Posted on Wed, Aug 18, 2010
Your online Resident Portal is the perfect place to upload and share anything and everything with your residents. If your are using ActiveBuilding's portal, make sure to pay attention to the "Community Information" section. Here are a few ideas to the type of content Resident will find useful: 
Do you give every new resident a welcome packet? Consider adding these documents to your Building Information box.
How about some general maintenance information? Perhaps it's a note from your Maintenance Supervisor introducing himself, or a "how-to" on resetting the garbage disposal, or a rundown on dishwasher soap. Uploading the property appliance's manuals is another great and useful idea.
Include local school information or add a link to the school district’s website with separate links for the correct elementary, middle, and high schools. Also consider adding information on local colleges and trade schools in the area.
Do you have amenity agreements? Making these visible can increase the usage of your amenities. After all, isn't that why we have them? (ActiveBuilding users: Don't forget to also attach them within the Amenity Reservation module as well.)
Hot weather tips, cold weather tips, dog park locations, maps of the property...you get the idea.
Posted on Tue, Jul 06, 2010
Resident Portal is a very loosely used term. Many properties use it to describe a narrow selection of complicated and hard to use online services for residents, with the emphasis on collecting rent and service requests. If your Resident Portal is primarily "a place for residents to pay their rent and submit Service Requests" it’s no wonder why a large percentage of onsite managers report little to no activity on them.
At ActiveBuilding we believe that your resident portal should engaging your residents DAILY and add value to their experience at your community. If you only want them on the portal for your own business needs, the resident will view the portal as an extension of “The Dread Landlord” and only use the services on an “as need” basis . If there is very little value to the resident to make your portal a daily online destination, then you’re missing a huge marketing opportunity…
Why is that?
Because there is huge value to Residents being exposed to your property’s brand; to the services your community offers; to relevant content about your community; and to easy to use tools that enhance their online experience. It is also valuable for Residents to be exposed to neighborhood information, local discounts and their neighbors. But most of all, it can be a very powerful marketing tool targeted at prospects.
By offering your Residents tools to create events, organize meetings, collaborate and share with their neighbors, you let them create a real community. A true community, they create, they feel a part of and they take ownership of. Furthermore, you can also provide them with tools to invite non-neighbors/non-Residents to community events and gatherings. When this happens, a different kind of marketing takes place: resident to prospect; unbiased, intimate, reliable and referral based. There's nothing like having your happy residents bear the task of marketing your property to prospects. Now that's a Resident Portal done right.
Posted on Wed, Jun 16, 2010
Community Outreach is a great concept for apartment owners and operators, however it is difficult to achieve given the enormous work load already filling their calendars.
Yesterday, community outreach went a little something like this: an eager employee goes out and introduces himself/herself to the local retailers, gathers some coupons and fliers, and then what? He/she either displays the materials on a table (messy, not green at all), puts them in a desk drawer and forgets about them, or adds them to welcome kits that new residents only throw away.
Today, you’re in the digital age. Your community portal is your hub for
Community Outreach, and the Local Discounts section of your Resident Portal provides you a way to close the loop between your residents and local retailers.
For ActiveBuilding powered portals, retailers can sign up to advertise FOR FREE; our only requirement is they provide an exclusive discount for your residents when presented with their
ActiveCard.
The next time you have a retailer stop by your property with a stack of coupons, ask them to participate online directly with your residents instead. Ask your local dry cleaner. And the restaurant up the street. Ask the salon around the corner. You’ll see your online community evolve, and your residents will love you for it.
All information, including an online form for retailers to complete, can be found on the
Active Card Network. A flier is also available for emailing, or to print and hand out.
How have you been successful at adding local offers to your portal?
Posted on Wed, Mar 17, 2010
Holidays are great opportunities to spread some joy through your
community using your Resident Portal. Send an
announcements to all of your wonderful residents wishing everyone a
Happy St. Patrick's Day. Include some information about this holiday via
some links in your community information! Post a St. Patricks day
recipe on your message board, or organize a good old fashion pot luck
with your residents to celebrate. Arrange a scavenger hunt or a coloring
contest for little ones...The possibility of resident retention ideas
are endless. 
Here is a great source for information on St.
Patricks Day... Some of the articles you will find on this page are
Who Was St. Patrick? , St. Patrick's Day Symbols and Traditions , and
more.
