Pinterest is perhaps one of the most versatile social media sites on the web. Basically an online bulletin board, Pinterest allows users to catalog and file objects from other web sites so they can be found later. Created in 2010, by May, 2015 Pinterest boasted 72.8 million users from all over the world, 85% of whom are women. It is estimated that 42% of American women use Pinterest. Over 1 billion Pinterest boards have been created containing more than 50 billion Pinterest pins. Pinterest is available from your desktop/laptop computer, and has had an app for your mobile device since early 2011. Pinterest is truly a social media phenomenon.
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| Pinterest login screen |
You can create your Pinterest account using your email address, or your Facebook account. Choose a password, and you can get started "pinning" the things that interest you on the web.
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| Pinterest boards |
Once you open your Pinterest account, you can catalog your interests by creating "Boards." Each board holds photos related to various topics that interest you. You give the boards their names, and you control the content you pin. Notice that my first board is "abby-girl and baby britton." This is my board relating to my grandchildren - things I want to make for them and things I want to do for them - even photos of them I found on the net.
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| The individual pins in a Pinterest board |
This is my board called "Bags and Totes." This is the board where I pin bags and totes I might want to make one day, or bags that I might use for inspiration for my own creations.
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| Individual pin with link to specific website |
When you click the individual pin, it takes you to that particular photo. The best part about the pin is that it also saves the information from the particular website so that you can find your way back to the specific post. So, if I wanted to make this wallet, by clicking on the pin I could find my way back to the tutorial post.
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| Pinterest home page |
Once you have created your Pinterest account, your home page will show you random pictures posted by others....
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| Pinterest followers page |
But as you begin creating social links with others on Pinterest - following other pinners and having others follow you - you will begin seeing things posted by the people you follow, which is bound to show you others' pins that reflect your interests....
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| Pinterest search - "modern quilts" |
and if it doesn't, use the search feature in the upper left corner to search for things that interest you. Here, I have searched for "modern quilts." The search result will be objects that others have tagged as modern quilts or posted to modern quilts boards.
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| Individual pin with "Follow Board" link in the upper right corner |
When you click on an individual pin, in addition to the website information located at the bottom of the photo, along the side you may see one or more boards the pin has been pinned to. Like what you see? Click the "Follow Board" link. Now, everything that person pins to their board will come up in your feed, and you will be able to see everything they pin on that board.
Sometimes you may want to share a board with someone else. In this case, a few of us share a board called "Modern QOV Ideas." This is a place to pin ideas and inspiration for Quilts of Valor. Owners of a board may invite others to pin to the board so they can share the inspiration they find relating to a specific topic.
Pinterest even has a handy PinIt button you can add to your task bar to make it easy to pin as you are surfing the web. So, why not get started?
One word of caution: Pinterest can be habit-forming!
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