When you got ready to leave home today, you knew there was the possibility that someone could wrongly come into your home to steal things, so you probably locked your door, and perhaps set an alarm. Then, when you got behind the wheel of your car, you knew there could be an accident, so you buckled your seat belt. No one is telling you not to leave home or not to drive, but both of these activities pose risks. Everyday we take risks, and the better informed we can be about risks, the smarter and safer we are.
The same is true for advertisers as they embrace social media to promote their apartment communities. Social media is a great innovation, but it does have its risks, and the better informed advertisers can be about those risks, the smarter and safer they are.
Remember that a website is a form of advertising. As a practical matter it is no different than any form of traditional advertising, and the same rules apply. The things you say must be true, because if they are not, it is libel; you have to be aware of consumer laws (watch out for sweepstakes that are really illegal lotteries); and, you have to honor the trademarks and copyrights of others.
And of course, don’t forget about fair housing considerations. The point of a website is to advertise the community; what is posted on a website (and that means both words and pictures) must therefore be fair housing compliant. Quite simply, that means that a “reasonable person” looking at the website cannot see anything that would suggest “any preference, limitation or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status or national origin.” Therefore, the words that are used, the directions that are given, the symbols that are depicted, and the photos and pictures that are shown cannot indicate that type of preference, limitation or discrimination.
The bottom line is that if there are fair housing issues with a basic website, the apartment community will be liable, since this is essentially an “ad,” and the community (its owner or PMC) is the “publisher.”
But what about a website where others are able to post information or are invited to blog? Who is liable for what others post? The answer is “it depends.” It depends upon how much control the owner of the website (the “Publisher”) is exerting over the external posting by others. It’s all about control. The more the message is controlled, the more likely the accountability.
Now, what about Facebook®, Twitter™, YouTube™ or a blog? Are these a form of advertising? The answer to that question is “it depends.” It depends on what a judge or jury might say about this. The folks in the apartment industry who are using a fan page on Facebook or who are sending “Tweets” would ultimately have to admit that the ultimate goal is effective marketing of a community or PMC, and that sounds like advertising.
Social media can be a brilliant form of marketing, but people need to make informed business decisions. They need to know what questions they should be asking before they take the leap into social media, questions like:
Who at the community/with the PMC will be its “voice”?
Where will this “voice” be heard? On your own website or blog? Or will this “voice” speak through posts at the websites and blogs of others?
If you will have your own website/blog, how much time will be committed to monitoring and promptly responding?
If you will have your own website/blog, how much control do you plan to exert regarding what is posted by others?
What will you do if someone says something bad about you or the community?
What will you do if someone says something bad about their neighbors or prospects–a lie, a slur, even an over-the-top compliment?
When is your employee your employee? Are you responsible for their on-line actions?
When is your employee “on their own time”? Are you responsible for their on-line actions?
Are you going to provide training for your employees on the proper use of social media as it relates to your website/blog?
Are you going to provide training for your employees on the proper use of social media as it relates to the websites and blogs of others?
Lock your house? A good idea. Seatbelts–ditto. And take advantage of the wonders of social media and advertising, but do that with an understanding of the risks and a plan to address them.
REQUIRED LANGUAGE FOR ALL REPRINTING OF THIS ARTICLE: “Social Media- Don’t Take Risks” is written by Nadeen Green, Senior Counsel with For Rent Media Solutions. The information contained in this article is not to be considered legal advice, and the authors and their companies strongly suggest that you consult with your own counsel as to any fair housing questions or problems you may have.
Today we celebrated two birthdays in one event; a Ms. Kimetha Hill and a Ms. Amanda Hall have birthdays on September 30th and October 3rd respectively. Within the marketing department at For Rent Media Solutions we have a little tradition. We decorate the birthday individual’s cubical and bring in baked goodies. Who doesn’t love a yummy baked goodie?
Typically we do cupcakes. Although there has been a delicious strawberry pound cake brought in before, today it was lemon frosting on lemon cake. And instead of regular cupcakes, there was a GYNORMOUS cupcake!
Maybe you’ve seen these types of pans in stores near you; I purchased mine from Williams and Sonoma. However, I’ve heard they are also located in Michaels. Using just one box of cake mix (you can use two for a larger cupcake) you will bake a top and a bottom simultaneously. After it has baked for about 40 or so minutes (depending on your oven) you can place the top on the bottom to give it shape. Add frosting and other decorations (here sprinkles were used) and away you go! I will have to warn you though, for travel purposes it’s easier to have the top and bottom separated until you get to your location.
