How to Participate on the Houzz Discussion Forum
Whether you are a professional of a homeowner, these guidelines will make your experience on Houzz more productive and worthwhile
One among the many fascinating features on Houzz is the Discussion forum that allows readers, contributors and professionals to come together and solve design dilemmas. This platform witnesses a lot of conversations – from questions relating to remodelling and painting to choosing the right colours for a room, decor tips and more.
While the exchange of opinions, ideas and advice benefit everyone on the platform (that is, Houzzers get free design solutions, and pros get increased credibility for their brands, the chance to win Houzz awards and potential projects), certain practices can hamper the free flow of information and prove counter-productive. Here we list certain dos and don’ts for the community so that the discussions platform can be used in the most effective way possible.
While the exchange of opinions, ideas and advice benefit everyone on the platform (that is, Houzzers get free design solutions, and pros get increased credibility for their brands, the chance to win Houzz awards and potential projects), certain practices can hamper the free flow of information and prove counter-productive. Here we list certain dos and don’ts for the community so that the discussions platform can be used in the most effective way possible.
While this engaging platform is a big plus for anyone and everyone, there are certain correct ways of using it and some practices that should be avoided. Let’s take a look.
For homeowners
You can choose to explore from a bunch of existing topics to either post your questions or answer existing ones. You can even start a new discussion.
Do
You can choose to explore from a bunch of existing topics to either post your questions or answer existing ones. You can even start a new discussion.
Do
- If you are faced with a design problem or can’t make a decision about your interiors, this is a great place to start a discussion. If possible, post pictures of the space that you need advice on.
- If you need more help with your home or require an expert to design your space from scratch, reach out to pros by finding them in the directory, and use the location and category filters to refine your search.
- Similarly, in the discussion thread, if you like a professional’s advice and would like to hire their services, click on their name, find their contact details on their profile and get in touch with them separately.
- If you are faced with a multiple-choice dilemma – say four or five colour palettes from which you cannot make up your mind which to choose, then you could use the polls feature and get the community to vote on the colours.
- Be as involved as the professionals in commenting on other homeowners’ discussions and offering your suggestions.
- Discussions are only meant for architecture and interior design dilemmas. Refrain from asking a professional to send you a design or architecture plan for free for your entire home or even a sizeable part of one, as this type of a service is a chargeable one and an expert should be professionally hired for it.
- Don’t hunt for interior designers on the forum by posting a discussion with your contact number, asking available pros in a particular city to reach out to you. Instead, look through the professionals listed on Houzz, choose your city in the searches, and get in touch with them directly.
Here’s a good example of how to use discussions effectively.
In the image, the Houzzer has posed a question regarding wardrobe door design, where she’s provided an image of her bed and the kind of wardrobe she plans to have. She’s asked the community to suggest whether the two go well together.
In the image, the Houzzer has posed a question regarding wardrobe door design, where she’s provided an image of her bed and the kind of wardrobe she plans to have. She’s asked the community to suggest whether the two go well together.
For professionals
Do
Do
- Participate in as many discussions as possible. Once you have engaged in enough discussions, you start getting more credibility on the platform and eventually get an influencer badge on your Houzz profile This badge can help you grow your business and bag more projects.
- If you comment on someone’s discussion and offer valuable ideas, the same gets reflected on your Houzz profile, thereby giving visitors a good idea about your design sense and ideas (and it tells a whole lot about your friendly disposition).
- In case people show interest in working with you, direct them to your profile. Here they can view projects uploaded by you and find your website or phone number in the ‘Contact’ section.
- For help, business-related discussions or just advice from other pros, you must post your topics only on the Pro to Pro section (on the left of your discussions screen).
Don’t
- Don’t promote yourself on the discussions forum by posting pictures of your work. This forum is for conversations and advice only. Instead, answer and give your suggestions to questions posted by users. In the above image, Studio Chippan have proactively offered their advice to the Houzzer’s query.
- Don’t spam the discussions with your contact details. Also, do not engage with people who ask for free design advice on doing up their entire home. Ask them to get in touch with you professionally to hire your services.
Here’s another example of the right way of dealing with questions. For a question posted by a Houzzer on choosing laminates for bedroom and bathroom doors, Cornerstone Design Studio India offer their helpful suggestions.
Read more:
Inside Houzz: Draw on Houzz Photos to Show Exactly What You Want
Tell us:
How has the discussion forum helped you? Share your experiences in Comments below.
Read more:
Inside Houzz: Draw on Houzz Photos to Show Exactly What You Want
Tell us:
How has the discussion forum helped you? Share your experiences in Comments below.