Readers, I know I'm sort of old, but can someone please explain Pinterest to me?
What's the difference between looking through countless photos that strangers have "pinned" off sites like Google Images and just looking through Google Images and "pinning" them from there yourself? I get that it's sort of a bulletin board you can share with others, but I'm wondering why I would want to share my images with others. Generally when I see a photo online -- say, a vintage pattern on Etsy that makes me chuckle -- I'll copy it to my desktop and there it will remain until I delete it or upload it to a Picasa file (if I want to be able to repost it on MPB).
It's not that I'm against the idea of this pinning thing, I truly don't understand the purpose.
Then there's the fact that when I first read about Pinterest I requested an invite, received it, was flummoxed by the instructions to sign up via Facebook or Twitter, somehow lost the invite, and subsequently made multiple invite requests over the following year or so, all of which were ignored. I tried again the other day and this time received an email saying, and I quote:
Thanks for requesting an invite. We'll be sure to send one soon.
Soon? I'm sorry, this is 2012; nothing has to be done soon. What, do they have to check my references?
So while I sit on the waiting list like this was Harvard or something (Will I receive a thick email or a thin email?!), I'm wondering what I'm going to do with the thing. Actually, I made a funny discovery yesterday: there's already a whole Male Pattern Boldness on Pinterest page -- and I can't even join! A number of readers have cut and pasted images they've seen here (totally fine with me, btw) and posted them on their Pinterest page. Then other people like it (not too many of those, sigh) or comment on it, or repin it.
There's something very teenage-bedroom-wall about the whole thing if you ask me.
I have nothing against self-expression and I was a teenager with a wall once too. Today, I just have a desktop and lots of files in a folder labeled Sewing, with a zillion sub-folders I look through now and then, plus countless Picasa files... OK, maybe there's something to Pinterest after all.
The problem is that, like Facebook, it's fun when it's new and a few people are on it, but when everyone's on it, liking this and liking that -- everything from MPB to 7-Eleven -- and announcing it to the world, it gets old very fast.
The reason these sites are free is because our eyes are being sold to advertisers, right? I guess you could say the same about blogs though I'm not sure how that works, do you?
Friends, are you active on Pinterest? If so, how do you use it? Do you consider it mindless entertainment for when you don't feel like thinking -- on par with Colorforms, jigsaw puzzles, adult webcams, and needlepoint -- or do you find it valuable in other ways?
If you have a blog, do you think it's just that much more virtual noise -- lots of chatter but not much substance (a la Twitter) and ultimately another chore to maintain regularly -- or has it helped you get the word out?
Should I want to be accepted by Pinterest -- yes or no?
Happy Friday, everybody!
Posts
I think Pinterest is very useful for saving images along with the image location, especially if you need to reference the link later (say, a sewing tutorial or recipe). Actually, that's all I use it for. I don't really understand the weird obsessions some people get with pinning everything to a million different boards, but eh, to each their own!
ReplyDeleteAnd I first discovered Pinterest when I noticed my blog was getting a lot of hits from there - it was a little unsettling at first (hundreds of pictures of me on a site I didn't even know existed, uhhh..?), but it doesn't bother me now. Oh, who am I kidding? I'm totally flattered haha.
Anyway, I can send you an invite code if you still want one :)
I agree with Lauren - it's very easy to use Pinterest to keep track of recipes, sewing tutorials, and inspiration (cheesy as that may sound).
DeleteThat's it in a nutshell for me too. I used to 'bookmark' blog posts for future reference, and this is the same except it's visual and easier to organize. When I was sharing the theme of your post today with my husband (which I do most days), he said, "Guys don't get Pinterest." So there you have it in a nutshell.
DeleteFor me, the value of Pinterest is more than just a compendium of images, it's a way to sort links that I like and a way to see what people who share my interests have also found. It's handy for keeping track of tutorials or recipes and it can be easily accessed across multiple platforms.
ReplyDeleteSo it's like bookmarking?
