If you have not tried Pinterest yet, you may be missing out on the next big thing… or at the very least another time burning obsession; hours of mindless searching, pinning, collecting, sharing. Creating perfect little worlds in the form of personal pin boards. I have fallen victim to temporary binges of pinsanity but it consoles me to know that I’m not alone.
Pinterest is not new. It has been around since 2008 but it seems to be growing exponentially. According to TechCrunch, Pinterest just hit 11.7 million unique monthly U.S. visitors, crossing the 10 million mark faster than any other standalone site in history.
If you haven’t tried it, or just don’t “get” it, take a look at this article from Social Media Examiner. Their article focuses on using Pinterest for business but it also includes some great tips on using it to it’s greatest potential.
There are many theories as to what is driving the rapid growth of Pinterest and why people find the site so addictive. I believe part of Pinterest’s success is buried in the need people feel to collect things and call them their own. It is a new form of hoarding, a good kind, if there is such a thing, because it doesn’t take up space in your hallway after the guest room has been packed to the ceiling with precious crap. There is no stench of old musty magazines or fuzzy kitty #26 who crawled into a cave of sweaters with the tags still on them and never came out.
I am a very visual person. Shiny things make me happy. I found Pinterest while searching the web for bathroom makeover ideas. I came upon a plethora of bathroom pins. What was this amazing catalog of photos, fields of images, undisturbed by blocks of text or advertisements? I had to be a part of this visual catalog. After being accepted to join Pinterest (it’s very elite, of course), I began to search, and pin, and create new boards for myself. I began to use Pinterest as a search engine to find ideas and inspiration; DIY Christmas cards, artwork, words of wisdom, recipes, humor.
Pinterest has many more uses than first meets the eye. As it says on Pinterest’s “What is Pinterest?” page, “Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. 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.” Aside from collecting pretty pictures, it is a tool that can be used many ways, depending on perspective and approach. GalleyCat created a list of pinboards for book lovers. Kristin Morrison on olecommunity.com explains how to use Pinterest as a tool for educators. On Hubpages, randomcreative suggests wonderful ways to use Pinterest as a tool for research, brainstorming, collaboration, and more. Many companies are using Pinterest as a tool to promote their brand and engage their customers. It will be interesting to see how the uses of Pinterest will grow and how the site will adapt in the future. The possibilities are pinfinite… I couldn’t resist.
I have not done the bathroom makeover yet but I have collected 15 pins (and counting) on my bathroom board and it makes me happy to dream about all of the beautiful options that are out there. It’s always a happy place and it’s just a click away.
