General

What is Hometalk?

Hometalk.com is an innovative, first of its kind website, where, homeowners, renters and contractors can come together to share photos, pricing, advice and feedback. It's a place where everyone's experience is utilized so that you can get better results, save time and money and be part of an enthusiastic community of home improvers!

Is Hometalk Free?

Hometalk is completely free.

Who uses Hometalk?

Homeowners, renters, contractors – anyone planning or involved in home improvement or gardening projects can use Hometalk to plan ahead, see what others are doing, ask for advice, get ideas for projects and share pictures and videos of the results!

What are the Posting Guidelines?

You may not post advertisements in the form of a reply, tip, etc. You MAY post photos with information about your work. Members who try to sell products and/or services inappropriately will have their accounts revoked.

Name calling, personal attacks or other inappropriate behavior will not be allowed and may cause your account to be terminated.

You may only post material and content that you own. Posting copyrighted material, trademarks and other violations of the DMCA is prohibited.

In order to ensure the highest quality user experience, we ask that you only post home improvement and gardening related information and questions.

We reserve the right to remove any content which we feel violates the posting guidelines outlined above.

How do I Report Abuse?

If you see any posts that break our posting guidelines or terms of service, please report them and we will check them right away. You can report a post or reply by clicking the flag icon at the top right hand side of the post or reply.

What does it Mean When I "Like" a Post?

Click the "Like" link to indicate that a particular post is really helpful, well-written, creative or just especially appreciated. Doing so will help others find highlighted posts, and will add to the member's tally on his/her profile page.

How does a Post get "Selected as Useful"?

An answer can only be "Selected as useful " by the user who asked the question. To select an answer as useful, click on the "Select as useful" link below the answer.

How do I Earn those Badges I See next to People's Names?

Hometalkers are recognized by their level of activity. We award badges every day to those contributors who rack up a significant number of Posts, Photos,"Like"s or are thanked for their Useful Answers by fellow members. Read more here.

What is a Hometalk Superintendent?

A Superintendent is a Hometalk member who takes responsibility for maintaining a high level of quality, accuracy, relevance and readability in a specific category. He/She uses "Super Powers" to do things like recategorizing or highlighting questions on the home page. Here's a more detailed overview of our Superintendent Program.

Account Settings

How do I Upload/Change my Profile Picture?

There are two ways to upload or change your profile picture. When you are logged on, go to your profile page by clicking on your username at the top right hand side of the page. Then click on the "Change Profile Picture" link, located in the left column of the page. Alternatively you can go to hometalk.com/my-account and click the "Upload a Photo" link on the left side of the page under "My Profile."

How do I Edit my Account Information?

To edit your account information, hover over the arrow next to your username at the top right hand side of the page, and then click "My Account."

How do I Change my Email Notification Settings?

Hover over the arrow next to your username at the top right hand side of the page, and then select "My Account." Then click on "Control Which Messages You Receive" to modify your notification settings.

Privacy

What does Hometalk do with my Personal Information?

Hometalk is a licensee of the TRUSTe Privacy Program. We don't share, sell, rent or trade personal information with third parties. For more details visit our Privacy Policy.

Searching Hometalk

How do I Find the Information I Need?

Click on the "Search" tab, located at the top of every page on Hometalk. You can search by "All Posts," "Members" or "Contractors" from anywhere on the site.

For a more advanced search, go to the Homepage at Hometalk.com and click on "Search" at the top left of the page, located beneath "All Talk." You will then be given the option to search for Posts, Members, Contractors, Photos, Videos and Questions. You can also browse by home improvement category by selecting a category and sub-category from the "All Categories" menu, located just under "Search" on the homepage. You can even create your own personalized category filter with "My Categories".

What is the Difference between Searching in "All Posts," "Members" and "Contractors"?

"All Posts" will show results for all information posted by members that is related to your search, including questions and answers, photos or videos, reviews, tips and more.

"Members" allows you to search for Hometalk members.

"Contractors" allows you to search for local contractors. The results are based on a system designed to show you the best contractors in your area based on different factors, such as how many reviews they received, the usefulness of their answers and the number of times they received a "Like." You can narrow down the contractor search by selecting the field you need and entering a ZIP code into the contractor search bar.

How do I See the Activities of Members in my Area?

In order to see what Hometalkers in your area are up to, you have to first make sure you have entered a location in your Account Settings. To check or edit your location, go to "My Account" by hovering over your username in the top right corner of any page and clicking "My Account" in the drop down box. On the left side of the page underneath "My Profile," you will see "Location." Click "Change" which appears next to it, and you will be prompted to a City, State or ZIP code.

Once you have entered a location, you can click on the local filter displayed as "[Your City] Talk" (for example "Atlanta Talk") on the top left of the homepage to display posts from Hometalkers near you. Now that you’re in Local Talk you can find other members and contractors in your area by clicking on the respective links and maps on the right side of your Local Talk feed.

How do I See the Activities of the Members I am Connected with?

Click on "My Network" located at the top left of the homepage. The results will display the recent activity of your connections only.

Photos

How do I Upload and Post Photos or Videos?

Click on the "Photos" tab located at the top of the Hometalk homepage. Then click on the "Browse" button to select files from your computer. You may upload multiple files by holding down the Ctrl key (or the CMD key on a Mac) while clicking on individual files.

How do I Find Photos and Videos?

You can find photos and videos that have been posted by clicking "Photos" or "Videos" on the bottom left column of the Hometalk homepage. To find photos or videos relating to a specific category, first click on the category of interest on the left column of the homepage, then click on "Photos" or "Videos" which appears lower down in the left column.

