Social Media Policy

Started by TimB4 • 12 replies • 2018 views

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TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,059

Posted:

All,

Does your Association have a social media policy?

If you do, and you are willing to share, please email it to me [email protected]

Thanks,

Tim

AugustinD
Posts: 5,144

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By TimB4 on 12/06/2017 3:42 PM
All,

Does your Association have a social media policy?

If you do, and you are willing to share, please email it to me [email protected]

Thanks,

Tim

Can you explain what you mean by "social media policy"? Do you mean a policy that, say, instructs Members not to post anything about the HOA on Facebook lest they be sued for defamation by the HOA corporation?

DouglasK1 (Florida)
Posts: 2,046

Posted:

Ours is simple, the association doesn't use social media, doesn't monitor it, and board members are not to post anything to social media in their capacity as directors. There is a nextdoor site for our neighborhood, but the association did not play any role in setting it up. Most of our owners are on Nextdoor, but that was due to an effort by several owners, including some who happened to be board members, to get people to join.

Our social media policy was created after the former president set up his nextdoor signature to reference his position, and that lead people to think that what he was posting was the official or consensus position of the board, when it wasn't either.

Escaped former treasurer and director of a self managed association.

TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,059

Posted:

A Social Media Policy would be a policy resolution adopted by the Board.
Based on research, such a policy should include the following:

Open or closed pages/twitter
If closed, approving authority
content
content oversight
Who posts content
posting rules for Board and Committee members
Posting rules for members
Will posts be removed
Who has authority to remove posts
Compliance with applicable laws (how to keep from transacting business on social media)
which Social media to be used
etc.

JanetB2 (Colorado)
Posts: 4,219

Posted:

Sorry ... we do not use social media so have no policy.

KerryL1 (California)
Posts: 14,550

Posted:

Same as janet's

JerryD5 (Colorado)
Posts: 218

Posted:

We don't have a social media policy either. Our 63 homes are split up and spread throughout a master plan community. There is a Facebook group for some of our blocks but we do not post anything. My block has some of our association homes and the other half of the block belongs to a different association. I don't post our HOA stuff to it only because it doesn't pertain to the other half of the block. We rely on management company to publish a newsletter with important information.

On a side note, one of our disgruntled homeowners (see my previous posts about a lawsuit and her chickens) started her own group to disparage us but no one (besides her) is in the group.

JohnC46 (South Carolina)
Posts: 14,265

Posted:

I have said before and I repeat. If your "Social Media" site allows postings and comments, eventually it could well turn on you. Even if you run the finest, best, most open, etc. HOA in the world, all it takes is one negative person commenting.

Happy customers tell few. Unhappy customers tell everyone.

TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,059

Posted:

John,

I agree with what you are saying.
Unfortunately, I am also expecting to be outvoted at the board meeting.
Therefore, all I can do is point out legal advice that advises adopting a social media policy.

I can provide info so they members can make an informed decision.
However, I can't force them to actually become informed.

GenoS (Florida)
Posts: 4,276

Posted:

Define "social media" carefully. Aside from FB there's twitter, instagram, youtube, tumblr, pinterest, whatsapp.... there are others. Most allow user-generated content to be posted and only a few of them will allow anyone to delete what others post. If my HOA has an official twitter account and I post vile things to it, there is no ability to remove my subjectively objectionable posts. FB might be the only one that allows it because someone has to "own" the main FB account and page.

You can establish all the policies in the world but if they're not enforceable then what good are they?

If you're focusing on FB then I would only suggest that no policy should require any owner to log into FB to obtain important information. My HOA recently set up a FB page where realtors and other members of the general public can go to obtain very generic information about the community. Governing documents, Rules & Regulations, various forms, etc. If I, as a homeowner, however, were required to go onto FB to report a maintenance issue or to submit a landscape request for approval, or report a covenant violation, I would object vociferously.

My request would be, "Kindly do not require homeowners to sign up for an account with anyone other than, perhaps, our own website secured by homeowner login credentials/passwords."

DaveD3 (Michigan)
Posts: 796

Posted:

Can't imagine a reason why a homeowners association would need such a thing.

Post whatever you want, wherever you want.

JanetB2 (Colorado)
Posts: 4,219

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By DaveD3 on 12/08/2017 7:18 PM
Can't imagine a reason why a homeowners association would need such a thing.

Post whatever you want, wherever you want.

And if was sanctioned by the HOA and someone files a lawsuit ... are you willing to be assessed a few thousand dollars to cover your portion of the HOA legal fees just because someone took exception to a comment and filed a lawsuit??? That is potentially what will happen sometime in the future ... so why put your HOA at risk of being sued?

Majority of us have recommended not have an HOA sanctioned open social media account. Unfortunately Tim’s other HOA directors potentially have stupid written across their foreheads and he is looking at trying to mitigate the issue.

CyrstalB (Maryland)
Posts: 457

Posted:

If you feel there is a need for a policy then the first sentence in Douglas' post is the only thing it should be. There is no way to close that pandora's box once it's opened.

"The association doesn't use social media, doesn't monitor it, and board members are not permitted to post anything to social media in their capacity as directors or officers." Drop the mic.

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