Do you have a great holiday celebration ideas to share with other
ActiveBuilding communities? We'd love to hear from you in the comments...
Live Webinar: ActiveBuilding 101 with
Amanda Hartman
Join
Amanda Hartman, ActiveBuilding's North West Account Manager for a 60 minute walkthrough of our
Resident Portal basics
Date and time: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 at
10:00am PST
Reserve your spot now
Posted on Fri, Mar 12, 2010
If you read this blog, you understand that ActiveBuilding is a big advocate of encouraging residents to participate in the community through our customized Resident Portals. Some ways residents are participating are by posting topics to the community’s Message Board, completing their public profiles, and/or adding service provider recommendations and reviews. We strongly believe that resident participation increases the value of your portal, assists in creating a stronger community, and improves the relationships between the management teams, the residents and the neighborhood.
But let's not ignore the fact that when people have a place to voice their opinions, they use it! That’s why we at ActiveBuilding have made sure to give you (the management) some control over the content they post. After all it is your brand and it is in your best interest to make sure your Resident Portal is a civilized, fun and social place.
When first talking to new communities about the ActiveBuilding service and the “Social” element it provides to the residents, the initial concern management expresses is about letting residents communicate and voice their opinions. Of course residents can always use websites like ApartmentRatings.com where they can post almost anything they desire anonymously, but ActiveBuilding is much different! We provide an environment with the right balance between an open portal that encourages residents to participate and content moderation controls to satisfy the property manager/owner needs.
With ActiveBuilding every property can set its own moderation policies. After all, each property is unique. We allow property managers to decide what type of content they need to monitor closely by approving it before it goes live (with our message board content approval module) while allowing other types of content to be posted immediately (for example, Market Place Listings). In addition, we provide a notification system to allow managers/moderators to receive real time notifications by email or text when new content is posted in certain section of the portal or by a certain unit. To assist the on-site team we also developed an automated filter to catch profanity and specific words (such as "Rent" or "parking") giving the moderator even more authority to come to a decision on which posts to approve and which to deny.
What is your experience with content moderation? Do you feel comfortable enough to let your residents post content freely? Does your Resident Portal provide the tools you need to sleep well at night? Use the comment section below to share your thoughts with us. If it’s good we might approve it…:)
Posted on Wed, Mar 10, 2010
Imagine the possibilities when you remove the work, and costs, from launching a survey. No paper, no distributing, no collecting, no aggregating...
Suddenly surveys are no longer just for move-ins and move-outs. They can be for anything...even FUN.
Do you offer a movie night at your property? How do you pick the movie? Randomly, right? Why not take the guessing game out of planning for your residents, and let them select what they would like to see?
Before
ActiveBuilding, this would have been quite a task, but today, it takes less than 5 minutes from start to finish. Simply
create an online survey, send a message to residents asking them to vote, then sit back and wait for the results. Residents can respond from their email, or from the portal. At any time, up-to-the-minute aggregated results are available to you.
Spring and summer are right around the corner...what surveys will you be launching? Let us know in the comments below.
Live Webinar: ActiveBuilding 101 with Amanda Hartman
Join Amanda Hartman, ActiveBuilding's North West Account Manager for a 60 minute walkthrough of our Resident Portal basics
Date and time: Tuesday, March 30, 2010 at 10:00am PST
Reserve your spot now
Posted on Thu, Mar 04, 2010
Here’s a great online answer to the question… “What’s for dinner?” And a delicious new way to create community among your residents. Start a resident recipe share program on your message board. Encourage residents to post their family or individual recipes on your message board where everyone can see. As residents attempt to recreate the scrumptious concoctions, encourage them to post comments on the recipes, rate them and give suggestions on cooking instructions.
“Foodies” are everywhere. See how many live in your building by promoting the 
recipe share program with a community announcement. As participation grows, suggest that the residents form cooking groups or offer cooking classes in your community club house. As more recipes are submitted with raving reviews, consider compiling them into one online document you can publish in the building information section of your resident portal.
Cooking doesn’t have to be a chore anymore. With ActiveBuilding, you can turn it into a fun and social experience for all. To celebrate your new cooking community, organize a resident movie night. Invite your foodies to view the movie Julie & Julia in your communities media center (on Blu-ray or DVD now) or host a resident Pot-Luck with dishes cooked by your residents from recipes shared on your message board.
