DISCLAIMER (8-14-11): AFTER THIS POST WAS WRITTEN, I STARTED NOTICING SOME WORDS AND “ART” ON PINTEREST THAT I WOULD NEITHER RECOMMEND NOR ENDORSE. UP UNTIL RECENTLY, I HAVE BEEN AMAZED AT HOW “PURE” THE PINTEREST LINKS WERE. IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT THINGS DO NOT STAY THAT WAY. PLEASE USE AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.
Have you been hearing the buzz about “Pinterest” around the blogworld or Facebook? I’ve seen bits and peices of info about a new “online bulliten board” called Pinterest for a few weeks, but put off checking into it because I thought it was one of those “computer things” I wouldn’t want to get into.
Boy, was I wrong! I didn’t know what I was missing! A few days ago, my neighbor, Jessica, gave me a little tutorial about Pinterest, and now, I’m hooked! (It’s yet another thing I’m having to learn to enjoy in moderation {actually, it’s more like “surrender to the Lord over”} – otherwise, I’d sit at my computer on Pinterest all day long!)
If you don’t know about it yet, I’m thrilled to be the one spilling the beans. From their website:
“Pinterest is a Virtual Pinboard. Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes. Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.
Our goal is to connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting. We think that a favorite book, toy, or recipe can reveal a common link between two people. With millions of new pins added every week, Pinterest is connecting people all over the world based on shared tastes and interests.”
To me, it’s like looking at hundreds of the best {dog eared or bookmarked pages} of your favorite magazines and cookbooks – all in one place.
I’m a “filer”. Any good idea I see in a magazine, I cut out and stick in a file. Now that I have Pinterest, most any good idea I see on the internet, I can “pin” to my boards on Pinterest, and I’ll have it there for any future reference.
Need some examples? Check out a few of the things I have “pinned” to my boards:
A ton of awesome ways to organizing crafting supplies
I could go on and on!
Anytime I come across something I want to remember, rather than bookmark the site in my computer, I just pin it to my board.
The most fun part is looking at what other people have pinned on their boards, and getting inspiration and ideas from them. If I like what someone else has pinned on their own boards enough to want to remember it, I’ll pin it in its category on one of my boards.
I’m just getting started, so I follow only a few people’s boards. I love seeing what my friends are putting out there that they like or think are good ideas. I also like to click the “Everything” tab and look at what everyone is putting out there to pin. It’s like one big creative idea think tank ~ all from the convenience of your own laptop.
Sound interested? It’s easy to get started. The website is http://www.pinterest.com/.
The only catch is that you need an “invitation” to join. It’s totally free, but you must be invited. Don’t know why that is, but please consider this your open invitation to Pinterest – from me. 🙂 All I need is your e-mail address. You can e-mail your e-mail address to: Jennifer.SmellingCoffee@gmail.com, and I’ll go in and send you a Pinterest invitation. You can look around at the boards I’m working on, and most importantly, you can start your own.
A few pointers for beginners (like me):
- The “home page” can be found by clicking on the “Pinterest” logo on the left.
- To see the things people are currently pinning, click the word, “Everything”.
- To find people you know who have their own Pinterest boards, the “Find Friends” tab lets you use your e-mail, Facebook, or Twitter to check and see who you know that uses Pinterest.
- There is a “Pin it” button you need to download for your computer, so that when you are on a website and find something you want to save, all you have to do is to click your button and it goes straight to your Pinterest account.
- This is pretty new, so they are still working out some kinks. Remember when FB was new? It’s like that.
Pinterest is really so much fun. I’ve never been “addicted” to games or anything on the computer before, but I’m afraid I’ve met my match on this one!
I’d love to know what you think about this. Let me know if you already have a Pinterest account. And if you need an invitation, just e-mail me. I can’t wait to see what inspiration you will pin up and share on your boards!
Happy weekend, my friends. If you don’t hear from me for a while in the blogosphere, you know where I’ll be… I’ll be being a “pin up girl”. 😉
Jennifer
Melissa says
Thanks for sending me the email invitation for Pinterest! I signed up for it last night and really like it, it looks like a great site! =)
Amber Marie says
Welcome to a wonderful world! I will be sure to follow you!:)
Stephanie Jernigan says
Thanks, friend, for being a Pinterest pusher…I'm now addicted too! Seriously, I love seeing such great ideas out there. I could spend hours on here, so I'm practicing moderation too, but in a way it saves some time too when I'm looking for a specific idea…they all pop up on one screen! 🙂