New CAI Survey Looks at Social Media Use in South Florida Community Associations

BOCA RATON, FL--(Marketwire - Aug 2, 2012) - South Florida homeowner and condo associations today view Facebook pages and Twitter accounts as a means to strengthen bonds among residents and promote interest among prospective new owners and renters, a new survey conducted by the Gold Coast Chapter of the Community Associations Institute finds.

According to the survey, more than a third of communities already have launched or plan to launch a Facebook page and more than two-thirds operate a Web site.

The 2012 CAI Gold Coast Chapter Social Media Survey was conducted online in July to benchmark trends in community social media adoption and association manager (CAM) involvement in social media. The top-line findings include:

• Over half (52%) of Communities with Facebook pages have new postings weekly or more frequently
• The person most responsible for Facebook posting is the CAM, followed by a community volunteer and board member
• "Community News" and "Community Photos" are tied as the content most often posted on Facebook, followed by "Neighborhood News" and "Community Rules"
• Personal/professional social media adoption among CAMs is strong with 67.5% reporting a Facebook page and 68.8% a LinkedIn profile.
• Less than 20% of communities have created or plan to create a Twitter account
• The primary purpose of tweeting is for weather advisory, emergency situations, or community notices and reminders.
• 12.1% of respondents said that their communities had made a policy decision not to adopt Facebook

"CAI is dedicated to promoting understanding of these new media and helping our members establish the policies that will promote their safe and effective use in the community," said Michele Bilawsky, president of the Gold Coast Chapter. "By surveying members we will have a better understanding of their attitudes and concerns and will be able to track the progress of communities in using these tools over time."

While community adoption of social media is on the rise, ongoing challenges to adoption also were uncovered by the survey of more than 100 area managers. Fear of negative postings, multi-lingual requirements, residents' privacy concerns and the daily demands of social media management added to already busy schedules were the most cited objections to launching Facebook pages and Twitter accounts.

Community associations managers interested in learning more about social media for their communities and careers can attend a workshop as part of the Gold Coast Chapter's annual conference, "Growing Communities... Growing Careers," at the Palm Beach County Convention Center, August 24, 2012.

"Why Community Associations Should 'Like' Social Media: Practical Tips for Putting Facebook, Twitter and other Tools to Work for Your Community" will be presented by Nancy Leve, principal of Virtual Fundamentals, a Ft. Lauderdale internet and social media strategic consultancy. For more information and to register for the presentation, please visit http://www.caigoldcoast.eventbrite.com.

About CAI

With almost 32,000 members dedicated to building better communities, CAI works in partnership with 59 domestic chapters, a chapter in South Africa and housing leaders in a number of other countries, including Australia, Canada, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. CAI provides information, education and resources to community associations and the professionals who support them.