DeleteIt's like bookmarking, but *visual* bookmarking. I have a pretty pedestrian account where I have "bags" and picture/links to all of the tutorials I've collected over the years to various styles of tote and messanger bags I've made or want to make. It's much easier for me to look through than trying to think up clever titles for my bookmarks. ("tote bage with long handles" "tote bag with contrasting bottom panel" "tote bag with lining" "tote bag with piping" -- seriously: it was out of control).
DeleteI think that's why I don't make tote bags. ;)
DeleteHah!
Delete- Ann
I use it to keep track of visual references for various projects that I am working on. I also follow a lot of boards by people who spend a lot more time on the computer than I do... saves me combing through all the sites etc...
ReplyDeleteor I could be totally honest and say it's the ultimate eye candy procrastination and I should probably start a twelve step program... cause it's a wee bit distracting... ;)
Think about it...how many times have you saved a picture and couldn't remember WHERE it came from? And you search for an hour trying to re-find the source to no avail?
ReplyDeletePinterest helps address that problem. I use Pinterest to save inspiration for myself. The nice thing about it is that you not only save the picture, but you get to write a few notes about it and save the original source, all in one step. I find the additional information helpful.
I think that the idea of "following others" on pinterest is more similar to looking at curated lists of anything. you find someone who posts a lot of things that inspire you, and you get to see new things pop up that they pin without having to search for them directly. It's actually similar to following blogs on google reader as opposed to needing to remember which blogs you like and typing in the URL to see if updates are posted.
I have always hated the idea of putting myself out there for the purpose of free advertising, which is why I don't actively use facebook or twitter for discussing products, but the convenience of sorting my inspiration using Pinterest has caused me to make this one exception.
That's why I like/use Pinterest. But I can totally understand why one might not want to :)
i LOVE pinterest, have been on it for at least a year, and use it a lot. i have a board for recipes (so i can 'see' the recipe, and have the link for it), books i want to read, fashion that i like (and looking over the board i can see my style emerging), garden stuff, specific costume boards, and on, and on, and on.
ReplyDeletemy boards are here:
http://pinterest.com/mamafitz/
i also like that i can follow people who share my interests, and i've found some interesting things that way. i also like that i can share boards with friends. for instance, i'll be making a costume for a friend, a la moulin rouge, and we created a mutual board that we both can pin inspiration to.
most of all, i like that i can access it through my phone when i'm out and about. i can quick look up that recipe to make sure i'm picking up all the ingredients. i can show so-and-so that quilt i was talking about. i can show the garden center the plant i'm looking for.
OMG, you're like the poster child of Pinterest!
Deletei'm a pintervangelist! :)
Deleteseriously, i love the site. i'm a visual person, and bookmarking or dragging images to a folder just never worked for me.
I use Pinterest to pin pictures, exclusively. I was getting frustrated by the whole "saving pictures on the computer" process. With Pinterest, the layout is much easier to use and I also have the link to the original page for more info.
ReplyDeletePlus the whole display means I can extract global trends (shape, colors ...) more easily.
I don't browse, though. Too overwhelming !
I don't use the "social" aspect of Pinterest (with one exception). I use it as a reference to myself. I'm on the web on several devices and computers, so saving an image isn't as simple as dumping it to a folder on my computer--I want to be able to reference it in multiple places.
ReplyDeleteThe one instance where I "share" my board and have multiple contributors is for the dance troupe I'm a part of. We're collaborating on a new costume design and Pinterest provides a great place for all of us to share ideas without a million emails flying back and forth.
I love Pinterest. I use it to post pictures of different things that I just like, but don't necessarily want to clutter up my computer with. It's also useful to keep track of links to sites with projects and instructions that I would like to use at some point in the future. Such things have a tendency to get lost in my computer. It's also a place to look at other people's clothing ideas, recipes and places to go see. It's just fun.
ReplyDeleteHa! I could have written this post myself. I thought the same thing when I got the email that said I would be hearing from them "soon". What? After they complete the background check? Anything that requires Facebook is a deal-breaker for me, anyway.
