AddressTalk, the first hyper-local social networking site for condominium communities, launched last month in Singapore with its stated mission to open up a transparent line of communication between residents and building management.
AddressTalk, which is free for residents and owners of individual condominiums or homes and offers membership at a small fee for building managers, has targeted Singapore as the first city in a select Asia and US city roll out strategy where a high proportion of residents live in high-rise buildings.
AddressTalk CEO, Graham Brain.
AddressTalk CEO Graham Brain said the groundbreaking concept brought social networking closer to home, connecting condominium communities via ever-evolving hyper-local neighbourhood guides they would create for themselves, while offering tangible, real-time benefits for residents.
“AddressTalk empowers residents by giving them a united voice for the first time, “Brain said. “Just the fact of knowing you will be taken seriously and listened to is a big thing, as anyone who has ever had problems with their building manager or neighbours can attest.
“I spent several years as the residents’ representative on the juristic body of my condominium and the problems I saw there between aggrieved residents and an uncaring building management company were disturbing, to say the least.
“It’s what convinced me AddressTalk is an idea whose time has come, and what made me a passionate believer in the brand. For residents, knowing they can get the management’s attention, state their case and get something done is a huge weight off their shoulders. For building managers, AddressTalk is about embracing transparency, showing there is nothing to hide.”
Mr. Brain, an Australian innovator, entrepreneur and start-up specialist, brings to the table 25 years in Australia, Asia and Europe in senior executive and board level roles in sectors as diverse as sales and marketing, manufacturing, barter, fast food, sporting goods, financial services, IT and corporate travel security systems.
AddressTalk was developed in Bangkok, burnishing the city’s growing reputation as Asia’s IT development hub following the global success of hotel booking site agoda and Groupon-inspired Ensogo.
Brain said Singapore was chosen as the launch city after careful consideration. “We looked at the numbers. Singapore’s population is 5.3 million, with 7,315 people per sq km, making it one of the most densely populated urban centres in Asia. It has the most educated, affluent, connected, English-speaking and tech-savvy residents, plus approximately 80 percent of Singapore’s residents now live in condominiums or apartments so it really has become the home of vertical living.”
Brain said AddressTalk used state-of-the-art responsive design – automatically optimising how it is viewed on any browser, platform or device, removing the need for special apps. “The design is clean, soothing and user-friendly, and above all it’s safe and secure,” he said. “Privacy is paramount.”
But the key to AddressTalk’s launch and ongoing success, said Mr. Brain, would be delivering on its promise to build better communities.
“AddressTalk communities will have plenty to talk about, from creating their own hyper-local community guides, full of tips, deals and reviews. Log in and you can discuss, debate and rate everything the community has to offer – real opinions from real people who live next door. Residents stay informed on where to wine, dine, shop and get the best deal.
“It’s about getting people to talk in a safe, impartial and relaxed forum. There are few problems that can’t be solved once you get people to relax and start a conversation.”
As reported in Pattaya Mail earlier this year, local luxury real estate developer Kingdom Property has already signed an agreement with AddressTalk for the latter to provide interactive communications between Kingdom and customers of its Southpoint project in Pattaya.
For more information, go to www.addresstalk.com.
