meeting during spring break so people could not come to the meetings.

This was complete hogwash. In the last two years that person had never been to a board meeting. The board meetings for the last 15 years have been on the second Wednesday of the month in the evening. Prior to this year they were held quarterly, so there wasn't even a meeting in the previous Feb and March. This board went to monthly meetings so we could get more work done, and still kept the same second Wednesday evening as it had been for 15 years.

We also went to monthly newsletters instead of quarterly and began to put more information in it. We are completely open and really want people at our meetings.

So people who want to complain will grasp at straws, especially when they know they are in violation but want to get a Rule changed, and hope to bend it to skirt the CC&R to suit their personal agenda.

By having a web site with announcements, we can counter this myth with fact so that an untrue statement like that does not get out of hand and cause people believe it.