ReplyDeletePinterest seems more like virtual magazine page-flipping to me. But I guess I can see its appeal. I just don't want to spend that much time on a computer.
yup ... yup ... and yup.
ReplyDeleteMost of my thoughts have already been expressed by other commentors (commenters ... what is the correct spelling???).
It does drive traffic, too. If I see something I like pinned by someone else, I will go to the source and check the site/blog/whatever out. Pinterest, along with just about every other major social media makes all links "no follow" which means there is very little link juice being generated. This impacts page rank and the probably of being on top of the heap of search engine results pages, so IF one wants traffic to their site, they're going to have to make some noise. Pinterest is a good way to make some noise as it's the fastest growing social medium. At least, it was the other day.
SEO gooblety-gook aside, it's a whole LOT of fun.
In regards to bookmarking ... that pattern I was seeking and found here on your blog, on a two-year old post (!) ... I found using Google Images for my search string, then pinned it to one of my boards. I had no problem finding you again! :o)
I like Pinterest mostly to collect sewing inspiration (I'll google "striped matte jersey dress" and pin all the dresses I like...) but I also follow a lot of sewists and can pin from their inspiration (things I didn't even know I wanted to be inspired to do!) and recipes or tups my non-sewing friends have found and kindly shared with me
ReplyDeleteI went through the exact same drill as you Peter.. got curious, wanted an account, requested an invite and then got REALLY ANNOYED with what followed. I need to wait for an invite.. like REALLY? Wtf? It's 2012 for god's sake, how long does it take? And then I get an invite and realize I can only sign in via Facebook or Twitter. WTF?? I don't have neither of those... so sc**w Pinterest.. not interested any more....
ReplyDeleteI'm really annoyed with it, can you tell?:)
From reading the above posts, I was starting to get interested. But like yourself, I don't do facebook or twitter. I'm starting to feel as if I'm in the 21st century resistance movement or something.
DeleteYou don't actually need to sign in using Facebook, it's just set up in a way that pushes that option. You can choose your own login details if you want.
DeleteGood to know, thanks.
DeletePinterest apparently hates Hotmail, just to let you guys know. I tried three times to get an account, then decided to use my Gmail to sign up. I was granted access the next day.
DeleteI will confess I'm not as big a pinterest addict as some people. But I find it useful (much like my desktop inspiration folder) for collecting images of things I like, especially patterns and styles. What it has above that desktop folder is that it retains the link to the source post---so if I decide I want to use a picture later in an inspiration post, I can find the source and link to it, whereas if it's in my desktop folder I'll have forgotten completely where I got that image. As to following people---if you follow the right people (or boards) they can basically do the "work" of finding cool pictures, tutorials, whatever, for you. Eg. one person I follow has a whole board of links to photography tutorials. Sure, I could google "photography tutorials" and sift through the tonne of hits---but this way she's pre-screened them and picked the good ones. So I save time. :)
ReplyDeleteThe sign in via facebook only thing is a bit weird, I will definitely grant that.
Yes, perhaps it's my vintage as well. I don't get it.
ReplyDeleteI'm not up on Google Images, but I do have a collection of pictures I use to entertain my Grandkids on Pinterest, as well as a page of my Granddaughter's favorites to build an understanding of her tastes (mostly food so far). I don't spend a lot of time on it, but I do enjoy it when the kids are playing and I have to do something but be able to pay attention to them.
ReplyDeletePinterest is all about ME! I don't browse other people's boards. As I'm puttering on the web, if I see something I want to be able to see again I add it to my pinterest boards. I go back and look at MY boards regularly, so it's more like a bookmark site for me. Occasionally I may find something on another board, but very rarely. It's not time consuming this way. It's actually a time saver for me.
ReplyDeleteI guess if you are a real visual person, like me, it is eye candy times 20! The thing I like about it, is that when you get enough boards, and you look at them all at a glance, you can start to see the person's personality, visually. You can also see the colors you are drawn to. I started pinning away, with things that visually appealed to me, and then I started seeing visually where I lean towards.
