Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Network with Neighbors in Your Apartment Community

Why not try your hand at social networking in the apartment community where you live? You’ll find the returns may not only enhance your day-to-day life, but might benefit your professional one, as well.



Meet your neighbors
In our fast-paced lives, the days of front porches and sidewalk strolls have mostly passed away. We need another way to meet our neighbors. With busy schedules and few organized ways to meet, it’s no wonder that online social networking has become the way to connect — to folks both faraway and next door.

A social network that includes the residents of your apartment community is a great way to meet and share with the people you live close to. Like a neighborhood association, social networking within your community presents a chance to get to know your neighbors and discuss apartment living issues.

Discover professional opportunities
Business and social networking have become so intertwined that it’s now relatively easy to connect what you do with who you know. Sometimes the best business connections are the ones made casually and personally, and you might discover some great professional opportunities through social interactions with your neighbors. Connections to a business, for instance, can be made through chit-chat around the pool or via a posting of your product or service on your social networking venue.

Share information
Social networks can be used by residential groups to share information about the community, coordinate get-togethers, help residents find repair assistance, discover new businesses in the area — even monitor weather concerns and neighborhood watch issues. With an online neighbors’ network, you’ll likely be better informed about what’s happening around you, and you may discover new ways to get involved.

Neighbor networking sites
Facebook is, of course, one of the most popular social networking tools around. On the site, you can create “members-only” groups, where membership could be set up and limited to residents of your apartment community.

You might also look at other sites designed to unite a very specific population — the people you live near. OneTwib lets you see other users in your area via a virtual map. You can say hello, exchange information, buy or sell things, or offer services. i-Neighbors is another site that includes discussion groups, bulletin boards and photo albums. Or sign up for HeyNeighbor to create a virtual neighbor network.

Social networking can make friends out of virtual strangers, and help connect you to your neighbors, as well. You may discover that online social networking is another great way to feel at home in your apartment community.

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