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Category: Community Association

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Does Your Association Have A Social Media Policy?

Today, community associations (hopefully) understand the need to relay, perhaps even to over-communicate, all important information to their owners. To that end, more associations made the jump into the cyber world with their own Facebook and Twitter pages. Before going all in, though, associations should consider adopting a “social media policy.” Here are some items to consider before putting together such a policy:

1. How does the association wish to use Facebook and/or Twitter?
● Is the association looking to provide ‘one-way’ information, and not allow owners/fans/friends to post and comment?
● Does the association plan to use sites to promote discussion, interaction and sharing of ideas and concepts, allowing others to post and comment?

2. Regardless of the purpose of the association’s social media presence, the Board should decide who, on behalf of the association, will be authorized to make posts and updates. This is so the communication from the association can be better controlled and monitored.

3. Will the social media platform be open for anyone to “friend and follow?’ Or, will it be permissible for community association members only?

4. If the platforms will be used to promote discussions and people will have the permissions to post, the following must be considered by the Board when formulating the social media policy:
● Will posts containing negative and/or disparaging comments about the association be allowed (remember, too, if available for all to see, this could affect sales and potentially, property values)?
● If not, who is going to monitor comments and posts? What is the criteria to be used to determine “allowable” posts and comments?

5. In addition to everything previously mentioned, there are a few liability concerns which must be considered:
● If the association has a policy stating it will remove negative posts, and if the said policy isn’t clear with regards to criteria for removing posts, the association could face the risk of a claim based on discrimination (if it seems one particular person’s or group of people’s posts are removed, while others are not).
● In relation to removing posts, if somebody posts a defamatory comment or thread concerning another, and the association doesn’t remove said post, one may argue that the association has taken on not only the opinion, but also the liability for the content of the defamatory post.
● Determine if your association’s insurance covers claims of discrimination or defamation related to posts on the association’s social media platform account (or website message board).

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Why Pick Up Dog Poop? The Dangers of Dog Feces

By Guest Blogger, “Natasha”. Check out her latest blog, “The Artisan Life”

Why Pick Up Dog Poop?

  • “I pay taxes, why should I have to pick up dog poop?”
  • “It’s like fertilizer—it’s good to let it stay there!”
  • “Dogs are part of nature—letting their poop stay on the ground is natural, too.”

Have you heard or even thought of these excuses before? Approximately 40% of dog-owning Americans polled have admitted they don’t pick up after their pet. Unfortunately, cleaning up after your dog is your responsibility as a pet owner. Even if you keep your dog contained in your own yard, taking the time to regularly clean up after your dog helps keep your family and community safe. Once you discover the threats dog feces pose to humans and the environment, you won’t want to leave the house without a plastic pick up bag again!

Dog Poop Dangers

Dog poop smells bad and no one likes stepping in it, but it is more than an inconvenience: it is a legitimate danger. Dog poop dangers come in several forms.

  • It poisons grass and lawns.
  • It carries hookworms, ringworms, tapeworms, and more.
  • It transmits human diseases, too!
  • It pollutes waterways and is in the same EPA category as oil and mine runoff!

Dog Poop Is Not Fertilizer

Cow manure is an age-old, and effective, fertilizer, but dog poop is not. Cows are herbivores and their poop is pretty much broken down plant matter. It’s sort of like smelly compost. Well, just like you’re not supposed to put meat products in your compost bin, a dog’s diet makes its poop very poor as a fertilizer. In fact, it is usually pretty toxic to plants. It is very acidic and will kill your grass if left unattended. Have you ever picked up an old bit of doggie business and found the grass withered and yellow beneath? It isn’t just from the blocked sunlight – dog poop is literally poison for plants. Actually putting it in your garden as fertilizer (yes, people try this!) can contaminate your fruits and veggies with harmful bacteria. Even if you don’t intentionally place dog poop in your garden, runoff can make your produce unsafe.

Dog Poop Carries Disease

Of course, dog poop can carry worms. This means if your dog visits the park and someone else left dog poop with worm eggs laying on the ground, your pup is vulnerable. Dog poop can carry human-infecting ailments, too, including vicious parasites. Among other things, Fido feces can include:

  • Giardia
  • Salmonella
  • Leptospira
  • E. coli
  • Parvo virus
  • Roundworms (the CDC shows 14% of Americans are infected with roundworms)
  • Up to 23 million coliform bacterial per gram of poop!

Dog Poop Contaminates Water

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard someone tell me not to worry about a particular piece of poop because it was about to rain soon, anyway. Not picking up fresh poop before rainfall is even worse than letting it sit on a dry day!

When the rain washes over dog poop and flows into the drainage system, that contaminated water is carried into local waterways. If you like to hang out at a nearby river or lake, this means the fecal water is mixed in where you enjoy swimming and boating! Studies indicate that about 90% of fecal coliform bacteria, which is used as a measure of water health and quality, is of non-human origin, mostly canine. Dog poop is considered so dangerous that it is in the same EPA pollutant category as oil and runoff from abandon mines, and two or three days worth of un-picked up poop from 100 dogs can cause a big enough spike in bacteria levels to necessitate closing waterways within 20 miles to swimming and shell fishing.

How to Dispose of Dog Poop

There are many different ways to dispose of dog poop:

  • Use special, biodegradable pick up bags and throw it in the trash.
  • Reuse your plastic grocery bags to pick it up.
  • Flush it down the toilet (this is okay for dog poop, but some bacteria in cat poop can survive water treatment).
  • Hire a professional poop removal company.

For More Infromation

Here are some additional resources on dog poop and the dangers it poses. Please check them out!