ReplyDeleteI also like the fact that it is all in one place, and you can then go to the site that it originally came from.
I love it!!!
I haven't signed up for Pinterest because the last thing I need in life is more distractions! If it requires Facebook I would not sign up anyway. I deleted my Facebook account after it got hacked by somebody in Spain. I thought about creating a new account under a pseudonym, but I'm enjoying NOT having to read the mundane details of everybody's daily life.
ReplyDeleteI blog but I've only got a private facebook account, no facobook blog page, no twitter, no pinterest, no nothing. It's fine with me if other bloggers are doing that but I don't feel like I miss out on anything. But maybe I've just got no sense for PR...
ReplyDeleteI don't get Pinterest at all. There's already enough stuff for me to waste time looking at on the internet, it doesn't interest me at all.
ReplyDeleteSorry to bring this up, but from a copyright point of view, it's a gigantic can of worms. Personally, I feel uncomfortable using other people's images on my blog so Pinterest sets off all sorts alarm bells for me.
As for Facebook - it's for people, not companies, but that's a rant for another day.
Corporations are people too, Tamara! LOL
DeleteKeep in mind that each picture is a portal to the original bloggers blog. For most bloggers, the minute a item on Pinterest gains some attention, traffic to their Blog site increases DRAMATICALLY. There are volumes written about how to increase traffic to your blog via Pinterest.
DeleteI adore Pinterest. I will be the first to say that much of my Pinterest activity is just a relaxing escapist activity, and I'm totally cool with that, since I'm pretty bored of TV, but I still want to sit on my pockets and veg sometimes. That isn't all it is, though; I have also found a LOT of value in it.
ReplyDeleteLike other commenters, I pin a lot of tutorials, recipes, etc., and I refer to them regularly. I LOVE having a virtual bulletin board that links back to the source of the photo. My tech-oriented husband has "helped" in the past by introducing me to a number of bookmarking-type systems, but I really need the pictures. (My bookmarks are a graveyard of stuff I can't remember.)
Another main reason I pin is to collect inspiration for future projects. We are in the process of buying a house (knock wood) that will need a lot of work. When I pin pictures of rooms I think look good, I'm not really thinking about what suits my "style" (what IS my style?). It is nice to look at a bunch of images all together and see my style clearly (Oh, I do have a style! And it is really my own, and not just a copy of other pinners I follow, yay!). I've tried other ways to collect inspiration or ideas (on and offline) but none of them have had the same impact for me.
One more thing. Pinterest is so much more useful to me now that I try to practice proper pinning. I make an effort to pin from the original source, and not from a blog of a blog of a blog. And definitely not straight from Google images, unless there is no other way to capture the image.
I like Pinterest because you can check out curated collections of images from people's who's taste you like. For example, I'd love to follow a board of Etsy patterns that make Peter chuckle.
ReplyDeleteI'll just stick with delicious (or whatever delicious is now) for my bookmarking. Some of my bookmarks are public and some aren't.
ReplyDeleteI have gone to pinterist to search for craft ideas (like non-candy valentines) becuase someone out there has already done the work for me!
I love Pinterest and probably spend too much time on it, but that has eased off recently.
ReplyDeleteI use Pinterest as a visual bookmark, I also use to keep track of what sewing books I have in my collection so I don't buy duplicates, wish lists (it worked this year on my birthday), and I even have a few communal boards, Sewing Details for Jeans, and Minoru Jackets for examples.
My Pinterest board has no connection with my Facebook account, so you definitely don't have to have FB to have Pinterest.
Elle, if you don't mind my asking, how do you sign in? My understanding from everything I've read is that you DO need a FB or Twitter account. Am I mistaken?
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteYup, you are mistaken you do not need a FB or Twitter account to sign in, I like to keep my online persona separate from my real life persona. My god that sounds pretentious, but it's morning and I can't be bothered trying to fix that.
