Thanks Army Girl.

I made a blog post to showcase the 37 Ideabooks that Houzz.com featured in their bathroom planning section last year of mine. Glad to say one of these made the top ten list for most viewed idea books of 2013.

Most people like my posts. I think this is why so many Houzzers are following me and why I have 33 five star reviews.

Here is the link to the 37 Bathroom Ideabooks on Houzz...

http://no-curb.blogspot.ca/2014/01/houzzcom-articles-on-bathroom.html

Thanks Henry - your post is much like how I feel about Facebook.

I hate it when you try and tell a story to your friends or family and they cut you off....

" Yeah - I saw it on Facebook."

Conversation Killers.....

You do realize that potential customers will judge you by what you say here, don't you?

"Troll"

John , when I first heard of Facebook I never thought that I would care for it much , I'm not obsessed with it :) I see facebook as a link to family and friends that are far from where I live ,to me its a link to occasionally share a conversation on line and see photos of them and keeping in touch with . the only thing that bothers me on it is when I read personal things that should remain private and not shared with the world .
Houzz is totally different on here we share ideas ,taste ,purchase and even hire local tradesman for our residence needs ,we are offered a variety of things to choose from and this gives us the ideas of what is out there and the price of them. As far is wasting time ,I think that we all are need of some waste of time now days ,society is moving at a faster pace and we need to decompress somehow ,so if I'm wasting my time at this moment it is because I was rushing for most of the morning driving in the snow and trying to stay on the road without hitting or being hit by other cars , all this surely gives some tension .Now I can say that my brake is over and back to my chores I go, ,have a great day .

@ mforr - you wrote "You do realize that potential customers will judge you by what you say here, don't you?"

Of course. What have I wrote that makes me look un qualified?

Have you read my featured idea books on Houzz?

Have you seen my work?

Do you know anyone better than me at bathroom construction? I don't.

This has been a favorite of mine.
https://www.houzz.com/magazine/how-to-settle-on-a-shower-bench-stsetivw-vs~5038425

But Genevieve-you don't see Houzz becoming a form of social network

That was a fun one to write. I love benches and shower niches. Have you seen the LED lighten we are adding to the jobs these past three years?

I sorry to say that someone whose ideabooks were so promising, has turned out to sound like a misogynistic know it all, it's a terrible shame. You don't have to reply, though we all know you will, loving the sound of your "virtual" voice, hmmmm? I do think that you should take a moment and think about what a customer would like to see and hear from someone they'll spend their hard earned money on. They want someone they'll be able to talk to, without feeling that person they might hire is going to talk down to them.

ok. so you build bathrooms? then why not put the facebook sign in the toilet... seems a great segue to your company. problem solved. the end.

Actually, given the number of professionals on a Houzz, this post is relevant to many, I'm sure. John is sharing his experience in use of marketing tools...what works for him, what doesn't. I'm sure his post prompted other professionals to think about how they spend their marketing time and dollar. If you read the first few lines of a post and realize it's not for you, then go to the next. No need to get all exercised about it. Can't we all just get along?

Army Girl - Houzz moved about 18 months ago into a Life Style format. Watch. The advice button will make way for a discussion button.

As we all debate - hate - love - blast - post we add words. These words goggle reads and then rank. We as user provide the content that makes Houzz so popular. It's not rocket science.

There is a new 3D stone company spamming idea books all over. That's Spam.

I'm drinking coffee and chatting with my peers about quitting Facebook. Sad so many people are offended by that. I bet these same people get made if someone take to long to pay for their coffee or doesn't single a right turn just right.

I agree Jen, it seems like posters can say things to John and he cannot be allowed to response.

Thanks Jen! You get it.

Just a small note...it's google not goggle though not sure which is more appropriate at times.

I think that it is a legitimate question, granted maybe it could have been posted on Others or one of the other forum but I see posters put polls up to ask which one looks better. How is that any different?

Postive exposure. That's the name of the game. I thank-you for bringing up a highly sensitive subject. Good day 2U!

Wow-now we have spell check out.

