Have you discovered Pinterest yet? It’s a relatively recent addition to the world of social networking but it’s not just another Facebook or Twitter or LinkedIn. Basically, Pinterest is an image based platform which allows you to collect your favourite pictures from around the web and organise them into folders or pin-boards.
What can you use Pinterest for?
People use Pinterest in a variety of different ways. For example, some people use it almost as an online wish list, where they compile all the products from around the internet they like the look of and want to buy. Other people use it to collect the images that inspire them – for example if you are renovating a house in a period style, you may wish to create an album of items you like, houses decorated in a similar tone, or washing machines you love. Brides to be have organised their weddings using Pinterest as a platform for inspiration, while others simply use it as a place to put all the pictures they enjoy – from info-graphics to photographs.
Pinterest and marketing
As with all social networking websites, Pinterest can be used as part of a marketing campaign to great effect. Companies are using the website as a place to pin their best product images, each one boasting a link back to the website, with a hope to boosting sales.
Bloggers are using the platform to boost their readership capacity – but essentially, it only works if you have an appealing or eye-catching image to complement your post. If your image is interesting enough, you may find it gets re-pinned to other users’ boards – and the best pictures gain momentum and go viral. But we might be getting ahead of ourselves here. Let’s firstly take a look at how to join Pinterest and start compiling your online collections.
Signing up
Until quite recently, Pinterest was invite-only – but fortunately it now only requires a simple sign-up process to get you online. You can even sign up using your Facebook account.
Once you’ve signed up you can start populating your pin-boards with re-pins and original imagery, or trawl the web for things you like the look of.
The “Pin It” button
The “Pin It” button can be added to your bookmarks bar, allowing you to grab a picture from any website and place it on your pin-board. Pinning using the button automatically captures the website details so you don’t have to worry about crediting the original author of the blog or creator of the image.
Installing the Pin It button is incredibly simple. Just go to Pinterest’s Pin It Button page and you can click, drag and drop the button onto your browser’s bookmarks toolbar. There are also apps for Apple and Android smartphones which mean you can collect images from your mobile devices. This allows you to take your own photographs and pin them directly to your boards, sharing them instantly. You might use photographs to capture inspiration on the street, in the workplace or at home and file them along with the rest of the images that inspire you.
This article was written by Rachel Hurley who writes for Appliances Online When she isn’t trawling the web for all things Pinteresting she enjoys grabbing a cold beer and relaxing on the couch. Follow her on Twitter @Rachel_Hurley23