Bon-Appetit
Posted on Thu, Feb 25, 2010
Does your Resident Portal include a Message Board? If so, Is it Message Board a place your residents hang out, converse, build communities? Do you want it to be?
Once in a while, you have a resident who is a leader, an evangelist of something, who will begin a conversation, by posting a question or topic on the Message Board. But with a diverse group of residents, it’s hard to create a community based on just one topic or one event.
Learn more about the power of two-way conversations and group building by posting diverse questions or topics on your Message Board that you feel are of interest to your residents and see what evolves. Your residents may be diverse in their interests but with multiple topics, you are sure to find out what appeals to them. Once you do that, you can sit back and watch it grow.
We’ve seen some very active Message Boards. Check out these topics we’ve come across:
- Work Out Partner
- Walking groups
- Fund raising
- Knitting Club
- Composting
- Pet Sitter Exchange
- Super Bowl Party
- Internet Provider options
- Pick-up Basketball & Tennis Games
- Lost/found items
So what if you, the appointed leaders, help the community building, by starting the conversations? Use the Message Board,
really USE it, to talk, create groups, gather feedback?
Posted on Mon, Feb 22, 2010
Looking for a quick, easy and great event to add to your Resident Portal community calendar?? Add your local farmers market! It is a great way to help build community and support local merchants. Your Residents will thank you for it.
What is a Farmers Market?
Farmers markets tend to be open-air street markets that feature produce from local farmers, products from local artisans, baked goods and prepared food vendors who sell their own creations. It is a direct-to-consumer marketplace.
Besides offering a fantastic variety of the fruits and vegetables some markets have increasingly become a destination shopping venue for residents in the community. Some markets have street musicians as well as local nonprofit community organizations, free special events for the community including but not limited to chef demos, cookbook signings, tastings, children's craft workshops, and family-oriented festivals. It’s a great way to stretch your grocery dollar, have a nice afternoon out of the house or office and a way to support your local merchants.
Below are a few links to locate a farmers market near you…
Certified Farmers' Markets of Southern California
U-District and West Seattle FarmersMarkets
Ferry Building Marketplace in San Francisco
Posted on Thu, Feb 18, 2010
Having a concierge on site is a great amenity to offer to your residents. Having a dedicated person that can assist residents with their transportation, entertainment, cleaning, dining and various other needs, is surely going to be appreciated. A residential concierge can lead to more satisfied clients. A concierge also means you can rest assured that a member of your onsite staff is dedicated to the happiness of your residents. Since they have no leasing responsibilities, a Concierge or Resident Service Manager can spend their time organizing community events (movie night, parties, etc), a real asset when trying to create a thriving community. 
However, only a fraction of the residential properties can afford to employ a full time, professional concierge. For the rest of us, the right online strategy can provide almost the same benefits at a fraction of the cost. Take a look at your Resident Portal, it can (and should) offer many of the services a traditional concierge offers. In terms of entertainment, it should include a database of local events with the option to purchase tickets, list movie show times, transportation reservations, recommendations for service providers and more. You can even provide your residents with a one click table reservation in restaurants around the city using online tools like OpenTable. All the information is available on the web, all you need to do is aggregate and display it in an organized manner and there is no better place for it than the Resident Portal. From a resident perspective, what's a better place to look for a babysitter than the apartment or condo site where they can get recommendations from people they know and trust?
For many people, using a virtual (e.g. online) concierge makes more sense than talking to a real one. Consumers are so used to doing many things online now. They find online services to be much faster and convenient to their schedules. Think about the last time you booked an Airline ticket. Did you call a travel agent or go online?
A virtual concierge can provide benefits even for residents that do not use the Internet. Should the resident call the on-site team for help, they can quickly logon and book a car to the airport or a table in a restaurant using the portal. Now what might have taken a leasing agent a ½ day to get to can be done in 3 seconds with real time response.
In terms of community building, a good resident portal can help tremendously. Using tools like an online message board, personal resident profiles, community calendar, and survey builder, you can encourage residents to get together and form social groups based on mutual interest almost with no effort. In many cases all you'll need to do is provide those tools to your residents and they'll do the rest. Don't believe it? At ActiveBuilding, we see it happen on a daily basis.