Pinterest

This post is primarily for those of you who are new to pinterest, but there are hopefully a few treats (how-tos, pinboards) in here for vets as well. And for any of you on pinterest, look me up!

What is Pinterest?

Pinterest is both a brilliant tool and a run-for-your-life time-suck. But assuming you can use a timer (or similar) and exercise a little self-control, you should definitely try it out.

Pinterest is a social site where you can curate your own “pinboards” (like a style-book or a bulletin board) of digital media (photos and videos, mainly) that you find interesting our useful. There is space for your own notes as well. You can have as many pinboards as you like, and you can decide if you want to make them public or share them only with your friends.

Pinterest on Pinterest:

Pinterest is a virtual pinboard. Pinterest allows you to organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. You can browse pinboards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.

Always better from the horse’s mouth, don’t you think?

How does it work?

When you pin something to one of your boards, besides being available for future reference/inspiration, it comes up on the homepage of anyone who is subscribed to your pinboard(s).

On your homepage, you’ll see other people’s recent “pins” and have the option to repin them, comment on them, “like” them, or you can click on the photo to open up the individual page with a full-size pic.

From the full-size pic page, clicking the photo will take you to the original URL the image was pinned from. (Great for discovering new blogs and websites!)

What is it good for?

Well, if not used judicially, it’s good for wasting an entire evening that could have otherwise been used for, I don’t know, actually accomplishing one of the projects you’ve pinned or have been putting off.

But seriously. Assuming you can mute the siren-call, Pinterest is really great for compiling ideas and inspiration for future projects or for everyday delights. Check out a few of the Pinboards curated by some of my friends to see a few examples. (As Pinterest lets you custom-name each of your pinboards, I’ve used the creator’s title in the list below.)

• Winter
• Yummy Stuffs
• Some Personal Style
• It’s a Wrap
• Tips & Tricks
• Since I have a closet full of fabric
• Gifts

You can also check out my pinboards (though we’ll have to be friends first), or just visit the Pinterest Home Page and dive in!

If you like what you see, sign up, search for a few friends, set up some pinboards, and get pinning! In addition to repinning things you find on pinterest, you can also add items from anywhere on the web, as well as upload your own photos or scanned pics.

A Few Tips:

I suggest that as you are pinning, you make a note to yourself (in the description box) of why this particular image caught your eye. This will serve as a future reminder of what you were getting at when you pinned the item. Just clipping a storage/organizing idea and labeling it “good idea” is not as helpful six months from now than the description “Possibly use this on my side of the bed?”.

This also prevents the scenario where you clip a random photo as a color palette inspiration and then have no clue what it’s a picture of or what made you pin it. (I may or may not have done this myself. But if I had, I would tell you that including a note as to what you think it is a good palette for is also a good idea.)

Also, unfollow boards that are clogging up your home page. You might subscribe to a friend who loves to post homeschool projects, but as you don’t have any kids, you’re not that interested. So unfollow that board and you’ll see the rest of what she posts, but no more homeschool bits. Under the picture it tells you what pinboard she posted that item to. Just click on the pinboard and then click “unfollow” at the top.

Downsides

The real downside to pinterest is its addictiveness. Infinite window-shopping where you never tire = BAD. That’s more about me than about Pinterest, though.

My one beef with Pinterest is that there is no way to make a pin or pinboard private. As this feature comes standard on nearly all social media, I really don’t see what the holdup is. Two strikes for no private pins. What if I’m collecting ideas for a surprise party? You get the idea.

So…

Have you used pinterest? Do you have any pinners or boards that you particularly love? If so, share them! Have any questions? I’ll try to answer them – or at least send you a link to the info – if I can.

Happy Pinning!