Here’s one of the birthday girls taking a bite out of her cake now…
Did you attend the Florida Apartment Association (FAA) tradeshow this year? It was held from August 26th -28th at the Caribe Royale Orlando All-Suites Hotel in Orlando, Florida. This year was a huge success as the Florida Apartment Association (FAA) conference opened its doors to more than 450 multi-housing professionals. The conference encouraged attendees to “Catch the Next Wave” of industry innovations. Multi-housing professionals learned more about technology, customer service, green initiatives, marketing, and training. Check out this 2009 Florida Apartment Association Conference and Trade Show highlight video which captures moments from the successful education conference and trade show!
And of course, you know your friendly For Rent Media Solutions staff was there representing! Corporate and Florida employees were decked out in bright colored t-shirts with icon graphics to include ways we reach consumers: text, mobile, social media, video and much more!
Listen to a testimonial from one of our clients Lori Donnelly, VP CFH Group with For Rent Media Solutions to Dori Rones, South Florida GSM of For Rent Media Solutions.
The history of wine production in Oregon can be traced to before Prohibition; it became a significant industry beginning in the 1970s when out-of-state winemakers migrated to the state and started to organize it as an industry. In 2005, Oregon ranked third among U.S. states with 303 wineries. It’s no wonder that with that many wineries, a tourism industry has developed around wine tasting! And out of all US wine growing regions, Oregon ranked third in number of wineries and fourth in production. Talk about my kind of state!
In addition to the wine industry, timber production, logging and agriculture industries also contribute to the state’s economy. And the fact that large public corporations such as Nike, Inc. Precision Castparts Corp., Northwest Natural Gas and StanCorp Financial Group all have headquarters in Oregon may help as well.
So as you can see, there are plenty of reasons to call Oregon home. And if you’re in the market for an apartment there, why not check out a few of these….
From August 26-28, the Caribe Royale Orlando All-Suites Hotel will open its doors to more than 450 multi-housing professionals for this year’s Florida Apartment Association (FAA) conference. The conference encourages attendees to “Catch the Next Wave” of industry innovations. On Friday, August 28, attendees will also have the opportunity to listen to some of the most experienced social media professionals in the industry during an hour long social media session that starts at 8 a.m. This is a great opportunity to extend your social media knowledge! FAA’s social media panel will answer questions on social media and discuss strategies that may benefit your community, including successful tips on the basics of social media, with an emphasis on video marketing, Twitter and Facebook. Whether you are a supplier or management professional, everyone is sure to benefit from these best practices and general discussion.
Panelists include:
Erica Campbell, Marketing Manager, For Rent Media Solutions™
Melanie Stiles, National Training & Marketing Director, Milestone Management, L.P.
Judy Bellack, VP Operations, Apartment Finder
The session moderator is Kellie Jackson, Milestone Management, L.P.
“Baby boomers aren’t technology Luddites. More than 60 % of them consume socially created content. You’ll find them leaving their opinions on Web sites and joining social networks.” - Jeremiah K. Owyang (@jowyang), researcher with Forrester Research
There is this perception that adults over 50 only dabble on the Internet, but research is finding that they are spending more time online and interacting in robust social networking communities. Baby boomers using social networking sites such as Facebook™, MySpace™, LinkedIn®, Twitter and YouTube™ are not as uncommon as you may think.
According to The Pew Internet and American Life Project, boomers now account for 35% of all Americans online. A consumer survey of U.S. consumers, from the NPD group, Inc., a leading provider of reliable consumer research, shows that 61% of baby boomer Internet users (age 44 to 61) had visited sites that offer streaming or downloadable video, while 41% had visited social networks.
Baby boomers are finding social networking sites appealing for the same reasons most people do- to stay in touch with people. They are interested in reconnecting with old friends and classmates whom they haven’t talked to in more than 30 years. They enjoy sharing photos with family and friends and staying connected to their children and grandchildren. High school and college reunions are also being organized via Facebook. Nielsen Reports that moms (aged 40-50 with 3+ children) are heavy online shoppers who stay connected via social networking more so than mom’s 39-54. Some are even replacing e-mail with social networking sites for staying in touch with people on an ongoing basis. In addition to sites like Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn, they are also using boomer-specific sites like eons.com, boommj.com, boomertowne.com and the aarp.org social network.
According to Facebook, women over 55 remain the fastest growing group on the site, and growth among the teen and college-age set has been relatively paltry. In absolute numbers there are now even slightly more members between the ages of 45 and 65 than there are 13-to 17-year-olds. Analytics company iStrategyLabs has examined the demographics stats from Facebook’s Social Ads platform, and they have found staggering results. Interestingly, they found that the number of users aged 25-34 has grown 60.8%; the number of users aged 35 to 54 has grown 190.2%, while the number of users older than 55 years has grown a tremendous 513.7%.
Baby boomers are making themselves known in the social media space of the online world. Marketers who neglect to speak to them in the language they are now adapting to will miss out on a rewarding opportunity!