DeleteAnyway, when you go to the Pinterest page the first time to sign in, this is what you will see:
https://pinterest.com/login/
Ignore the Facebook and Twitter boxes and use your email address as your login, and choose your password. That's it. I believe the FB and Twitter boxes are there for convenience.
LOL. My story is similar to yours. I lost my invite and then when I tried to open an account the same thing happened. Yesterday I was finally 'approved' and welcomed to Pinterest. Only now that I've got it I don't know if I like it! I also can't quite figure out how to use it so that means I have to read all the instructions. All of these social networking sites are like time sinks. I used to read a lot more which seems a much better use of my leisure time than the hours I while away on the internet.
ReplyDeleteActually the reason this site is free is better than advertising, it's that your pictures are usually being re-pinned without any attribution whatsoever to you..
ReplyDeletehttp://greekgeek.hubpages.com/hub/Is-Pinterest-a-Haven-for-Copyright-Violations
Happily, this could be a problem for the violators as well: http://techcrunch.com/2012/03/20/copyright-issues-could-spur-changes-to-pinterests-terms-of-use-and-pin-etiquette/
I suppose I can see the usefulness - a place to store images online in a categorizes sort of way, which would be helpful to people with smartphones who are out shopping or whatever. But I guess I just don't really see how it would be useful for me? I like to save images myself... And while I suppose it would be just as easy to Pin them, well, I guess I just don't feel the need? I already spend too much time online and organizing my digital life, when I would really rather spend time in the real world sewing and doing other things.
ReplyDeleteI use it to keep up with tutorials that i want to try, patterns that I think i want to buy, recipes that look fun, and clothing that I would maybe like to knock off one day. I don't really worry about maintaining it I pin when I feel like it and leave it be when I don't. It has made finding tutorials much easier.
ReplyDeletei ignored my first invite and then a year later decided i wanted to join...i sent the request to join and waited...and waited...and waited. In the end i got a FB friend to invite me. Which resulted in an instant invitation request sent to my email.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy pinterest; i don't socialise but do use it as visual pin board for inspiration re sewing, decorating, design etc and the best part is i don't have to use my hard drive space to store the hundreds of images i have. I love the tutorials that a pin leads to. I do follow some people as they have similar interests or design preferences and then i repin images that i like.
I don't pinterest every day, but i do check in regularly, especially when i need to access a particular tutorial.
Suzi, are you telling me "pinterest" is now a verb? :O
DeleteI love Pinterest - it suits my lifestyle at the moment. ^_^ I trawl for sewing inspiration while on sanity breaks at work. I used to email myself links CONSTANTLY so that I could save the articles and images once I got home. It made for a horrible, cluttered inbox, plus nothing was easily accessible, PLUS after saving, I often forgot where I'd found the image in the first place.
ReplyDeleteHaving a centralized web service where I can save images, especially with the ability to sort things by specialized pinboards (e.g., "Fabric shopping" "Sewing - Embellishments"), has been invaluable to me. The mechanic of it is really easy, too; no remembering URLs, no emailing stuff to myself. And the visual layout works for me - I can see stuff spread out and easily compare images.
Also, I get the fun of spotting beautiful things and "claiming them", as it were. I don't own a house in which I could keep a funky turquoise piano, nor can I afford a gorgeous makes-me-weak-in-the-knees Aston Martin. But I can find lovely photos of them and tuck images of them away on my little pinboards to be admired later. I've actually find myself impulse buying a lot less by satisfying the urge for "stuff" via Pinterest. :D
I love it. I kind of don't know how i saved anything without it, which is pretty sad I am all too fully aware. Before Pinterest, I would save images I liked from blogs I follow in inspiration folders. 6 months later I have no idea where I found them or why - it really is a great tool. And following people with similar taste means getting access to a ton of resources you may not have access to on your own.
ReplyDeleteWow - I'm late to this party but let me say that I SO agree with you Peter. I have no interest in Pinterest! I've got enough ways to see photos. I don't need yet another.