You can also search for photos and videos using a keyword. Click on"Search" located at the top left of the Hometalk homepage and enter your search term. After the results appear, click on "Photos" or "Videos" which appear in the left column of the page.

Contacting Other Members

What is "My Network"?

The "My Network" feature enables you to build your own home improvement "circle" by making connections with other members. Adding folks to your Network creates a group of homeowners and contractors you trust and are interested in sharing specific types of home improvement information with. Think of it as an easy-access, mini-address book listing the people you communicate with most. You can always view their activity by clicking on "My Network" at the top navigation bar. You can ask to borrow tools, ask for (real world) help, or even plan a get-together of local Hometalkers!

How do I Add a Member to my Network?

Visit the profile page of any member you would like to connect with. Click "Add to Network" link located at the top of their page. To complete the process, the member must approve your request.

You can also invite friends to use Hometalk by clicking "Invite »" located in the right column of the homepage, search and profile pages and sending an invitation to their email address.

How do I Send a Private Message?

To send a private message, click on the name of the member you would like to send the message to. You will be taken to his profile page. On the left hand side of the profile page, click on the "Send a Message" link.

How do I Request a Quote from a Contractor?

Click on the contractor's name you would like to receive a quote from. You will be taken to his profile page. You can call the contractor or send them a message on Hometalk.

Businesses

What is the Most Effective Way to use Hometalk for my Business?

Hometalk is a super tool for contractors to make connections and increase exposure in their communities. The three key elements of making Hometalk work for your business are: Filling out a complete profile (including your profile photo or logo); posting pictures of jobs you did; and most importantly, consistently giving helpful answers to users' questions.

The more active you are in helping other members, the more you'll be noticed and approached by potential clients in your area.

How do Users Find my Business?

There are three ways in which users can find you:

1. Seeing your posts and replies in the feed: The formula is simple: The more active you are, the more visible you are, which gives people more opportunities to click on your profile. Every time you answer a question, that question is viewed and read not only by the person you responded to, but by anyone else searching for the same thing. Every question you answer is a potential lead every single time it is read.
2. Seeing your profile under featured contractors.
3. When members specifically search for contractors in their area.

What is the Business Center?

The Business Center is an exclusive part of your profile that only you can see. When logged in to your Hometalk business account, you can access the business center by clicking the ‘Get Started’ link on the right side of your profile or by visiting hometalk.com/my-account/business. The Business Center shows you how to promote your business using Hometalk and lets you know how popular your business is within the Hometalk community.

You will find information such as the number of times your business appeared as a Featured Contractor to local users on Hometalk and how many ‘impressions’ you received. You can also use the business center to promote your business by sending requests for reviews to previous clients or offering a discount to Hometalkers using the ‘Coupon’ section.

What are Impressions?

The Impressions chart in your Business Center shows how popular you are with other Hometalk users. It displays a tally of how many times your profile, posts, and replies have been viewed over the past two weeks.

What are Featured Contractors?

Featured contractors are contractors who are the most helpful to Hometalk members on a consistent basis. This is based on reviews they received, useful answers they gave, "Like"s that they received and many other factors.

Featured contractors are presented in the right side of the feed to users in their area who are looking for information in that contractor's industry.

How do I Become a Featured Contractor?

This is not a paid advertising option. Simply post photos of your work, encourage your clients to review you, and be active on Hometalk by helping members with project tips and answering questions.

How do I Find Members Looking for Advice in my Industry?

After you log in, simply select a category and sub-category by clicking on the "All Categories" at the left side of the homepage. Additionally, you can click on the "Search" tab located at the top of any page on the Hometalk site. Type in your area of expertise in the text box (for example: landscaping or concrete) and click "Search." You can then sort the results by clicking "Questions" or "Unanswered questions" from the lower left column on the search results page.

Will I be Charged for my Profile?

No. Hometalk is free to use.

How Can Users Contact me Privately for a Quote?

Users have the ability to send you a private message through the site or to call you using the phone number displayed on your profile page.

How do I Get Reviews of my Company to Appear on Hometalk?

Have your customers share their experience. Ask them to go to Hometalk and post a review. You can send previous customers an email to request a review by going to your business page at www.hometalk.com/my-account/business and sending a Review Request. The reviews will then automatically appear on your profile. In addition, positive reviews will give you better placement on Hometalk.

What am I Allowed to Post?

It is against our guidelines to post any advertisements of your services or products in the activity feed. You may post helpful tips or pictures of projects you have done so that the community can see your work. The best way to get visibility on the site is to post useful answers to members' questions. That will give your profile much better placement on Hometalk. Once users see your profile, they will see all the info you posted about your business, including your phone number and website.

How do I Use "My Network" for my Business?

The "My Network" feature enables you to build your own home improvement "circle" by making connections with other members. Your Hometalk Network makes it easy to stay connected to specific folks on Hometalk, many of whom may be potential clients. You can show them what projects you've been up to and answer their questions to establish and maintain your reputation as a local expert.

Think of it as an easy-access, mini-address book listing the people you communicate with most. You can always view their activity – and they can view yours – by clicking on "My Network" at the top navigation bar.

What are my Options if I get a Negative Review from a Customer?

The first thing to do is to reply to the review by providing a level-headed, fact-based response to clarify the issue. Getting drawn into a protracted, nasty dialogue will probably not serve your interests. The next thing to do is to ask your satisfied customers to provide positive reviews to counter the negative one. Each positive review will help considerably. If you would like to request a review from a previous customer, just go to your business page at www.hometalk.com/my-account/business and send a Review Request.