Ever heard the saying "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all"? When was the last time you said this to one of your children? As an adult do you live by this rule?

In the event that you haven't heard – Horizon Realty Group Management in Chicago is suing a former resident for $50,000 over a tweet complaining about mold.

After the recent chain of events, and the subsequent twitter uproar I find myself between a rock and hard place. A small part of me wanted to jump in all the drama, voice my opinions, as others have said "un-freaking believable".

On the other hand, I felt like a deer in the headlights, thinking to myself "someone should do something! Why can't it be me?". I'm fairly versed in the social media world. I've seen drama come and go, I've seen large brands like United Airlines get flamed and then publicly apologize. I wanted to jump in the fire and say, "come on people, stop being vultures and get back to your life. Imagine how you would feel if one person, as a representative of your company said one unforgivable sentence that sent your brand up in flames".

On my lunch break, I went to my apartment to speak with my property manager about my impending move. I gave her a quick rundown of the story and her response was shock and empathy for Horizon. I didn't give her all of the social media details, nor is she a big social media participant. I found it interesting as one multifamily professional speaking of another she had empathy rather than blame.

So this makes me wonder, where was the multifamily industry on this issue? Could this (can it still?) have been the perfect opportunity to bring forth the issues of resident defamation of the apartment industry? I'm not saying we need an army behind Horizon saying, "we support your sue first, ask later policy." But why not stand together as an industry in support of our multiFAMILY unit?

Horizon is receiving phone calls and hate mail in addition to the explosion of chatter on Twitter and various review sites. How can we use this as a teaching tool for all multifamily businesses to develop a social media plan both for marketing and also damage control in the event something else like this occurs again. How would you react if this was a sister property?

So what lessons have we learned:

Additional Resources:
Horizon Realty Responds to Lawsuit Twitter Controversy
What the Horizon Realty Fail Can Teach You About Social Media
Social PR Crisis and Response: How Horizon Group Management Might Yet Save the Day
Ellipse Tips

Beyond the unwanted furniture and illicit rendezvous offers, Craigslist can be an invaluable listing tool for the multifamily industry. Here are a few suggestions and observations that will maximize your efforts in standing out from the crowded marketplace.

Play By Their Rules. Housing on Craigslist is busy, busy, busy. Most markets can see over one hundred postings per hour in the apartments/housing section. While it may be tempting to repeatedly post the same listing within a twenty-four hour period, and indeed ILS operators sometimes offer this... Don't! The increase in eyes on your listing is a short-term gain that will inevitably lead to readers deducing your tactics, flagging your posts, and having your account banished from Craigslist. Beyond pleading ignorance and/or paying fines for violation ranging from one hundred to three thousand dollars per posting, there is no recourse for being banned. Few other sites on the Internet enjoy traffic that approximates Craigslist.

The Human Element. Craigslist does not allow automated posting, but even listings that fall in line with this rule can appear robotic to renters. A simple parenthetical remark in one's amenities, for example: Outdoor BBQ Grill (as opposed to an Indoor BBQ Grill?) or a local sports reference (Anaheim/Go Angels!), will acknowledge to a renter who's spent hours staring at Craigslist postings that neither they, nor you, are machines.

Grammar School Lessons. Finally, ONE WOULDTHINK THAT IN CAPS AND IGNNORIG SPELLING& GRAMMAR NEEDN'T BE MENTIONED AS A CRAIGSLIST "DON'T"; SPENDINGFIVEMIN UTES ON CRAIGSLIST SHOULD DISPEL THIS. See how annoying it can be to read something with spelling and grammar errors. Even more difficult is trying to read it in all caps, so be sure to carefully proofread before you post!