My digital life ... Gary Raife

What is your favourite website?

Nothing beats the BBC website for combining national news, sport and entertainment in one place – also a great source of local news to keep up with events in the areas I’m working in.

What is your worst digital habit?

I’m a compulsive checker of emails on my iPhone and PC.  I also check the Met Office app before getting out of bed each and every morning so there are no weather surprises if I’m out on site.

iPhone/Blackberry/Android. Which side are you on?

iPhone – sometimes I worry if I could ever switch because I’ve bought so many apps that I’d be reluctant to lose.

Are you into social networking?

Throughout my career at Lakehouse (I joined 14 years ago as a trainee) travelling has always been a major part of my life.  I’ve made many good friends abroad and Facebook is an excellent way for us all to keep in touch and follow what friends are up to.

If you are on Twitter, who do you recommend to follow?

I was once really up to speed with Twitter, but since the birth of my son 10 months ago the spare time to indulge has evaporated. I know that Twitter is something that Lakehouse is using more and more to communicate with clients, industry bodies and residents.

What is your favourite app?

I’m always looking ahead to my next trip – the two apps I use most are Skyscanner and Trivago to find the best deals on flights and hotel.

What is your preferred means of communication?

Face-to-face contact and building personal relationships are central to what we do at Lakehouse.  I find that decisions can usually be reached far quicker with clients in person.  That said, using shared web portals with clients for project communications has been a big help on recent projects.  Site managers and resident liaison officers on both the client and Lakehouse side can easily access the same records and communications materials on our system.

What did you last buy online?

Last month I bought flights and hotels for a trip to Dubai online.  I’m already looking at booking our family’s next trip for early next year!

PC or Mac?

These days, the only time I really use a computer is my PC at work.  At home I usually stick to iPhone and iPad for web browsing and emails.

Guilty pleasures: Most played tunes from iTunes/Spotify?

Mumford & Son, Kings of Leon and The Killers. Nothing too embarrassing there…  I hope!

Gary Raife is divisional manager at Lakehouse