Collegiettes, if you have seen people during class or heard your friends talking about this “Pinterest” website, but don’t know what it is about, listen up because your world is going to change! Recently named one of Time Magazine’s “Top 50 Websites in 2011,” Pinterest is a craze that is here to stay.
Created in 2010 by Ben Silbermann, Evan Sharp and Paul Sciarra (currently, the company only have seven employees), Pinterest is a website for everyone. Although a large amount of their audience is women, all can enjoy what Pinterest offers. On Pinterest, you “pin” or “repin” a photo or video onto a board that is very similar to an inspiration board.
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When you sign up for Pinterest, you need to request an invite. If you do not get an email right away, try asking a friend already on the site to invite you, so you can quickly get to pinning! Once you have created your account, which you can link to Twitter and Facebook, the world await.
Your account comes with five template boards like “Products I Love,” “Favorite Places and Spaces” and “For the Home.” Boards can be about anything — holidays, crafts, the possibilities are endless. The website is similar to Twitter, where you “follow” people’s accounts or their individual boards. It incorporates Facebook aspects, such as “liking,” creating captions for pins and commenting. Users have the option of allowing Pinterest to post links to their pins onto Facebook and Twitter by checking a box in the corner.
I admit it. I have a Pinterest addiction. I am even pin during class. Recently, I have been obsessed with my Wedding and For the Home boards. If I don’t find any beautiful photos in my feed of pinners I follow, I use the Everything tab to pick a category, which range from Architecture, to Fitness, to Pets and even Sports, or the search toolbar for anything that is on my mind. Fashion, quotes and food are ever-popular items to repin. Pinterest even has an iPhone app so the avid pinner can pin on the go.
A unique aspect of Pinterest is the web application, where you can add the site to your bookmarks and if you are on another website and see an item you would like to pin, you click on the “Pin It” button. It will take you to another window where you can choose which board to pin it to and the photo (if there are multiple on the page) that you would like to use.
Pinterest also allows users to see the original website/blogpost by just clicking directly on the large photo. If you feel like your friends who are already on Pinterests’ boards are good, but you want more of a variety, Pinterest gives you a list of users to follow when you first sign up based on interests you select. Pinterest has gained over $30 million in investors since its start up, which will help the website grow to be the best it can be.
Sources:
http://www.sortacrunchy.net/sortacrunchy/2011/05/pinterest-a-beginners-guide.html
http://thedailydigi.com/pinterest-101-a-tutorial/
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2087815_2088159_2088155,00.html
http://www.crunchbase.com/company/pinterest