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Get your own website? Domain and a starter hosting plan will only cost you about $60 per year. That would be your only fees and is much more than adequate for your needs , phpBB forum software is free. Download and install it. You can lock it down so it's invite only.
There's learning curve here but best solution long term for a variety reason such as YOU have control over the data. You'd have all the features you see on this forum and others....
Another web site option for HOAs is to use Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed. It's free and ad-supported. They may have already set up a site for your association without permission.
I would not suggest using PHPbb forum unless you really like spending a lot of time deleting spam. I had it on a site I run and gave up. Impossible to secure.
I now use Phorum, open source php board. Phorum | Open Source PHP Forum Software
I've had it up for two years and not one piece of spam/porn has been posted on it.
Very easy to install, easy to use for less than adept members.
Again, we're looking for a way to push information to residents, not a site they can go to. Our experience tells us that won't work. Email is our solution, and today we're doing it manually through a central HOA email ID that receives and rebroadcasts messages. That takes someone's time and availability. I was hoping to find an easy email solution that everyone in the neighborhood could use without having to register, log-in, visit a site, etc.
The forum solution will do that, in addition to what I already discussed where you would send posted topics to them through email it also has a mass email feature. For that matter you could even break it down into groups of people you can mass email.
The only thing they wouldn't be able to do is push information back through email. If you need a way for everyone to send information it won't work.
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I believe someone already mentioned mailman, that's pretty common feature on for most hosting plans but it's been along time since I used it. People can subscibe as easily as sending a email to subscribe@example.com You would have another email address news@example.com . Anything sent to news@example.com gets sent to everyone subscribed.
Thanks again coalman. Probably the majority of the use of this would be to enable residents to mass mail each other. Right now they send their email to an HOA email address. Someone has to monitor that and then resend out to a mailing list. Not terribly efficient.
Location: Mableton, GA USA (NW Atlanta suburb, 4 miles OTP)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CHTransplant
Any suggestions from folks out there that have successfully done something like this?
Our HOA management company provides us with web services, and we're lucky enough to have someone willing to put in the time to create and maintain that web side, which includes mailing list facilities where "e-mail blasts" can be sent out.
There are companies which provide software and services for HOAs for that sort of thing. The one we use is here:
There are companies which provide software and services for HOAs for that sort of thing. The one we use is here:
If you really wanted to go that far you could use a CMS like Joomla .
It's not specifically for a HOA but it doesn't have to be because it's designed to publish websites and it's FREE. The only thing you need is the web hosting which again starts at about $60 a year.
As a resident, I receive automated, weekly update emails of any changes on the site like stories, events, photos and classifieds. If you already have an email list you can send it to them and they will upload everyone's info. You can also send an email blast as needed.
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