I really like Pinterest. It’s great for visual people, for inspiration, for organizing projects, and sharing about things you love. It’s technically a photo-sharing site, but those photos often link to other websites. If you’re looking at a picture of a yummy casserole on Pinterest chances are good if you click on the picture it will take you to the recipe, or if you’re looking at a beautiful sunset chances are good if you click on the picture you’ll be taken to the larger image.
Pinterest is a site that lets you choose images to “pin” to lists known as boards. Pinning something is similar to bookmarking, and boards are similar to folders you organize your bookmarks into.
The big difference is people can follow all or any of your boards so they see whatever you pin on their homepage. The same goes for your account. You can hop on and easily follow your friends from Facebook’s Pinterest boards. (Don’t worry, if it turns out they only post projects for their upcoming wedding you can always un-follow.) Or you can search for things you’re interested in or click on any of the general topics (located by clicking the square button with three lines in the left-hand corner in the desktop version). There’s also a button you can install on many browsers so you can pin anything you find while surfing.
Pinterest is popular with crafters and DIY-enthusists, but you could find pretty much anything you’re interested in and other people who are also interested in it. Many find inspiration on Pinterest. Many others use Pinterest for its entertainment value. I have a board called “Emergency Cute.” On this board I have pinned pictures of cute animals with funny captions for those days when I need a laugh. This board is just for myself, but it’s also the most-followed board I have.
There is some conversation that happens on Pinterest through liking and commenting on pins, but mostly Pinterest focuses on boards and pins. The various Pinterest apps are great. I’ve used the apps on a cell phone and a tablet, and they’re both highly instinctive. Personally, I’d rather use Pinterest on my tablet than my laptop because of the interface and I can scroll faster. Check it out for yourself:
Check out Pinterest’s main website: Pinterest.com
Follow Pinterest on Twitter: @Pinterest
Next week we’ll have a blog post about using Pinterest in your ministry including how to read Pinterest Web Analytics and some demographics. Stop by next Monday!
