Pinterest is a visual bookmarking tool that helps you discover and save creative ideas. It is an online pinboard, a visual take on the social bookmarking site. Unlike other social bookmarking sites, such as Digg and StumbleUpon, content shared on Pinterest is driven entirely by visuals. Essentially a virtual cork board, Pinterest gives users the ability to share all of their favorite images, organizing them into different boards. Similar to Twitter, users can follow Pinners with similar interests. In fact, you can’t share something on Pinterest unless an image is involved. Like every other social media site, Pinterest has its own lingo:
· When you share something on Pinterest, each bookmark is called a pin.
· When you share someone else’s pin on Pinterest, it’s called a repin.
· You group pins together by topic onto various boards or pinboards in your profile. Each board mimics a real-life pinboard.
You can share images you find online, or you can directly upload images onto Pinterest. Using the Pin It button, you can share directly in your browser from any web page. You can also share your pins on Twitter and Facebook.
The first time you visit Pinterest, you may notice immediately that it’s an aesthetically pleasing site. You can see how much it relies on visually stunning photos. The second thing you may notice is that you can’t join without an invitation. Presumably, the site will eventually become open to public registrations, but it’s currently in invitation-only mode.
You don't have to have a Pinterest account to look around the place, though. If you hover over the word Everything right at the top of the screen, a pop-up box will give you links to things people have pinned in various categories, from Architecture to Humor to Weddings & Events.
Previously,
Pinterest was an invitation-only social network limited to certain users, but
now, anyone interested in creating their own pinboards can register and join
Pinterest for free.
How To Use Pinterest?
There are some instructions on how to use Pinterest. After you sign up you will begin to edit your profile. Well just follow these following steps:
1. Roll over your name in the upper right corner. Select "Settings" from the drop down menu. Alternatively, if you're on your profile, you can click "Edit Profile" under your picture
2. Edit your email address. The email address that you signed up will be the default (this is not shown to the public). If you wish to change it, simply enter the new address in the space provided.
3. Edit email notifications. Click "Change Email Settings" to decide which notifications warrant an email to you.
Leave the things you'd like emails for checked, and uncheck everything else. When you're done, click "Save Settings"
4. Change your password. Click "Change Password." Enter your old password in the space provided, and then enter your new password twice. Then click "Change Password."
5. Fill in the information boxes. Here you have a chance to enter your first and last name, edit your username, and enter information about yourself.
6. Choose a profile picture. You can choose to upload one from your computer or, if you're connected through Facebook, have Pinterest take your current Facebook profile picture.
7. Edit your Facebook and Twitter settings. If you want, you can have your pinboards added to your Facebook Timeline. You can also have your Facebook or Twitter linked to your Pinterest—meaning that you can use your Facebook/Twitter info to log on to Pinterest and your default profile picture will be taken from there. Now you can create your pinboards!
some BENEFITS OF USING PINTEREST.
Here are some main benefits of using Pinterest, especially for business.
1. It’s Free – Much like many other popular social media sites, Pinterest is free to use to anyone willing to share photographs and images.
2. Multiple Exposure – One of the more endearing features of Pinterest is the ability to Tweet and Like images you come across. This allows your potential business advertisement to be spread across various social media platforms for additional exposure. In theory, you could reach more people in a single, well-designed image relevant to your business for free using Pinterest than you could with a paid advertisement on the radio.
3. Link Back – In your Pinterest profile, you can include your website. This can help others who are interested in your business find more information and perhaps invest in your services.
4. Social Marketing – Interesting images you create that can cause a user to click on it can direct them to your website for relevant content. You could create an article pertaining to anything regarding your business and link it to a well-designed image in Pinterest. Many Pinterest users will have a caption on the image specifying the title of the website page. The method of using images to advertise articles on websites has been quite successful for many users of this popular image site.
Happy Pinning ! :)