ReplyDeleteI'm a pininterest fan because the pins I posted are links to "How To"s of clever ideeas..like a tutorial for a fun skirt I'd like to try. I'm terrible about posting my own pictures so this works for me and I don't really do it to share with others but moer a quick reference for me. Now I'll go read the 38 other comments. You are so good at posting your stuff on Picasa and your blog...so I can see why this might not appeal to you. Fon instance I don't tweet :) and what the heck is a hash tag???
ReplyDeleteI am happy to say I am definitely in love with Pinterest. However, I use it to pin ideas and inspirations for my creative projects. I pin recipes and crafts I want to try. I prefer it because it is a way to bookmark, categorize and visualize a website source without having a lot links listed in my browsers bookmark list. I also pin images of clothes that I want to try to recreate with my sewing skills. Before Pinterest, I used to do this by spending hours cutting images out of magazines and pining them to my cork board in my sewing room.
ReplyDeleteNow, on the flipside of that I absolutely, 100% do not pin things like inspirational quotes or funny pictures of cats. That stuff is what gets old to me. People post that same sort of thing to FB and it annoys me. I also do not use it as a social media platform. I don't talk to people on there. I follow my actual real life friends and a few other blogging friends and that's it!
I think pinterest is far too random, and its search feature to narrow things down doesn't work very well. I really did not like having to wait for an invite. If I had a lot of extra time I guess it would be fun to browse through a bunch of pretty images, but I don't.
ReplyDeleteI was a bit off-put by the waiting list too. And I'm VERY analog for someone who blogs. So, I use pintrest in a pretty limited way - mostly as inspiration boards for my sewing and to save tutorials and recipes. Really it cuts down on the "now where did I see that tutorial on french seams" time waste. But I follow very few people - mostly just other sewing bloggers and a few friends.
ReplyDeleteI look up my friends' Pinterest boards so I know what to buy them for their birthday.
ReplyDeleteI mostly use Pinterest as a way to find inspiration or new craft projects. I've subscribed to a few boards here and there for DIY project ideas and now I barely have to do any work to run across a new project. I mostly decided to take the leap when my computer died and I lost ALL my bookmarks, inspiration photos, etc. When I'm feeling uninspired or bored with my current project, I can go there and see everything in one place.
ReplyDeleteThe reason I like Pinterest: you can link back to source material with one single click based on a visual, rather than a written organizational system. The originator of the material gets credit in terms of a hit, so to speak. I always try to click through to an original post and don't like to link to Tumbler(which is largely unattributed), for this reason.
ReplyDeleteI ditto the comments of others, that you can follow people with similar interests and let them do all the research for you. Right now, and I have no FB "friends" and no blog, my most popular board is Old fashioned summer porches. There is a lot of repetition of pictures on Pinterest and I try to put up some older links and even pictures from my Pictures file, which goes back more than a decade.
If you use several computers or travel, all your pins are available to you on a cloud, wherever you are. I have an extensive recipe collection at my home; when I go to my house in NH, I still like to cook, but I don't have acess to all my recipes - now, with Pinterest, I do, once I PIN them all. I also have inspiration for projects. I can link to a pattern picture or schematic, so I have yardage requirements when I am out shopping, same as linking to a Pinned recipe as I search for ingredients. Right now, my primary use of Pinterest is to keep track of ideas and fixtures as I fix up my new house.
It is interesting to see a clear pattern of inspiration emerge as one happily pins away. It can be a time waster, but it also is a form of pleasant entertainment, which, in my case, keeps stress at bay and keeps me organized no matter where I am.
Finally, it is better than losing all your images in a computer crash, as has happened to me twice.
I was on Pinterest, but got off, because I got tired of seeing things about "creative ways to hang your Christmas Cards" and other super lame stuff like that. :D It seems like a time suck to me. Most the people *I* know who use it say they use it for their creative stuff... but, really, they're not very creative. Sounds judgmental, but whatever.
ReplyDeleteI have a lot of friends on pinterest, but i'm not that interested. Seems like a big time suck and I'd rather spend my time more constructively.
