Community Scheme WhatsApp groups – Communicating with care
Many community schemes use WhatsApp groups to address several challenges, send alerts and to communicate relevant information to owners or residents.
We’ve all heard of the biblical script that says: “Love your neighbor as yourself”, the imperative word here being “as”. The long form of this phrase would be “love your neighbor as you love yourself”. This implies that to be kind, compassionate, and generous to our neighbor, we must first be these things to ourselves. 
How we communicate with others is strongly embedded in the way that we view the world and our personal experiences that have shared this worldview.
There are three ways in which we can ensure that even with the challenges that come with living in a community scheme the WhatsApp group is utalised correctly.
1. Have Rules that Govern the WhatsApp group. 
A WhatsApp group that has no rules of engagement can turn into a place where people post anything and everything and a place to simply spam others.
2. Ensure that the WhatsApp group is not used as a platform to vent and complain.
All complaints need to be made directly to the board of Trustees to ensure record keeping and that matters get resolved.
3. Make sure that what you post is relevant to the scheme.
Moderating content and managing spam messages becomes increasingly difficult in larger groups so it is up to the WhatsApp group admins to lay down the rules of engagement.
WhatsApp groups also present a significant vulnerability, allowing others to acquire user phone numbers from the existing groups which can be misused. With all the challenges that living in a community scheme brings, remember that there are rules governing the complex, and there are Trustees that ensure equal respect for each other through following these rules. So let’s all learn to communicate with care regardless, online or offline.