Hey Jen-whats going on in the Law world.

mforr writes: "I sorry to say that someone whose ideabooks were so promising, has turned out to sound like a misogynistic know it all, it's a terrible shame. You don't have to reply, though we all know you will, loving the sound of your "virtual" voice, hmmmm? I do think that you should take a moment and think about what a customer would like to see and hear from someone they'll spend their hard earned money on. They want someone they'll be able to talk to, without feeling that person they might hire is going to talk down to them."

I am a know it all. I help people everyday online. The industry is littered with paid writers.

When someone like me pushes buttons so many get upset. Sorry world this is not your internet.

I like rocking the boat. I love debates.

I do hope others spend a little effort. As a father. Business owner and Soccer Coach time is money.

And for me this one discussion is more fruitful than a year of Facebook. Should make some of you wonder about your Facebook time.

I also have found that the young generation is doing more "Image Searching" this is a short coming of Facebook. Houzz is the master of this domain....

sorry... didn't mean to sound spell checky just that it kinda through me till I figured out what the word actually was supposed to be.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_%28Internet%29

I think you qualify.

People can fake online reviews. It's done on Yelp all the time. Some of yours seem to be copied from Ebay. You don't seem to be very busy with hands-on work considering how much time you appear to spend on the internet promoting your blog, which is evidenced by googling your name.

A private agenda? No. I saw another post of yours promoting your blog followed by dozens of comments of your own to your own post. My first and final thought was: who the f* is this guy? SPAMMER!

Wow Rachel you are a piece of work.

Lol, Rachel!

John-wow is all I can say.

I dumped Facebook two years ago. When I discovered my photos belonged to them, they went to timeline and facial recognition, I eliminated my photos (they are still in their database), removed all likes and deleted all friends and deactivated my account. I miss the pictures from my kids, but don't miss the invasion of privacy. You shouldn't have to check daily to see if there was a security change to your account. Good riddance Facebook.

John, in answer to your original post, my previous comment was not made in jest. My first inclination was to choose the picture of the waste basket because I thought it would be more generally accepted by your clientele. However, when you said you build bathrooms, I thought it would be cute to put the FB sign in the toilet. Seemed a perfect solution to me. I was more succinct earlier but after reading it again realized that it may have come off as flippant. My apologies if that was the case.

I just said to myself OMG....

Don't forget to look up misogynistic :))

Thanks RNGP - my wife tells me weekly that conversations should never take place online. Or by email.

To easy for someone to miss understand you.

We need more things like Italic Font where you could choose say "Kidding Font" and then say things like

John your a huge ***** Bag - but because it was in the kidding font I knew you where just busting my ****s.

Or a pissed off font - where you highlight a sentence to show the person "yeh - I'm made at you..."

This has turned into a silly argument for those of us who have too much time on our hands (and the weather is terrible too). Facebook probably has not been a good place for John Whipple to get new clients. And so, he is right to stop using it. It should be as simple as that.

Agree Marilyn.

mforr wrote - "Don't forget to look up misogynistic :))"
Someone told you I can not spell? lol I'll look it up

OMG

Hate Women - Are you #$%@^ kidding me. What a horrible thing to say.

I love women.

Have three beautiful daughters and coach two girls soccer teams.

Who used misogynistic - I missed that post?

John-thought you were going to work. LOL

My email keeps going off every 30 seconds..... I'm going now.

Anyone who knows me knows I love women. Grew up with three sister and have three daughters.

The crap that is written online blows me away.

Hi, Armygirl! Law practice is just dandy, thanks for asking! Hope all is well in Fla!

Hang in there, John. I don't believe anything you said could even be mildly interpreted as misogynistic. I'm pretty sure that was an error on someone's part.

This discussion seems to be an excellent example of chronic cabin fever, goodness gracious me, it's got a bit snotty.

John - I've found your plumbing posts very helpful and informative, and your other posts highly entertaining!

Thanks Bubbly Jock. I don't know why I let so many people piss me off. I just find it crazy that people take time out of there day to say things like...

"This is not a design deliema" OMG who are these people?

