Are You Pinterested?
Have You Tried Pinterest Yet?
Pinterest is the hot new thing online. Briefly described, it is a social networking and bookmarking site. More completely described, it is a one-click save-and-sort visual bookmarking system with a strong social networking element thrown in for good measure. Below I'll explain each of these elements so you can decide if you want to start pinning!
At the moment (kind of like Google Plus) it is invitation-only, but it's not hard to find someone to send you an invite!
Quick Tutorial for Pinterest
When you pin something you can send it to Facebook or Twitter at the same time - or not, if you don't want to.
Have You Heard of Pinterest?
Pinterest Home Page or Dashboard - Your dashboard will look similar to this one.
This screenshot shows my dashboard, or home page, or whatever you want to call it. You see my bio box over to the left: above my photo shows the number of people I am following, and the number that is following me. Below is a brief bio and a place showing my social network buttons such as Facebook, Twitter, RSS feed, etc. Under that is a stream showing my recent activity.
To the right are thumbnails of my boards. Each board has a title such as "Homeschooling," "Gluten-Free Baking," and "Books I Love." Each board shows tiny thumbnails of pictures I have pinned to it; each board will show a maximum of nine images of the most recent images I have pinned to that board. The "Edit" button under each board allows me to change the title, description, or category of that board. Clicking on a board will take me to a page showing all of the images I have pinned to that board.
One Pinterest Board, Up Close - This board is where I pin gluten-free baked goods I want to try.
Here is what I see when I click on my Gluten-Free Baking board: a big picture of each item I have pinned to the board, along with a brief note I wrote to remind myself of something about each page, along with a direct, clickable link to the original page I pinned, so I can go straight to the recipe page.
Step by Step
Once you start pinning, it is VERY intuitive and easy to figure out. But here's a brief step-by-step tutorial.
1. Create a Pinterest account.
2. Add the Pin It button to your toolbar.
3. Create some boards if you know what sorts of things you'll be pinning. Or just wait and create them as you go.
4. Surf the web, dude!
5. Find a really cool, interesting page with at least one image on it - Pinterest only pins images!
6. Click the Pin It button on your toolbar.
Pinterest gives a popup window showing all the images on the page.
7. Click the image you want to remember and keep pinned to your board.
Pinterest gives a popup window with a drop-down menu.
8. Choose which of your boards you want to save the image to (or create a new board using the last space on the drop-down menu).
9. Write a short description of your pin to help you remember what it is.
10. Click PIN IT.
That's it! It is pinned, with the image you chose to help you remember, your personal note, and a direct link back to the original page so you can find the recipe or directions or whatever it is you want to remember.
Pinterest Etiquette
"Pinterest is designed to curate and share things you love. If there is a photo or project you're proud of, pin away! However, try not to use Pinterest purely as a tool for self-promotion." In other words: pin your own stuff if you are proud of it, but PLEASE DON'T SPAM!
Pinterest as a Social Network - Seeing what other people are pinning!
You can also look at other people's pins - this is where the social networking element comes into play. You can follow specific people, either friends or just other pinners who pin stuff you like. One click takes you to a board like this one showing the recent pins of people you are following; another click takes you to a board like this showing the recent pins from people all across Pinterest. You can also type a term into the search box to find "gluten free" or "books" or "homeschooling" or whatever you are interested in, and you'll see a board like this one showing only pins related to your search.
Pinterest is also available as an iPhone app!
Repinning and Liking Other People's Pins - If you like a pin, add it to a board of your own with one click.
1. Any pin you see that interests you, you can repin to your own board without having to go to the original website. All repins, just like pins that you originate, carry the link to the original website with them. You can also add your own note and choose which board of yours you want to place it on, just as you do when you are the first person pinning a site. If you like it but don't necessarily want to pin it to your own boards, there is a "Like" button that functions much as a Facebook "Like" button works but is only internal to Pinterest.
2. Buttons to the right of the photo allow you to "like" it on Facebook, Twitter it, or Stumble it. There is also a comment section beneath the photo (not shown) that functions the same as comments on Facebook.
3. The "Follow" button allows you to follow the board where this item was pinned. In this case, this is a board called "My Other Significant Other." You can follow the board by clicking "Follow," or you can click on the board itself to see it expanded and look more closely at the items pinned to it. Beneath the "Follow" button it says "Also from annies-eats.net" and if you click there, you will see other things from that website that have been pinned to boards in Pinterest.
Following Other Pinners - Here's what you see when you look at someone else's Pinterest page.
Here you see a Pinner I am following (Linette is Barkely here on Squidoo). The numbers above her face indicate how many people she is following, and how many are following her. If she had written a brief bio it would show just above the "Write Linette a message" box. Facebook and RSS buttons allow you to connect to her that way if you wish (you can also add Twitter and other social media buttons here).
Under her face, it says "Unfollow All" (it would say "Follow All" if I were not already following her). To the right you see two of her boards and each of them says "Unfollow" underneath. You do not have to follow every board a Pinner creates. You can follow just one or two boards, or click "Follow All" to see everything she pins. Conversely, if you are following all boards of a person but she has one board that is totally outside your range of interest, you can "Unfollow" just that one board, and still see all of her other pins.
I'm Tandemonimom on Pinterest!
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