Apr 17, 2009 02:30 PM

We sit down over a few Tweets with Lauren Hunter

By Building Experts Team

More and more people are joining Facebook, Twitter and the many other social media/user-generated sites available on the Web. But who really leverages these “real time” tools and maximizes the wealth of information and ideas, especially from a professional standpoint, and more specifically, in the building trade?

Today we had the pleasure of conducting the first Build Intel “Twinterview,” as coined by industry expert and Hanley Wood Editor, Lauren Hunter. See the full transcript below to learn how she finds value in these sites…in 140 characters or less. And make sure you’re following Lauren, cause we are (clearly).

BuildIntel: @LaurenHunter_HW Hi, Lauren. Thanks for taking part in the first Build Intel “Twinterview!” Where are you tweeting from this morning? #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Morning! I’m in my home office in Columbus, OH while my toddler Abby “quietly” watches Sesame Street in the next room. :) #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Isn’t telecommuting great? How are things in Baltimore this morning? #imre

BuildIntel: @LaurenHunter_HW Nice. Well, today we’re interested in learning a bit about your Twitter experience. How long have you been tweeting? #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel My first tweet was back in Oct 08. Felt like I was walking into a big party with a zillion conversations going on! #imre

BuildIntel: @LaurenHunter_HW So you’ve been active for about six months. What made you post that first tweet? Professional or personal reasons? #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Professional. Our sister pubs @EcoHomeMagazine, @ebuild, @builderonline and others had already joined … #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel So I jumped on for Remodeling magazine, along with @LeahThayer, @silvernina, and @sfreed – our other eds. #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel It’s been really valuable so far. Tons of new sources, story ideas, product info, and industry friends are Tweeting! #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Several of us have interviewed fellow Twitterers for upcoming articles, plus we’re always connecting with new people. #imre

BuildIntel: @LaurenHunter_HW Now it’s personal too! HW’s doing a great job with Social Media. How is Twitter helping your particular audience? #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Tons of HW eds are on Twitter, plus hundreds more industry pros, which @builderonline catalogs here: http://cli.gs/prDHr7 #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel For remodelers in particular, I think several are still learning what it’s all about… #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Some jump on and only post one or two items, while others announce company news, and share links and insight… #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Lot of homeowners tweet about #remodeling too, so I imagine Twitter is an avenue for leads for some contractors. #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Our readers who don’t tweet probably don’t realize that a lot of news and info we report is sourced from here… #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel There’s an amazing amount of knowledge on Twitter – on any topic – if you just ask for it. #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel I think it’s more that I’ve found a wealth of resources to expand on existing trends… #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Obviously, “green” is huge, so I follow a lot of green Tweeters like @sustainablog, @LighterFootstep, and @GreenDecoder… #imre

BuildIntel: @LaurenHunter_HW Do you qualify resources? How? And are there other User Generated/SM sites that you use or are thinking about using? #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Searching for pro contractors, @thompsontrio, @RoofInfo, @BurchBuilders, and @Design_Builder have been great sources… #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Also had fun stories from @HomeSavvi (http://cli.gs/d5mUXZ) and others to reinforce the mag’s efforts to find good news. #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Thanks! Bright Spots (http://cli.gs/tmYRDR) has gotten a great response, thanks to submissions from many Twitter users… #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Remodeling also has a Facebook page(http://cli.gs/9pdDT6) – another social media outlet lots of industry pros are using… #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel There seems to be something about the immediacy of social media that lets us all to stay “on top of things” more easily… #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel E-mail is easy enough, but we get bogged down with long messages and huge attachments … #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Twitter and FB let us all share what’s going on *now* and get feedback right away… #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Even a 140-character note can prompt an interview and a longer story. … #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel As far as what to expect for future social media experiments, who knows?! … #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel I do know it will remain invaluable in both communicating Remodeling and HW’s efforts in the industry… #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel And in harvesting ideas for us to further communicate with our readers. … #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel So much content goes online before or instead of in print. We can read something on Twitter and report it right away… #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel I think that “real time” reporting – especially in the era of the 24-hour news cycle – is what readers want and expect. #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Plus, the beauty of social media is that it’s *social* too – not just news… #imre

BuildIntel: @LaurenHunter_HW Clearly no longer just a trend. The value in “real time” is immeasurable. #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel It’s great fun to see people’s lighter sides once in a while, expanding what used to be “strictly business” relationships. #imre

BuildIntel: @LaurenHunter_HW I agree! This has been great, Lauren. Thanks for sharing your insight with us. Does Abby have her own profile yet? #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Ha! Not on Twitter (although she does have a lot to say these days!), but she does have a Facebook page! #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel This has been a fun Twinterview! I hope our followers have enjoyed it too! #imre

BuildIntel: @LaurenHunter_HW It has, thanks again! We’ll post the transcript in a few minutes for anyone who missed it in “real time.” #imre

BuildIntel: @LaurenHunter_HW Enjoy the weekend…Spring has finally arrived in Baltimore. Hope the same for you in Columbus! #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Supposed to be lovely – looking forward to it. Same to you! #imre