ReplyDeleteI use pinterest sparingly... And I too requested an invite, but by the time it arrived (weeks later) I was over it and didn't sign up. I guess I deleted the e-mail, because I couldn't find it when I decided to join finally. And as you said, I requested another one and was still waiting. That's when a friend sent me an invite so I could join immediately.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed seeing some "inspiration" images of style/clothing, and I love seeing the food/drink recipes that my friends post. It saves me the trouble of searching and sifting through recipes when I can just check out what my friends have already posted.
But I post sparingly, and I mostly just repin things that my friends have posted, as a way to bookmark what I like. It sure makes it easy to share!
Pinterest is just my lazy way of keeping track of things I bookmark. My bookmarks folder in my computer is a crazy, messy place. Pinterest, for me, is like Supernanny for bookmarks.
ReplyDeleteLinking back to the source page so easily is a big plus.
When I look at the list of things I bookmark on chrome I am usually a bit bereft and clueless. Shame on me. Such technology at my fingertips and it's a bit of a shambles.
The visual aspect is a winner, no?
On the other hand, I have absolutely no interest whatsoever in who likes my pins, who repins them... pfff.
I do really squirm though when some face with no pins at all "follows" me. What's that all about? Who are they? Why do they follow thousands of people, but only have twelve pictures to their names?
I do agree though that the copyright issues have massive ramifications that could keep us talking for days.
And while I'm here I'd like to congratulate you, Peter, on having one of the most engaging and friendly blogs I have come across. I am Scottish, I live in France. MPB is a daily treat and tonic, and a joy to read, usually as a nightcap. Or when I am trying to fathom the bottomless mysteries of the innards of a sewing machine.
yeah, wtf, why do i have to have facebook or twitter to use the site?? from what i knew about pinterest it seemed like it would be sweet for saving images that i liked for ideas for my basement remodel. but i don't want to use fb or twitter ... so ... i guess i'll just bookmark links if it's really cool or just try to remember....
ReplyDeleteLike most people above, I use it as a visual bookmarking site. I do follow people and occaisionally I'll browse through their pins, but generally I just pin the stuff I want to remember. It's such an easy way to do that and no more losing a link in a bookmark folder!
ReplyDeleteYou also don't need to use Facebook or Twitter to sign in, just choose your own login details. They have it set up so that it pushes that option but it's not necessary if you're paying attention (which they probably count on).
One thing to be aware of is the TAC, which makes you personally liable for any copyright violations. It's not such a big deal for me because I generally only pin tutorials etc. but people who pin photography, art or commercially available things are potentially at risk.
Thanks for emailing me an invite, Jacqui. Woohoo, I'm one of the cool kids!
DeleteWhile I wish it was me who had been so thoughtful, it must have been another Jacqui. Clearly she is both thoughtful as well as tasteful for spelling Jacqui like me, reading your blog and being on Pinterest :) It's like we're twins!
DeleteI use it as a pictorial bookmark! my computer can crash and I will still have my bookmarks! and.. you are one of my pins! and hopefully my pinning you will help others.
ReplyDeleteI personally use Pinterest to stop cluttering up my PC. Any cool tidbits I run across are pinned onto the appropriate custom-labeled board in my account so that not only do I have the image that sparked my interest easily visible to remind me of it's existence, but I also have a direct link to it's original location.
ReplyDeleteThat's a lot simpler than saving an image to a sub-sub-sub-folder on my computer with a horrendously long file name detailing the image's provenance...
I love Pinterest and use it, like many have said, as a visual bookmark sort of thing. My boards are mostly sewing related, by garment type.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate that it keeps the link, that is sooo much better than saving to the pc.
I don't really use the social aspect though I do follow people I know and/or have pinned things similar to my tastes.
I have FB and Twitter but I separated my FB from Pinterest the very day I opened the account.
