Blog

 

According to Nextdoor, people are using the site to: quickly get the word out about a break-in; organize a Neighborhood Watch group; track down a trustworthy baby sitter; find out who does the best paint job in town; and ask for help to find a lost dog, among other things.  And its these helpful resources that sparked its popularity.  It was great while it lasted and then it slowly devolved into a forum for “THOSE” people.  

We all know who I am talking about.  Those users on NextDoor or Facebook that are the first to post their trivial concerns and prejudices about random events and then have their raging rants reinforced in a forum for their neighbors that for some reason believe that minor annoyances are federal cases.  These threads often become heated places as individuals passionately debate their beliefs and opinions.  Bored on a Friday night?  Missing Desperate Housewives or the Real Housewives of wherever; pop some popcorn, pour a glass of wine and open up your NextDoor or Facebook page.  If you read it as a source of entertainment, you will find hours of amusing reading.

 
Here are my rules for posting on social media.  Most of these should be common sense, but they still happen – often. Do you always follow these?

 

No Profanity of Any Kind
No swearing/profanity is to be used toward another member of the site in discussion threads.  
 
Do Not Degrade Another Member
If you oppose another person's position in a discussion, respond to them without the use of derogatory comments.  This includes political debates and debates about whether or not the HOA should pay for raccoon removal.  
 
No Unauthorized Advertising
Please refrain from posting unauthorized advertising such as third party websites or products. We want the discussion environment to be a place where individuals genuinely express their interests instead of using the forum for the hidden agenda of advertising. Not everyone is a fan of lularue.  
  
No Nudity or Pornography
This should be an easy one but do not upload nudity or pornographic visual material onto any areas of the site.  Pornography of any kind and pornography drawings still count.
 
No All Caps in Titles or Posts
Using all caps (all capitals) for your titles, posts and quote submissions is unpleasant and unsightly and steals from the positive discussion environment.  I never understand this one.  It just makes it harder to read.  If you want me to read your post, make it easy on the eyes.  
  
Respect the Discussion Environment, Do Not Troll the Site or Other Members
Being a discussion site, the dynamic nature of interaction cannot always be positively facilitated by rules. Examples of derailing the discussion environment include:
•    Hijacking threads - being disruptive to the purpose of the original poster's thread. 
•    Trolling another member - following another member for negative reasons i.e. disliking another user and venting that dislike by repeatedly posting negative comments wherever the other user posts. 
•    Harassing another user. 
•    Not keeping on topic with a discussion. 
  
Use Readable And Legible Language
Write posts that are unreadable, illegible or gibberish. Posts don't have to be written perfectly, but they should be written in English, using appropriate grammar and readable word/sentence structure.  Online tools such as Google Translate are freely available for everyone to utilize.

 

There is hope.  Use the hide user feature to block the negativity from your feed. After a few days,  you will figure out who are the community complainers.   Follow the guidelines for productive and helpful posts so that maybe we can get back to using social media for actually being social and reinforce a positive, welcoming place, where you can share thoughts and ideas with others about the issues that arise from living in an Association. 

 

Your thoughts?

 

 

 

Boards of directors are small teams of volunteers with a lot of work to do. They often need help and that’s where delegating to a committee comes in.  Committees are an important part of association operations. Committee members help keep our community vibrant; and, by augmenting paid staff, they save the association thousands of dollars each year. The association just wouldn’t be what it is without our active and effective committees. They deserve our sincerest thanks. However, it’s important to recognize the Good and the Ugly of using committees.

 

Committees give the board a way to gather information, offer new ideas and opinions and provide a training ground for future board members. All committees are advisory to the board unless given specific decision-making authority by the board or CC&Rs. 

 

The board provides each committee with a job description, goal and mission statement to help it succeed as a community resource.

 

Associations usually have three types of committees:

 

 

Committee participation in the community is beneficial to the neighbors and the association. For example, common benefits gained by volunteering include:

 

They build community involvement and prevent association from suffering from lack of enthusiasm. Even a few hours of your time can make a big difference in the culture of the community. They help us generate goodwill, encourage “paying it forward” and strengthen our community.

The Ugly
Every board-created committee and every board-appointed committee member must act in good faith and abide by the law as well as governing documents. Their actions are documented in the minutes.  If acting unsupervised its very easy for uninformed committee members to act against laws or covenants.  

 

Committees can only be effective if they have a clear purpose, good organization, and the right people. If Joe Resident thinks security is a problem, so we’ll put him on a committee is not an association purpose. In fact, the purpose is “get rid of Joe.” Use a committee to solve a problem, not a problem person.

A committee can't accept responsibility. Ultimately, committees have no decision-making power whatsoever even though they make take on unassigned roles and decisions.  Committees that simply occupy space or exist to distract owners are a waste of time, and a potential liability.

 

Building Strong Committees
Start with a good structure established by the board, outlines the parameters and expectations for a committee. Without a clear sense of direction or scope of authority, committees can lose control and cease to function effectively. Boards should take time to draft a concise committee charter with all of the following elements:

 

Pick the Right People
HOA owners have a wide array of talents – a clear resource for the board. But each person also has a different level of energy and skill, along with a unique agenda and temperament. Boards must balance each of those elements when they select the members of a committee.

 

Boards should seek out people with important skills: CPAs for the budget committee, landscape architects for the landscaping committee, and natural leaders as committee chairs. But avoid placing a destructive personality on a committee – even skilled ones. Vocal owners with a clear agenda are not necessarily destructive and may bring energy and focus to the committee. But individuals whose disposition will prevent the committee from functioning or will ignore the committee charter are not good candidates.

Boards may also wish to appoint a “board liaison” to attend committee meetings periodically. The liaison can provide helpful background information to the committee and can help the committee stay on track in the early stages. However, the liaison should be careful not to dominate or take over the work of the committee.

Recognition
Say thank you! Recognition and appreciation for a committee's input and hard work will lead to successful committees and enthusiastic members. Don’t overlook the effectiveness of a simple thank- you note, an acknowledgment in the community newsletter, or a plaque presented at an annual meeting. Committees whose contributions are acknowledged are more willing to give their time and effort to their association.

Committees perform an important function that extends beyond their charters: committees encourage camaraderie, participation, efficiency, and a sense of belonging in the community – but only if the board lays a solid foundation for each group. If the board is willing to do the work, your community can enjoy the benefits that committees provide.