Do we Need a Strata Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy?
Or, is the answer to the ultimate strata question also 42 …
The evolution of strata information that’s being produced and consumed reveals an interesting story of changing focii on technicians, businesses, managers, and users. So, where is the strata information universe now, how did we get here, and what’s next …
[9.25 minutes estimated reading time, 1847 words]
Introduction
Way back in 1978, a concept emerged from a radio show [remember radios?] of a guidebook to the known universe that answered any question a traveler might have.
It was the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and was described by the narrator as:
‘In many of the more relaxed civilizations on the Outer Eastern Rim of the Galaxy, the Hitchhiker's Guide has already supplanted the great Encyclopaedia Galactica as the standard repository of all knowledge and wisdom, for though it has many omissions and contains much that is apocryphal, or at least wildly inaccurate, it scores over the older, more pedestrian work in two important respects.
First, it is slightly cheaper; and secondly, it has the words DON'T PANIC inscribed in large friendly letters on its cover.’
Well, I’m starting to wonder whether the strata title sector needs one of these guides too.
It seems that there’s no shortage of strata stakeholders with questions and an increasing number of people trying to answer them.
But, I’m becoming increasingly concerned about the accuracy, consistency, and usefulness of the answers to those stakeholders.
So, maybe it’s time for the next evolution in strata information.
The emerging and evolving strata information landscape
Strata information has an interesting history in Australia that, over time, has involved a range of information sources in the following 8 stages.
Stage 1 – Just the law
In the beginning, there wasn’t much publicly available information about strata titles at all beyond the actual strata legislation. So, if you wanted to know what to do in a strata building, you secured and read the laws.
In fact, I was told many years ago but have never verified it that when copies of laws were only available in print form, the biggest seller at the NSW Government Printing Office was the Strata Titles Act 1973.
Stage 2 - Legal publications
Initially, there were specialised legal publications in the form of loose-leaf commentaries [check out the old school image below] like CCH’s NSW Strata Title Service by Bugden and Allen on, Thompson Reuters’ Strata Titles NSW by Moses, Tzannes, Skapinker & Einfeld [still published] and textbooks by strata lawyers like Alex Ilkin, Gary Budgen, Simon Libbis, and others.
Whilst these publications were targeted at professional advisors and were quite expensive, they were often used by other strata stakeholders to better understand the stratal laws and how to apply them to their strata situations.
In some ways, it’s a shame they are used less these days as they contained very accurate information about the strata laws at least.
Stage 3 - Industry group newsletters
Next, we saw strata industry and strata owners associations publishing information for their members and sometimes the public via printed and later electronic newsletters and other documents. These publications are continuing and some current examples of this are SCA’s Inside Strata magazine, the OCN newsletter, and Docklands News.
These magazines and newsletters typically provided topical news and information and variously included practical guidance on select strata operational topics. But, they were not really answering strata stakeholder’s questions or providing definitive guidance on any topic.
Stage 4 – Magazines with advertising
Following those industry group magazines came commercially based strata magazines that followed a typical industry specific publishing model [ie: news and special interest articles for 30%-40% of the publication and paid advertising to the target reader market for 60%-70% of the publication].
Typically, the news and articles are provided by advertisers and other associated commentators plus some editorial generated content. They have also started to include Q and A sections where readers’ questions get answered by an advertiser and/or the editors.
Initially, they were printed but now they are delivered electronically via a combination of email and web-based platforms.
Some current examples of these kinds of magazines include the following.
Smart Strata [link is not currently active]
These kinds of strata magazines are popular with strata stakeholders even though they exist for making profits from advertising.
Stage 5 – Strata and other business publications to customer
Similar to commercial magazines, are publications from strata managers and other strata businesses to their customers and others that provide information about strata issues, their businesses, products, and services, and, sometimes, more general information about real estate, social, and lifestyle matters.
Sometimes they contain advertorials from associated service providers, sometimes they include advertising, and, sometimes they contain government sourced information.
Some current examples of these kinds of business publications include the following.
Strataman by O’Connors Strata Management
These kinds of publications are essentially marketing for those businesses to retain and attract new strata stakeholder customers. Plus, they are value adds to their primary services or products to their customers.
So, they’re legitimate things for those businesses to issues but not really valuable strata information sources.
Stage 6 – Podcasts
Podcasts were pioneered in the strata information sphere by Amanda Farmer at Your Strata Property, who has been doing this successfully since 2017.
And, that example has been followed by quite a few others including the following more popular examples.
