Apartment Blog

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:

1. Who at the community/with the PMC will be its “voice”?
2. 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?
3. If you will have your own website/blog, how much time will be committed to monitoring and promptly responding?
4. If you will have your own website/blog, how much control do you plan to exert regarding what is posted by others?
5. What will you do if someone says something bad about you or the community?
6. What will you do if someone says something bad about their neighbors or prospects–a lie, a slur, even an over-the-top compliment?
7. When is your employee your employee?  Are you responsible for their on-line actions?
8. When is your employee “on their own time”?  Are you responsible for their on-line actions?
9. Are you going to provide training for your employees on the proper use of social media as it relates to your website/blog?
10. 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.

We have added an additional social media component to the ForRent.com Web site. Go to ForRent.com and you will notice the new “share” box in the top right hand corner. Hover over the box and it expands to display the various options you can use to “share” the ForRent.com site with others. The “share” box is visible on every page within the site.

Through the share tool, end-users can share apartment listings with others via the various social media sites including Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. With this feature, the end-user has more than 150 ways to bookmark or share apartment listings of their choice!

“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!

ForRent.com posts our apartment videos on various social networking and video sharing sites!  We upload videos to our video syndication network which consists of a variety of sites such as: YouTube, MySpace, Yahoo, Dailymotion, AptsVideo and many others! Why do we do this? ForRent.com wants to make sure that we are reaching renters and prospective renters in as many places as possible so that it makes the apartment search easier.  These videos really provide a rich cinematic view of both the apartment community and the surrounding area.

The way people search for information has changed and ForRent.com wants to make sure that we provide you with apartment information when you want and how you want it. So next time you are logged into MySpace or watching a funny video on YouTube, check out apartment videos by ForRent.com!

This week we are going to be spotlighting all the wonderful apartment communities in Texas! If you’re considering a move within or to the Lonestar state, check these out:

Wind Tree Apartments in Irving, TX
Woodchase Condominiums in Irving, TX
Delante Apartments in Irving, TX
Hillcrest Apartments in Irving, TX
Tower Village Apartments in Irving, TX
            
Carrollton Oaks Apartments in Carrollton, TX
Wood Meadow Apartments in North Richland Hills, TX
        
Southern Hills Apartments in Arlington, TX
Parks at Treepoint Apartments in Arlington, TX
      
Fox Hills Apartments in Dallas, TX
Town East Apartments in Mesquite, TX
Riverbend Apartment in League City, TX
Overlook at Bear Creek Apartments in Euless, TX
Village West Apartments in Lewisville, TX
              

ForRent.com wants to make sure that we are reaching apartment renters and prospective apartment renters any time, any place.  We want to make the apartment search process easier for you! So we post our apartment videos on various social networking and video sharing sites!  We upload videos to our video syndication network which consists of a variety of sites such as: YouTube, MySpace, Yahoo, Dailymotion, AptsVideo and many others. These videos really provide a rich cinematic view of both the apartment community and the surrounding area.

Take a look at these…..

ForRent.com Apartments in the West Region:
Tuscaro Apartments in Sacramento, CA
Cirby Oaks Apartments in Roseville, CA

ForRent.com Apartments in the South Region:
Golf Brook at Sabal Point Apartments in Longwood, FL
Aqua at Millenia Apartments in Orlando, FL
Waterford Place Apartments in Memphis, TN

ForRent.com Apartments in the Midwest Region:
The Landing at Park Shore Apartments in Milwaukee, WI
Riverwalk Apartments in Minneapolis, MN
Pointe 400 Apartments in St. Louis, MO

ForRent.com Apartments in the South West Region:
Advenir at Foxmoor Apartments in Dallas, TX
Fairfield Trails Apartments in Houston, TX
City Scape Apartments in Dallas, TX
The Davenport Apartments in Dallas, TX
Rock Creek Apartments in Dallas, TX
Josey Place Apartments in Carrollton, TX
Reserve at White Rock Apartments in Dallas, TX
Claridge Apartments in Houston, TX
Meadow in the Village Apartments in Dallas, TX

ForRent.com is providing more great information about apartment communities in your area. And check out the most recent uploaded videos…… We upload them to our video syndication network which consists of a variety of sites such as: YouTube, MySpace, Yahoo, Dailymotion and others to make them more accessible for your viewing pleasure! Helping you to find an apartment any time, any where!

So take a look at some of this week’s uploads…..

Vancouver, Washington Apartments For Rent:
Monterey Apartments For Rent in Vancouver, WA
Sterling Heights Apartments in Vancouver, WA

Indianapolis, Indiana Apartments For Rent:
Woodhaven Park Apartments in Indianapolis, IN
Lakeside Pointe at Nora Apartments in Indianapolis, IN
Woods at Oak Crossing Apartments in Indianapolis, IN

Albuquerque, New Mexico Apartments For Rent:
La Mirage Apartments in Albuquerque, NM
Sombra del Oso Apartments in Albuquerque, NM
River Walk at Puerta de Corrales Apartments in Albuquerque, NM

San Jose, California Apartments For Rent:
The Woods Apartments in San Jose, CA
Cherrywood Apartments in San Jose, CA

Orlando, Florida Apartments For Rent:
Auvers Village Apartments in Orlando, FL
Pine Harbour Apartments in Orlando, FL