So last week after learning about Delicious in class, at work a friend told me about this additional visual candy of a site called Pinterest. Of course, as soon as I got home I was immediately curious as to what this site was all about and had to check it out for myself. After much exploration and discovery of how to "work" or share things on the site, I was hooked! Let's just face it; in my oh-so-abundant amounts of free time, Pinterest has fast become one of my favorite social media trends…and a bit of a guilty pleasure! This latest rage in social media is, in simple terms, an extremely user friendly, well organized visual collection of everything iconic, fashionable, delicious, or funny. I admit that after Instagram, Pinterest may now be my favorite form of social media “personal expression”.
According to KSDK.com a Midwest news website, "the site's popularity has exploded, from 1.2 million users in August to over 4 million just weeks ago". The website coins Pinterest as an, "invite only virtual cork-board," a kind of synergy of Twitter and Facebook with an emphasis on photo sharing. To actually contribute to the site you must be a member and invited/request to join the Pinterest community (perhaps a bit big-brother/gatekeeper-esque), yet basic access to the site without posting, or "pinning" in this case, is instantaneously available when you arrive at the site. Like other forms of social media, Pinterest already has its own vernacular to go along with the site. Members are referred to as "pinners" and the images they share are not called "posts" like Facebook nor "tweets" according to Twitter, but instead coined as "pins". These site specific names (everything deriving from the word "Pinterest") only aids to the ease and accessibility of the site to people of all interests, ages and most interestingly, genders (watch the video below to find out more)! There’s even a blog dedicated to explaining the intricacies and tips to becoming a top pinner! The official Pinterest blog
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new form of social media never arrives without drawbacks or more often abusers
of the site. Pinterest’s biggest complaint at the moment seems to be regarding
small business owner’s use of the website as a place to market their products.
Though Pinterest is all about self-promotion, it encourages its users to focus
on creativity versus solely as a means of attracting customers. What I find to
be so cool about Pinterest is how different it feels from other social media
sites, as it has no advertising and seems to be a bit more down-to-earth and
expressive. Overall, Pinterest is an awesome way to share, express, and get
inspired. I suggest everyone give it a look, it seems to be working for me...I clearly can’t seem to get off it!
#SG
#SG
I'd only heard of Pinterest in the past month or so, but I didn't visit the site until I read your blog. It's interesting that it's invite-only. I think that being exclusive definitely helped to build its buzz. It kind of reminds me of how Facebook started. My school was one of the first to get it, so most of my friends were jealous and anxious to join themseleves. I'm not sure if I totally understand Pinterest, but I'm more curious to check it out now.
ReplyDeleteWhat's interesting is that in Pinterest they are trying to connect people with common interests. It only broadens one's horizon for the topic of interest! I am particularly interested in travel, and some of the tips/destinations people share is simply awesome. I think its a great platform and definitely looks at a new form of social connection.
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