Sheesh!

Might help if I have the thread-link here!!!

(remember that fiasco of a thread @ HGTV last year with their "help"?!)

Faron

Here is a link that might be useful: TOH HD thread...

What am I missing? Someone mentions getting a no-VOC paint, you mention a couple low-VOC paints and the Home Depot guy gives a link to a no-VOC paint available at HD. Do you think it's an orchestrated effort by HD - clever spamming to promote a new product?

What happened here last year?

Hey Gray!

No, they weren't spamming. Just a HD assoc. giving out "incomplete/some totally wrong" advice about a painting project. I couldn't quite believe some of the stuff the HD "helper" was stating to the person starting the thread on an HGTV thread.

Recent "HD-helper" threads have been appearing on various forums. Advice given is pretty basic, and always references items at HD directly.

To be fair, I try to avoid "selling" anything...relative to where I work. That's not cool, or allowed here! I often mention brands, because it's hard not to, when you're discussing exact recommendations/methods.

It IS a delicate line to tread for ME anyway...working in retail, giving help in forums, mentioning products....and hopefully being perceived as not trying to "SELL" said products!

I REALLY hope I'm not perceived that way!

Faron

You are good at "selling" expensive vacation spots and shoes!!! ;-)

"Guilty" as charged!!

I just wish I got some $$benefit from those 2 categories!

You've apparently read my ramblings over in the HomeDec/Conversations Forum...?!

Have ya read the reviews of that particular Maui destination on Tripadvisor?! People are falling all over themselves praising the place!

Sheesh...I don't even get to wear the d@mn shoes!!
;-)

Faron

Oh my goodness, have a busy day but checked in here b4 I start in. So glad I did - always good to start the morning with a chuckle. This is too funny! Faron, you're a hoot.

Even if you were promoting your store and your brands it is very different from what the Home Depot is doing. There is just ONE Faron's place of employment and few readers could actually become your customer. Whereas the Home Depot has THOUSANDS of stores nationwide.

I remember when I started hanging out on the forums six/seven years go. Many of my friends thought it was a very strange hobby. Imaginary friends. Holograms. Incognito pen pals. Yep. Took a lot of ribbing if I talked about you guys.

Now *my* hobby has a fancy name and it's "social media".

Some folks have actually made a career out of consulting individuals and big corporations on how to optimize their social media presence online.

The herds of "social media experts" strike me to be about as expert as the herds of "color experts" that are roaming the frontiers of the www.

Bunch of folks with no real, tangible, bona fide expertise in much of anything.

America is kinda great that way - you really can be anything you want to be. Who wants to be an astronaut?! You can say you're an astronaut all you want - can always say the only reason you haven't been to the moon is because you just haven't gotten around to actually astronauting yet. All you have to do is FaceBook that you *plan* to go soon.

And all those helpful folks the Home Depot has turned loose on the www are - my guess - their newest and best social media optimization experts out there giving it their best to establish a successful online presence for the Home Depot.

Forum folk are too smart to fall for it.

If ya ask me they are wasting their time - they will never, never, never be able to break into the established tribes on the established forums. Because they (The Home Depot) aren't interested in truly, genuinely being a part of an online community. They aren't it for the exchange of ideas and knowledge. No authenticity whatsoever.

Nope, they just want to advertise @ people and they think they're clever by cloaking it by saying they're being "helpful". It's bullsh1t. Spam and/or b.s. - experienced forum members can smell it a mile away.

It only irks me because I sense they think we're dumb and don't know what the deal *really* is. Underestimating the power and intelligence of tribe is a huge mistake.

But at least it gives us something to poke fun at.

poke
poke
poke

Fun-C-
You're amazing...good amazing I mean!

You illuminated many little quirks of this modern way that people get "help" on the www. Some good methods/people, some bad, some just plain-ol' smarmy....only interested in getting THEIR name (or Firm) out there in cyber-land.

"Herds of 'color experts'"..."social media optimization experts"..."breaking into established tribes"..."Bullsh1t"
THIS IS CLASSIC stuff!
Clever/Wicked/Accurate...all in one post!
Fun-C...I'm now officially hooked on your praises and barbs!!

>>> Did'ja have a chance to check that TOH-thread I linked?

I just can't get that HGTV-thread out of my head, where the "expert" mentions the customer should get some of HD's paint, because it has a "little bit of enamel in it....".
(I think I need a drink!!!)

Kinda funny how their "Paint & Primer in 1" product seems to solve everything.....(ROLLING EYES HERE)....with no mention of other possible products...and there are MANY!

Faron

Are you folks still sniffing paint fumes?

:))))))))

Brush!!!!!!!
Long time, no read!

How are ya!?!!???!

(why yes....yes I am sniffing paint fumes...!)

Faron

Faron!!!!

Life is good. I moved to property management after selling off the painting business.

I currently operate/manage a professional office building in northern Ohio.

There are 622 tenants. What a joy! :)

As for painting, I just finished repainting the entire interior of my house and it looks mahhhhhhhhhhhhhvelous.

Good to see that you are keeping folks on the right track.

Discussions like this are part of why I was hesitant to own up to being an Ace employee...I don't want to be taken for a spammer! Plus, I know I'm not perfect; I'm no Faron or funcolors, and though I try to stick to things I'm confident on (via training and/or experience), I'd hate to have any potential gaps in my knowledge associated with Ace. However, since the brands I'm most familiar with are brands we sell, I felt I needed to disclose as a sort of disclaimer regarding possible bias (I can't help it if I really like my Ace paint with Scotchguard).

There was a Christina from HD answering questions on this board not too long ago. I wondered at the time if it was legit involvement or somehow corporate sponsored (though when I first started reading, I thought the same thing about Faron...sorry Faron!).

Brush----

Jeez it's good to hear from ya Man!
Hopefully it's something you really enjoy! You seemed (on the Forum anyway!) to be a "Life-er" in the paint biz...a long-time expert with a good business. It obviously showed!

>>> Can we see some pix from your house?!
>>> Maybe post some of your methods/preps/and products?!?!

I'm not doin' that much here...I had a good Teacher!

Jessicaml--

Yeah...I mentioned a couple posts up...that it's a fine line being in retail, describing methods, and mentioning products....without being viewed as trying to SELL any specific product.
* My involvement here has always been on my own. No prompting from ACE, or any other paint/product firm.
* I "got on" a couple different "HD-helper" threads when I noticed something blatantly wrong with their statements. The worst part is...they didn't seem to KNOW it was wrong, or very incomplete, info.
* Yes...I also don't recommend a product, OR course-of-action, unless I KNOW it's correct, from start-to-finish. I try to give thorough reasons too.

Faron

jessica,

The essential difference between you and what Faron and I are talking about is awareness. You're aware that in order to participate in, and be accepted into, the tribes of social media as both Jessica the person and Jessica ACE employee, you have to employ certain social graces. You have to be honest, authentic and transparent.

And you have to show up - be present and consistent in your participation. It's a matter of genuinely wanting to be a part of the community incorporating both the personal side and the professional side. It's about genuinely caring about your online friends, your tribe.

Tribes know when you're bringing that to the table. Can't fake any of that. Tribes are smart.

That awareness and all it encompasses is what I believe Faron and I recognize is missing in the approach Home Depot is taking with their participation on the forums. And that's what we're pokin' fun at.

It's like when your cat hides in the curtains and you can still see more than half his body sticking out. He thinks he's being quite crafty but you're thinking "dumb cat".