5 Reasons Why Pinterest Deserves Attention!!!
November 1st, 2011 | 
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If you haven’t heard of Pinterest, you will!
Last week while out to dinner on an “adult” date night (which consisted of a fabulous dinner and tickets to the Philharmonic Symphony) I was introduced to Pinterest. Yes I was supposed to be enjoying the fabulous symphony (which I was) but I was also learning about this incredible site with all my new favorite things. Although I am sure all of the other couples (albeit, they were at least twice my age) were probably discussing the next set of music to be played during the intermission, I was busy chatting it up with my friend (who might I mention, she and her husband were the only other two people who attended who were our age) and looking through all of her pins and boards on her Pinterest app.
Sally (who if you read my BMI blog, you would know is incredibly funny and full of entertainment) asked me “Have you discovered Pinterest yet?” “Um, NO!!! That sounds a bit scandalous. What is it?” All I could imagine was some crazy site that made fun of pin-up models, (don’t ask me why but I was focused on “pin” being like “pin-up”) something along the same line as “People of Wal-Mart.” This would be something Sally would suggest for me to check out. But to my amazement, it wasn’t.
What is Pinterest?
Pinterest is a virtual corkboard that lets you organize and share the things you like on the Internet. You can install a ‘Pin’ button on your browser so that whenever you’re browsing something you’d like to save, simply hit the button and a box will prompt you to label your pin. The next time you log into Pinterest, all of the beautiful things you saw online will be waiting there for you to look at.
The website is designed to be like many social media sites. You start with a profile and instead of writing out status messages on your daily activities or emotions, you pin things you like to your boards. Each “pin” is categorized by you into a different board, providing a way to organize your profile.
Everything is image-based. In fact, it is very similar to flipping through a magazine and just looking at the pictures. For me it is like having all of the best pictures taken out of Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma and Martha Stewart and combined all in one place. And lucky for me it is not just things I have liked–like Facebook and Twitter, you “follow” people and you can see all of the great ideas and things they like and have shared.
The best part: there are more than just pictures. There are instructions and DIY details. Now instead of seeing some great centerpiece for my Thanksgiving table and wondering how I can create it, there are actually details on how it was made or ideas on how you could do it yourself.
In one week’s time, I’ve definitely become an addict. It really is a fantastic waste of time….but it is incredibly useful and deserves your attention!
It may sound a bit complicated, but it’s actually really fun. It has literally become a fabulous obsession.
5 Reasons why I LOVE Pinterest and why you’ll like it too:
1. I love to cook but who has time to come up with fabulous recipes that will impress everyone–Oh that’s right with Pinterest I do:
I really do love to cook. But with four kids all running in different directions and a husband who is just as busy, I often catch myself cooking the same things each and every month. Oh maybe I mix it up and have chili one week and taco soup the next but overall I’d bet if I asked the kids, they could easily write out our monthly menu.
So in my attempts to mix things up, I do try to make different recipes with the different seasons, but again, who has time to spend hours looking through cookbooks for new and great recipes. Not to mention the fact that I am very visual so just reading a recipe sometimes will not cut it for me–I need to see a picture.
Or even more impressive, I try to make fun and pretty foods when we have company. My mom is probably scowling about now thinking “you should make the fun and pretty food for your family–the ones you love.”
Well mom, check these out….these are just a few on my new food ideas and with so many pictures and ideas at my fingertips, the kids may think I am a whole new person (in the kitchen).
Brown sugar and balsamic glazed pork loin made in a crock-pot.
Crock-pot teriyaki chicken
S'more cookies with a graham cracker bottom
2. I have that crafty feeling—whoa that crafty feeling:
I don’t know about you but I go through waves when it comes to crafts. I have had periods of times in my life (like right after my first son was born) that I made anything and everything you could consider to be crafty. I made Hawaiian heirloom blankets for friend’s babies I scrap booked everything. I made Christmas ornaments as gifts every year and I made just about everything in my home that I decorated with.
But then just like the rut of cooking and life getting busy, I haven’t made the time to look for any new ideas on things to make.
But now with just a few clicks, I have been incredibly inspired and I have a feeling the “crafty” in me is back.
3. The Holidays are here and I am going to be the BEST party planner and hostess ever!
Admit it, there are not many of us out there that are natural Martha Stewarts and just come up with these fabulous ideas and ways to decorate and present food. Not to mention thinking of great food that is theme fitting.
But this year….things are going to change.
My table will have a creative centerpiece that will not cost me a dime but will impress all of my guests.
My guests will not be served your typical holiday nog, instead they will reach for a festive and holly jolly cranberry margarita.
And my home will be full of fabulous decor and holiday cheer.
4. All of my household ideas are in one place:
With having two homes and going back and forth all of the time, I am always looking for ideas on things I want to do both inside and outside. While I want both of my homes to be built on my tastes, I do not want them looking identical.
Now instead of trying to manage pictures on my phone of random ideas I see in magazines or stores, I can store them all on one board. So when it comes to sitting down and deciding just what I want to do to a particular room or space, all of my ideas are right there in front of me–all organized and pretty.
5. I have my own version of style. With Pinterest I have other people giving me fashion advice (which I am sure my kids will appreciate since I am not quite into some of the things they like):
I love fashion and style but what I like the most are things that not everyone is wearing–which is probably why the kids wish I would read Vogue a little more instead of searching through vintage shops.
What I have found about fashion here is that unlike Vogue or other fashion magazines, it is not just what one subset of culture thinks is great, there are a variety of people and tastes being displayed. What’s not to love?
Oh, Pinterest. I love you.
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Ok, so I’m kinda slow…I get what’s great about using Pinterest. I just started and it is super fun. What I don’t get is how and why is it advantageous for my blog? If you’re not supposed to be pinning your own stuff on there, how does it promote people to get to your blog? thank you for your insight! Little Bit from DecorateWithaLittleBit.com
Other people will pin your stuff from your blog. My suggestion is add a “pin-it” button to you blog. This will encourage your pinners to pin.
Hope this helps.
Your story is totally logical so I thank you for some sanity as that’s not been my experience so far. I’m getting several Pinterest invites each day but most have no boards, and a few have created boards but posted nothing on them.
Where I see Pinterest being used is bloggers grabbing lots of “other people’s photos” and then creating (aggregating is the term I believe) their own posts using everyone else’s photos. They mostly say the photos are via Pinterest which ignores the creator AND owner of the IP … so for me, it still feels like flagrant copyright violation which I can’t support.
I’m sorry you have seen a rise in copyright issues with pinterest. I have not found that. Yes you are pinning someone else’s photographs but all of my pins (and most of what I have seen) have the link to the original source. For example if I pinned a picture of a great recipe then when I double click on that picture it redirects me to the original source.
I hope your pinning experience improves.
Thank’s for sharing these tips. I Believe that one of the many reasons why social networking sites are so popular from a business stand point is because they are a fantastic source of free advertising, not to mention fun to use!
The ability to have all my ideas in one place on any topic of my choosing has been such a life-saver for me. I can’t think of what we did before Pinterest?!
I so want to have more time for Pinterest! I’m making it a priority this weekend. I’m going to think about it as one-stop shopping for all my random thoughts. Great post – thanks for the inspiration!
I love Pinterest for all of those reasons too! I think it can also be a really cool tool for connecting with your readers. It makes me appear more of a person than just a blog
Jenna
callherhappy.com