If you can help foster the sense of community through understanding the groups that already exist physically in the community and see the digital as an extension to these every day interactions, you will create communities. learning the communities that pre-exist in your community is a fundamental to properly going social.

A lot of people don't really know how to use Facebook effectively (management and residents alike). If you're posting interesting stuff and you've been able to grow the number of people who "like" you, then I think it would be hard for anyone to post something negative or inappropriate on your page. First, it just wouldn't look right to post a service request in the middle of conversations about the end of summer (for example).

Let's just say it did happen... If you have a group of people who are positively interacting with you then they'll come to your defense. The negative comment will probably be disregarded by most because all of the other interactions are good things.

I'd even go a step further and say it's good to leave negative comments up. The selling point to many owner/managers about having a Facebook Page for comments is that you can control what people see. It's tempting to take down negative feedback, but I think it's best to leave it up. It give you more credibility, especially if you were able to overcome the issue.

Now that is how to properly use Facebook. Create a apartment community page, invite all your residents to be members/fans and post updates and activities, and invite prospects to visit the page. Really good. You wont have to worry about bad material, as long as your properly doing your job.

You really have to be in this business... We get negative feedback but we handle it before it becomes PUBLIC negative feedback. People say you can't make everyone happy and I disagree I think you can make everyone happy just not as quickly :)

Guess we went off the discussion a little, Sorry Brent...

Although, I loved your initial post... that is what facebook is all about... We allow our residents to be goofy on ours and I'm generally pretty cheesy on my facebook page as well too. They say that when your residents get to know their neighbors they usually stay an average of 2 years longer than if they didn't! LOVE IT!

I couldn't agree with you more Chrissy. You must embrace the negative as well as the positive.

I find when people are afraid of Facebook or other sites because of negative feedback its an excuse to not do your job correctly. There is a time that expires between when a resident feels they have been wronged and when they get on Facebook to voice a complaint. Normal residents will not just jump on facebook the first time an issue occurs to bad mouth you or your community but they will if this is a constant problem and no resolution has been made or even attempted.
Most negative feedback I read from other communities are problems that have occurred over time and no one has even attempted to make it right. "My bathtub wasn't draining since I moved in, I called five times to have them fix it and no one ever showed up". Those are the type of things I read and trying to make that siutation right on Facebook is a little too late. No matter how you justify it or apologize the fact is where were you the five times that person called?!?
Now I know there are some people that love to complain and will do so with no problem but those are the people you need to validate and make sure that they don't have any complaints by being on top of your game and making sure that their needs are met.
If you can't do that then get use to receiving negative comments.