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Jamie Wilfong doesn't have to leave her condo building to hit the gym. And she doesn't want to have to look any farther than her building to find a workout buddy to help her tone up for the summer.

It sometimes seems, though, as if residents at her CityPlace building aren't all that inclined to hold the elevator in the lobby, never mind a barbell in a shared workout.

Ms. Wilfong, 28, says the condo she's lived in for nearly four years, called Apex, is like a downtown singles club, populated mainly by young professionals.

"Why not band together, say 'hello' in the elevator?" she muses, but then admits that there's "a real lack of communication there."

Sometimes, though, it's easier to navigate websites than hallways. So, wanting to buff up with a motivating pal from the building, Ms. Wilfong turned to the Internet. She posted an online ad saying: "Live at Cityplace? Let's work out together."

Within days, she was in contact with a same-aged woman from her building, and the pair scheduled a workout session.

Brian Brown, developer of the Liberty Market Lofts in the King Street West area, would say it's all part of the new age of condo networking.

Savvy developers have long realized the importance of the social aspect of a condo.

"What we've learned over the last few years is that when people buy units … they don't think of the suite as their only place for living. They really focus on the amenities in the building, they see that as an extension of their own living space," Mr. Brown says.

He is principal of BLVD Developments and vice-president of Lifetime Urban Development Group, the two companies behind Liberty Market Lofts.

Interconnectivity is the theme of the trendy loft development, a live/work condo in the artsy warehouse neighbourhood of Liberty Village. It features studio space, office meeting rooms, a yoga studio, an indoor basketball half-court, fully equipped gym and even a dog-washing station.

But Ms. Wilfong isn't alone in turning to the Internet when faced with the often impersonal relationships of urban accommodation. While many condos offer a goody bag of quality-of-life options — shops, spas, bars, gyms, pools — that allow residents to live very well within a building's walls, it's still not enough for many residents.

Some say they're tired of living alone in the condo crowd. They're looking for a real human connection. And finding it, well, online.

In April, Alex Kahnjian started a Facebook group for his Pantages Tower building. Its mission? "To unite our building. To secure our building. Most importantly … to party it up in our building!" the site says. "This is a good way to familiarize ourselves with one another and to abolish those awkward moments in the elevator … cause, hey, we now know one another."

The group now has more than 40 members and recently held an inaugural martini social in the downstairs bar. But even before the gathering, the Facebook site had prompted "a lot of mingling," says Mr. Khanjian, 24.

This kind of initiative isn't lost on developers. Mr. Brown, for instance, is exploring ways to allow people in different units to communicate. Plans are still in the early stages, he says, but could include incorporating a bulletin-board-type intranet system in the condo.

Re/Max Condos Plus sales agent Alex Moloney says he's noticed a blossoming of social networking sites keyed directly to buildings where people live.

He notes, however, that social networks are initially formed when people choose certain condos. They tend to be drawn to buildings where they'll find likeminded individuals in roughly the same age range, he says.

And Internet access is key, adds Brian Fong, Concord CityPlace's senior manager for project marketing.

"People have integrated their lives with the Internet, whether it's [for] entertainment or work, you cannot avoid it — it's a technologically integrated life," Mr. Fong says.

When it comes to social networking on the Internet, though, he has reservations. Cozying up to a computer can't replace connecting with real people, he says. And online groups such as Facebook can be hard to monitor, especially when it comes to who's allowed access and how to verify what they say is true, Mr. Fong says.

Still, sometimes it takes the power of the impersonal to break the ice.

On Mr. Khanjian's Pantages Tower Facebook site, discussions have opened on everything from the building's new security system to residents looking for dog-walkers within the building.

Residents have started a social committee that's already met twice.

"It's a great tool for us. We're connecting with more people in the building," he says.