For someone to post the term Misogynistic in reference to me blows my mind. I think there are some very lonely unhappy people wasting their life online.

As a dad, husband and business owner my time is money. Every second.

I ditched Facebook and feel kind of lighter. Today I worked on three sketches and did not get side tracked by a Facebook message or News feed. No wasted time looking at a friends birthday cake or dog.

The value of where you write is key. You need exposure. Houzz gives you that - Facebook sensors to much and shows us more what they want us to see.

I will be sure to ENTERTAIN some more Bubbly Jock. I have zero patience for those with nothing better than to post stupid things on discussions they don't like. It is so funny.....

"I don't like this guys post. How wrong of him to promote his business. That's is a big no-no..... I'll set him right... LOL" - Deep thoughts from a frustrated Houzzer hahahah

Why are people saying this is off topic? for anyone wanting to know how to network online, the advice on here was useful to me.

Found another great photo or graphic....

I'm telling you people - get out while the getting is good.

Do this as an experiment... Goggle your keywords for your business....

See if any Facebook Articles or Photo's come up.

Then look for any Houzz.com articles or photos.

Then the next time you see a 20-40 year old ask them how they search the internet. Like me most of the younger generation search via "Image Search" then jump to the page.

Big difference in results. JW

It's apparent that Houzz needs to establish guidelines for what belongs in Design Dilemmas and what does not. The FAQ points to an example that to me, and I'm sure most other Houzz users, highlights that this forum is to ask for advice on how to redecorate a space, choose a paint color, etc. Being that this is a website for design relating to interiors and exteriors of residential spaces, it should be understood that it is not about what color shoes to wear and what gif you should use on your blog while discussing why Facebook is not a good forum for your business. While the rules are mostly undefined, they are implied and as such your 'dilemmas' have been off-topic. Maybe it didn't occur to Houzz that they should have to spell it out for some people or maybe they wanted the forums to develop organically, see where users take it, before they determined any guidelines, I don't know. I do think it safe to say that when Houzzers hang around Design Dilemmas, they expect to see Design Dilemmas as 'implied' by the FAQ. There are more appropriate places to discuss how to network.

You should read this, John Whipple:
http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/social-media-marketing/how-to-engage-in-online-forums-for-your-brand/

I do hope that after this discussion that Houzz will consider establishing more defined guidelines for what types of posts belong on these forums (and I really hope Houzz would spell it out better for users that adding more photos to dilemmas helps *everybody*). Until they do, I foresee more and more troll-like behavior abusing the open forums with stupid questions and off-topic posts. There is a lot of great advice, information, and ideas being shared in these forums - and a lot of wasted time.

Well said, Rachel. Particularly hypocritical is his behavior on this thread versus his "Understanding How to Engage on Forums" section in the link you posted. His original post had no mention of a design dilemma, just a multi-post rant about the evils of Facebook. His original post was edited and some of his subsequent posts removed by Houzz. People aren't seeing the entire story.

What I disagree is the fact that Houzz has become more than just design. Log into Other on a daily basis and tell me if it is just design. Houzz seemed to have moved the discussion from Design Dilemma to Using Houzz but they did not delete this discussion because they clearly see that it is valid.

If this post was originally posted under Other, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

John - I sent you a pm with a question about plumbing - just wanted to mention it in the hope that you're still keeping an eye on this discussion - I didn't know whether you'd opted to receive pm's or not! TVM.

Someone moved it. That would have been better. No that I know people get so upset I'll use the "Other" feature.

Not sure why this was moved to using Houzz.... ???

Probably as an example of what *not* to do. LOL.

I want to attached a picture of my formal dining with a question/opinions if I can have a round dining table or need to stick with rectangle? Can I do that here? If so, how?! I have an acct. thx!

This would not be the place to post your dilemma, you will need to start your own. Click on "Discussions" and at the top you will see "What are you working on?" Right below that you will have the option of choosing the type of discussion you need. Yours would be a Design Dilemma. You can then title your dilemma, provide a detailed question and download pictures. Good luck.