My big complex building on the upper west recently striped the lobby to replace the outdated design with a new modern motif. After working on it for six weeks, the crew stopped, leaving a half new gorgeous lobby / half construction site mess. Do my fellow building mates like the new look? When are they going to finish? And so the questions begin. Gee, all this thinking makes me hungry…Where should I order food from?
This jumble of questions is a typical routine for anyone living in a building complex, and is the genius fueling LifeAt.com, a social network closed to residents of building complexes. While MySpace connected music lovers alike, Match.com linked long lost sole mates together, and Facebook opened the door to whole new life of wall posting and picture sharing, LifeAt serves a more practical purpose, securely connecting building tenants to each other and to their building managers. 
As a New Yorker, via transplant from a very small town in Illinois, I wish I had a direct secure connection to the people in my building. With LifeAt residents are able to communicate with each other (whether it be ranting about the unfinished work in the lobby or seeking out in house babysitting services), post classifieds (social networks like LifeAt are the advertising/communicating mediums of the future), rate and review local retailers, restaurants, and delivery services (a reference that could have saved me from dozens of nasty congealed delivery “food” experiences). Furthermore, building developers and managers can post news and updates for residents and attract potential buyers and residents, which is a great way to eliminate the sleazy broker bull ****.
LifeAt is hopping on the social network bandwagon, bringing a new twist, and doing so with flare and success. Take my word for it, or check out LifAt’s write-up in the ultimate source for business news – The New York Times.
As a free alternative to LifeAt.com, you might want to check out Neighborology - http://neighborology.com They offer you the ability to setup a private social network for an apartment building, subdivision, etc. Plus, they have features that LifeAt.com does not offer.
Posted by: Tom | November 27, 2007 at 09:17 PM