I resisted the urge to use some witty headline for this article, but I am sure you have seen them all over the internet, on TV or in print – what’s pinteresting today, pinteresting facts about new social website, and anything with the word pinsanity in it. But just what is all the buzz about and is this a website you should be checking out or using?
Pinterest has a simple concept behind it, recreate your kitchen bulletin board on a website and add in a touch of Facebook and Twitter. Users “pin” interesting items they find on the internet to their boards, everything from recipes to fun websites to inspiring photos. Friends can see each other’s boards and leave comments or click a button to “repin” the information to their boards.
The buzz has a lot to do with how fast the website has grown, topping 10 million users in December after an August 2011 launch. But Alexandra Chang of MacWorld may have hit the nail in the head in her column about the site, noting that what makes it unique is it doesn’t reflect current news items (both world news or user-centered tweets), but displays a person’s interests and inspirations. Pinning seems to be more about ideas and hobbies – Chang suggests thinking of Twitter as a newspaper and Pinterest as a glossy magazine.
Just like a bulletin board, Pinterest is a visual display with each pinned item represented by a photograph from the website that was pinned to the board. For example, if you pin a recipe from a website, you will see a photo that went with that recipe on the original website or if you pin a sweater from a catalog, a picture of the sweater will show up on your board.
To get started, you need to sign up for a free account. Even though the site currently says you need an invite from a friend who is already pinning, there is a button on the main page to request an invite and Pinterest will usually send you one within 48 hours. Once you get the invite, sign up for an account. If you already have a Facebook or Twitter account, you can sign in with that account and instantly see a list of people you know who are pinning. You can select people to follow or browse the categories at the top of the page. The top menu is pretty straightforward to navigate – Pinners you Follow shows pins from those you follow, Everything brings up a category list so you can look at pins based on subject, videos shows only pinned videos and popular features the most pinned items of the day.
The first thing you want to do on your account is set-up some boards. OK, so we aren’t just going to have a kitchen bulletin board, but several. Find your boards by clicking on your name to open the account menu. To start, Pinterest gives you some generic boards such as music, books, movies, for the home and products I love. Feel free to edit their names, delete them or create new boards for yourself.
Next, you want to start pinning. The easiest way is to use the Pin It button provided by Pinterest. You can find the Pin It Button under About, with instructions on how to install it on your web browser. There are also Pinterest apps for tablets and phones that let you pin on the go. You will also see Pinterest buttons on some websites, just click to add the item to your boards.
Finally, keep in mind that along with the buzz there has been a lot of discussion about copyright infringement with Pinterest , so you want to be mindful of the rights of others. Many companies encourage pinning or at least appreciate the word of mouth publicity generated by pinning. But keep in mind that most photographs, graphics and clip art are copyright protected and you need to be aware of any restrictions placed on the material you share or want to reuse on Pinterest.
Pinterest has a simple concept behind it, recreate your kitchen bulletin board on a website and add in a touch of Facebook and Twitter. Users “pin” interesting items they find on the internet to their boards, everything from recipes to fun websites to inspiring photos. Friends can see each other’s boards and leave comments or click a button to “repin” the information to their boards.
The buzz has a lot to do with how fast the website has grown, topping 10 million users in December after an August 2011 launch. But Alexandra Chang of MacWorld may have hit the nail in the head in her column about the site, noting that what makes it unique is it doesn’t reflect current news items (both world news or user-centered tweets), but displays a person’s interests and inspirations. Pinning seems to be more about ideas and hobbies – Chang suggests thinking of Twitter as a newspaper and Pinterest as a glossy magazine.
Just like a bulletin board, Pinterest is a visual display with each pinned item represented by a photograph from the website that was pinned to the board. For example, if you pin a recipe from a website, you will see a photo that went with that recipe on the original website or if you pin a sweater from a catalog, a picture of the sweater will show up on your board.
To get started, you need to sign up for a free account. Even though the site currently says you need an invite from a friend who is already pinning, there is a button on the main page to request an invite and Pinterest will usually send you one within 48 hours. Once you get the invite, sign up for an account. If you already have a Facebook or Twitter account, you can sign in with that account and instantly see a list of people you know who are pinning. You can select people to follow or browse the categories at the top of the page. The top menu is pretty straightforward to navigate – Pinners you Follow shows pins from those you follow, Everything brings up a category list so you can look at pins based on subject, videos shows only pinned videos and popular features the most pinned items of the day.
The first thing you want to do on your account is set-up some boards. OK, so we aren’t just going to have a kitchen bulletin board, but several. Find your boards by clicking on your name to open the account menu. To start, Pinterest gives you some generic boards such as music, books, movies, for the home and products I love. Feel free to edit their names, delete them or create new boards for yourself.
Next, you want to start pinning. The easiest way is to use the Pin It button provided by Pinterest. You can find the Pin It Button under About, with instructions on how to install it on your web browser. There are also Pinterest apps for tablets and phones that let you pin on the go. You will also see Pinterest buttons on some websites, just click to add the item to your boards.
Finally, keep in mind that along with the buzz there has been a lot of discussion about copyright infringement with Pinterest , so you want to be mindful of the rights of others. Many companies encourage pinning or at least appreciate the word of mouth publicity generated by pinning. But keep in mind that most photographs, graphics and clip art are copyright protected and you need to be aware of any restrictions placed on the material you share or want to reuse on Pinterest.
- Laura N.
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