Now this is an idea…

June 19, 2003 · Comments

I found this while flipping through my referrers (sorry, John Gruber, but I like trackbacks otherwise I miss stuff like this):

A hypothetical example: Take Lowe’s , the home improvement store. Why not create an entire section of their website dedicated to stories their customers tell about home improvement? Mom at Home, Creating Home Decor, Jarrett House North and other blogs discussing home improvement projects could be integrated into the Lowe’s site. Not only would Lowe’s engage their customers but will help build their own network of blogs. It’s not a closed system, but capitalizing on an existing one and helping to build upon it. Of course Lowe’s should hop in the game with a couple blogs of their own from their experts.

I like it. Of course, I didn’t shop at Lowe’s but I like the concept. Even better, a store like Home Depot could offer an online discount on products and/or services in exchange for the blog “plug.” It could go either way, I could buy a Lowe’s/Home Depot or whatever product and blog that it sucks. There have been times that I’ve been in a store and another customer is asking a question about remodeling that only another homeowner who has been through it can answer. They want to know that perspective, not a sales pitch. I’ve piped up and offered my personal experience, and usually a referral to a tradesperson that I’ve used or know about. A blog is just a virtual version of the same “strangers talking in a store” scenario.

Would you find my opinions suspect if you knew that I had a tie-in with a store? As it is, I find that I’m doing a bit of self-censoring so as not to embarrass or upset people in my life who may read this.

There’s so little left to do on the house, it’s scary. It’s really almost done. This week is 8 months since the work began and nearly two years into the home renovation process. I’m working on a “summary” page for the renovation section on my site. The whole thing with highlight pictures from kitchen renovation to stunning colonial and massive debt. Speak of which, I’m debating on whether I want to reveal any financials. On the one hand, I know that it drives me nuts when I read these home improvement magazines and they show these gorgeous remodeling jobs and I have no idea if this cost the homeowner $1,000, $100,000 or $1,000,000. I think a general report on what costs may be involved will serve as a benefit to the many people (according to my logs and the email I’ve received) who are looking at my site for inspiration (and maybe a shove) towards their own projects. Before we began I didn’t have a clue about where the money really went on something like this. But on the other hand, there are some things best left to the imagination and that kind of information should be private. Some people will think we spent a fortune, and others will hear the figure and think “is that all?”

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