List/Summary of SCA Websites & Blogs

January 8, 2010 by bobfrank.

Some of David Berman’s recent comments on his blog can be used to help members to better understand what the 8 various SCA web sites and blogs are trying to do, and/or not do.  Each one is significantly different from the others.  All are free to use, and each one has some restrictions on how posting is to be allowed.

For example, in response to David’s personal attacks on SCA members who disagree with him, a member said: “Enough, please. We are not in High School and who cares for the constant negatives on these blogs.”

David Bermans replied:  “As the owner of the blog, I respect my readers and try to maintain most of my focus on sharing useful and interesting community information with them. But it is ultimately my decision on what to post, and I do not force anyone -yourself included- to read the blog if they are uncomfortable doing so.  You might want to try some of the other blogs to see what you think of them as an information source in comparison to mine. If you think there are too many negatives on THIS blog, you may find that the next several months have more negatives than you would want to see, depending on who decides to run for election to the Board.”

The 8 SCA web sites and blogs/message boards are as follows:

1.  SCA Official Web site for activities, documents, and official records:
http://www.sca-hoa.org/inside_home.asp
2.  SCA blog/message board to enable board-approved comments:
http://www.sca-hoa.org/thread_list.asp

3.  Ron Johnson’s Anthem-View Web Site:
http://www.scaview.org/pages/Today%27sAnthView.htm
4.  Ron Johnson’s Anthem-View OP-ED blog:
http://www.scaview.org/todays-op-ed-column-/2007/09/welcome-to-our-oped-column.html

5.  Anthem VOICE Web Site/Library of Document & Opinions
http://www.anthemvoice.org/1.html
6.  Anthem VOICE Blog:
http://www.blog.anthemvoice.org/

7.  Anthem Today Forum Administered by Rana Goodman with regular contributors Nelson Orth and Dick Arendt
http://www.anthemtoday.com/forum/index.php

8.  David’s Anthem Journal by David Berman
http://anthemjournal.typepad.com/davids_anthem_journal/

By visiting each site and reviewing their contents a member can gain the complete picture of what is happening in SCA.  Unfortunately, that takes too much time for most people, and they wind up checking only one or two sites and they miss a lot of important information.

In addition to the list of SCA web and blog sites, I have been asked to provide some summary info on them:

Sites 1 & 2:  SCA’s official sites hold a great deal of useful information, but it is usually very difficult to find what you are seeking.  This is the only site to require a login with account and password-issued by the SCA Board.  Its structure is so confusing that it can take many hours to discover how to find even basic information.

Since no site training or viable online help is offered by the Board on how to navigate the site or how to communicate with the Board, not many members find it very useful.

While the SCA “message board” can have some useful information posted when by other members, SCA Directors have a policy of removing items placed by members who dare to post items critical of board decisions or RMI operations.

Because the official web site is so difficult to use, and because the board severely restricts member opinion about its/RMI’s operations, the other web sites and blogs have been created to fill those vital informational gaps.

Site 3 & 4.  Ron Johnson had the first SCA web site starting about 7 years ago.  Most members find Ron Johnson’s journalistic reports, current interest items, and personal opinion articles to be well researched and well documented.  Ron does not post very often; but, when he does, it is usually a major event for the community.  Ron’s blog is called “OP-ED” and he recently began allowing other SCA members to publish opinion articles in a new area called “Point Of View”.

Site 5 & 6.  Anthem VOICE (AV) is operated by about a dozen of SCA members with extensive business experience.  AV is focused entirely on unit owner interests.  The articles and opinion pieces are homeowner-focused on SCA Board and RMI mistakes, misconduct, and apparent statute violations.

AV is the SCA group that “walks the walk” by working to aggressively hold past and current directors accountable for apparent fraud and abuse and other misconduct.  AV is the site for facts and figures about important disputes between homeowners and the Board.  On the other hand, the AV blog is where individual opinions are expressed about all types of SCA matters.  SCA members can submit an article for consideration on the web site or the blog, and most get published.

Site 7.  Anthem Today contains a very wide variety of topics and is probably the most diverse of all the sites.  Navigating around the site can take some time, but the effort is worth it.  Most of the articles on Anthem Today are unique and topical, and the opinions are usually very well explained and documented.

Site 8.  David’s Anthem Journal promotes its owner-operator.  Unlike the others, David Berman’s site contains a large personal photo and a link to his (selected) personal history.  The site starts off with a prominent warning that readers are agreeing to accept the fact that he will be posting political opinions from time-to-time.  And, there can be no doubt the main purpose of Mr. Berman’s site is to freely express his political opinions, and to launch political attacks against those who disagree with him or the board.

While claiming to try to be the go-to place for SCA activities information, a review of past postings since 2006 shows that his main purpose has been to serve as the surrogate representative for all complaints against the board, RMI, and the committees.  Board members almost never respond to public complaints, but Mr. Berman always has something to say that is false or obviously deceptive, or he attacks someone, or he changes the subject.  Even though he knows the truth (because he or his spouse have been on the board since 2005) Mr. Berman never provides the complete and factual information to questions about the board’s financial losses of millions of dollars.

Civil discourse can often seem to be present on this blog, but that is because David summarily removes the strongest objections to his posts.  Facts are rarely provided on David’s Anthem Journal.  Instead, personal, political attacks are his preferred type of response.  Such attacks are usually launched against members who dare to question or criticize him or any board or RMI action.  But, in some cases, he goes on for years with sustained, truly hateful attacks against certain individuals he considers long-term political opponents.

It is true that Mr. Berman works hard to populate his blog with reports on SCA activities and Channel 99 programs that are never found on the SCA official site.  But, we have learned he is not doing this to be a good SCA neighbor.   No, he does this so-called “public service” to lure unsuspecting SCA members into his site and cause them to also read his hateful personal/political attacks.

However, this tactic would fail if SCA’s board (including David Berman’s spouse, Roz Berman) would provide an adequate web site with similar or better information.  Few SCA members would then read the hateful, political attacks found on the Berman Blog.  And the other blogs could concentrate on their desires to offer a variety of public services.

Finally, if elected board members in the future had the strength to tolerate respectful and factual public comments on SCA’s critical issues, most of the other blogs would likely fade away.  In other words, we simply must elect directors who are truly committed to serving our unit owners in the future.

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