Social media tools like WeChat, Weibo and QQ bring people closer, allowing them to connect with each other anywhere at anytime.

Using this technology to help its residents solve problems free of time and location restraints, Putuo District has started a mobile and online administration.

People who work normal daytime hours find it’s often difficult to get time to handle affairs in offices in neighborhood committees, since their office hours overlap. At the same time, the administrators also have a hard time communicating with residents.

Some communities in Putuo started using group chats on WeChat and QQ as well as online bulletin boards as a means of listening to people and handling residents’ problems and concerns.

Easier communication

Compared with traditional offices, mobile applications can be much more efficient, saving time for the residents and administrators, local residents said.

Community management in Putuo first went online in 2008 when the Brilliant City community of Yichuan Road neighborhood started a forum where residents can post threads and replies to each other. Then Changzheng Town and other communities followed and established their own discussion boards.

In the Ganquan neighborhood community, the “rainbow home” email service also urges related offices to solve problems. In 2013, one resident sent an email with a photo reporting that the property management had raised the parking fee without notice. The neighborhood committee phoned the property management and consulted with the commerce department. It eventually canceled the raise.

Some communities in Putuo explored other uses of social media. In 2012, Meilifang collaborated with early childhood education institutions to give free classes.

Whether it’s QQ or WeChat group chats, they are all managed by neighborhood committee officials.

The Xingheshijicheng community in Zhenru Town has a Weibo account and three QQ groups, and has answered more than 100 questions from residents, solving a dozen complaints.

The online forum of Brilliant City community now has 71,304 registered users who have posted more than 24,000 topics with an average of 200 updates daily.

In Nanmeiyuan community of Caoyang, volunteer groups are using QQ group chats to encourage more young people to join.

Spreading the word

The Pinzun neighborhood committee of Shiquan Road neighborhood community hosts large events every year with the support of social media. Every month there are also theme events to attract more people to join. The use of social media helps spread the word, community officials say.

In April, one resident in Pinzun wrote in the WeChat group that he needed a large suitcase, and half an hour later another resident let him borrow one.

During the Spring Festival this year, residents at Nanmeiyuan were discussing how to set off fireworks safely. The neighborhood committee then posted the time the fireworks could be used on its QQ platform and limited the amount of traffic.

New media platforms not only make things easier and more convenient for the residents, but also provide a place for them to get to know each other. In the past, those living in the same community might not know each other, but with discussion boards and chatting applications, they now talk to each other and develop a sense of belonging.