Like podcasts of all kinds in the last 5 years, these strata information podcasts have become very popular as they are conversational, informative, and easy to absorb for listeners as they can do so whilst occupied with other things, from a variety of music playing devices and in a range of locations and times.
To my mind, they are one of the better evolutions in strata information.
Stage 7 – Vlogs, Youtube, Webinars, and other video
The commoditisation of DIY video publishing and the rapidly increasing quality and availability of high quality video recording by phones and digital cameras has allowed almost anyone to become a video star online.
Stay-at-home orders and the work from home phenomenon since the emergence of Covid 19 has been an accelerating factor, promoting live presentations and seminars to go online.
Strata information is no different and there’s been a proliferation of new strata information vlogs, webinars, Youtube channels, and more.
Some current examples of these include the following.
And, like podcasts, video format strata information sources are popular:
for presenters as they are easier and cheaper to stage than live presentations, and
for viewers as they are also conversational, informative, and easy to absorb as listeners can do so at their convenience and from a variety of mobile devices.
An interesting feature of these that I’ve observed is that they are increasingly focused on strata problem solving and/or answering strata stakeholders’ questions. This is very likely to be in response to pressure and demands from the audience of strata owners and other stakeholders.
Some of the other strata information sources [strata magazines and business publications] are now also answering stakeholders’ questions too.
To my mind, video format strata information sources are one of the evolutions that are likely to continue, increase and stay around for a long time. Plus, I suspect that they will become increasingly interactive.
Stage 8 – Subscription strata forums
The demand for strata problem solving and answers to strata stakeholders’ questions has also spawned a new kind of strata information source; the private moderated forum.
They are an evolution of the question and answer format that has traditionally existed in live seminars and presentations. And, they are a more interactive form of the podcast and video format.
There are two leaders in this space with different structures:
Your Strata Property’s Membership Forum which requires a paid subscription.
The Flat Chat Forum, which is free.
There’s no doubt that these private strata information forums are needed as strata stakeholders need and can’t get quick, understandable, and reasonably accurate answers to their day-to-day questions about strata issues [and appear ready to pay for them].
The future of strata subscription forums is unclear to me.
Whilst I expect them to continue and grow given the size of the strata stakeholder market, they will need to expand the information offering to retain subscribers when their early and easier questions are answered. Plus, the cost of moderating questions and answers to maintain civility, quality, and accuracy will increase as they grow.
I have some ideas about their future, so am very interested in watching developments.
How does what I’m doing at Go Strata Stak fit in
I don’t fit easily into these categories with Go Strata Stak.
I’m not pursuing any particular agenda or policy. I don’t take advertising or publish advertorials.
And, I’m not really selling anything here except possibly a subscription. But, even then my subscription is hardly at commercial rates and more like patronage to encourage me to keep thinking and writing.
Plus, I’m not really trying to solve anyone’s particular strata problem but, rather, to raise bigger and more general strata issues that underpin strata operations, problems, and solutions.
Regardless, it’s another source of strata information that at least some strata stakeholders enjoy.
So, what’s next on the strata information journey
So, what’s going to come next with strata information from the strata information producers? And, what do strata stakeholders really want and need?
The obvious high demand from the strata stakeholder audience for answers to their questions and guidance on strata issues tells me that there isn’t a shortage of strata information but, rather than what is available isn’t getting to those stakeholders and/or that it is not understandable or useable to them.
It also highlights the value of multi-sensory delivery of information via spoken word and visual means to improve understanding.
And, it demonstrates the demand for interactivity in information processing, where questions can be answered and then followed up with other follow-up comments and questions to clarify and reinforce the information.
That tells me that there are great opportunities for strata information delivery if it goes beyond Stage 8 in my timeline but incorporates all the features of what has gone before it.
Maybe it could take inspiration from the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy as an information tool?
So, imagine an online multimedia service delivered via multiple platforms [web, mobile, app, zoom, snapchat, messenger, etc] that did the following things for a range of strata stakeholders [not just strata owners]:
Automatically recognised your strata jurisdiction and property type.
Provides regular updates on relevant strata title issues based on your profile and preferences.
Allows you to search in real language or by voice for answers to common and typical issues which were delivered in text, graphics, spoken, and/or video format.
Includes bots that could automatically answer basic and not so basic but common questions.
Provides online live chat to cover more complex questions and situations.
Guides you through usual strata interactions made step by step with online tools.
Keeps a record of your interactions in your history.
That sounds even better than a Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Strata Galaxy.
July 01, 2021
Francesco ...