As for the copyright issue, since I mostly pin from the same series of websites (Modcloth, Anthro etc), I always type the source AND add tags that feature first of all things the name of the source. I'm very OCD about that because of my training and professional life (museums and schools). That's also the reason I don't repin as much as I could: I can't stand it when people just write "Love this dress!!!"
I like to imagine that I'm doing a public service to others on Pinterest by being so precise, LOL!
You don't need Pinterest, as you have this uber-cool site for your pictures. I post picture-links to great sites like this one that I think other people might benefit from visiting.
ReplyDeleteHa! It's a fun tool for visual people and has a great interface. I love using Pinterest for visual bookmarks, as others have said. It's much easier than bookmarking or dragging pictures to the computer. BUT and a big BUT--like someone else noted, it'll probably go through some growing pains because it hasn't sorted through copyright issues and there are some inevitable law suits just waiting... AND it's starting to get flooded with people pinning products in order to sell. And also nothing is private. Sometimes I want to pin inspirations but I don't want the public (maybe some select friends) seeing what I'm inspired by.
ReplyDeleteI'll agree with the visual bookmarking aspect. Especially since my little "scanner" brain needs categories to keep track of things and visual cues as to what I saved that page for ANYWAY.
ReplyDeleteAs a blogger, I think it drives traffic to my site. NOT my pinning things, or asking people to follow me on Pinterest - but as others see something they like, pin it, and then it tends to snowball. Since I'm a good blogger, my stuff ends up in folks' recipe boards. If that's a good way for them to save it, good on 'em. (I have not, as yet, gotten Blogger to correctly spit out the Index page I created, so I understand the frustration of finding THAT ONE POST in the archive)
I'm on facebook and PatternReview, I write a blog, and I follow many blogs. I hardly have time for sewing! I'm not ready for Pinterest, but my DD really likes it. Oh, well.
ReplyDeleteI need to keep track of things like everybody else, but I use Evernote instead. I have copyright and privacy concerns about Pinterest, so it is just easier for me to use Evernote. It is on all my devices and goes with me everywhere.
ReplyDeleteLong before Pinterest came along I discovered a little app called LittleSnapper. It does EXACTLY the same thing as Pinterest but it's a separate program (only for Macs). It has its own browser and also uses your screen-grab shortcuts so you can collate images you find anywhere.
ReplyDeleteIt then stores them with their links and you can annotate right onto the image or add notes and tags.
I use this to store my drawing and sewing inspiration. For me it's better than Pinterest because I've got better control over the images I snap. I can zoom in on them etc which is handy for drawing.
So I do have a Pinterest account which I've had for ages but it only has a couple of things on it because I just haven't taken to it like LittleSnapper. LittleSnapper is more private and personal and no one needs to see the images I use for inspiration if I don't want them to.
Also - I went on Pinterest the other day and just typed in the word 'dress' to see what came up. The screen became FLOODED with images of the same dresses over and over which have been 'tag spammed' (as I called it) so they hit higher in the pile. I don't like this blatant and unimaginative use of advertising. It turned me off completely to be honest!
Hi Peter,
ReplyDeleteYou are a recent discovery, and a delight! I use Pinterest as a handy bookmarking site: I like having a picture as a visual reminder, and the link to the source page is essential. Don't clutter up your brain with looking at other people's posts unless you find that people who follow you have simpatico tastes--you can discover some cool things, but it can be a huge time suck! It does get weird when you get messages like "Ellen Degeneres is following your pins." then you really know the commercial world has really got their hooks into it. I just try to ignore that part and read blogs by people like you! Thanks for all your posts! Jessica
I like Pinterest for dance costume design, it's really good as a virtual whiteboard for keeping track of sketches, patterns, swatches etc.
ReplyDeleteI use Pinterest just as a bookmarking website. I see something I want to save, a fabric, pattern, link etc and pin it. I don't look through other peoples pins as I am not really that interested, I just use it to stop my laptop getting clogged up with pictures and it means I can access them fro different locations rather than just saving to my hard drive.
ReplyDeleteDid you know you lose the rights of your own image when it's pinned.
ReplyDeleteDerivative works rights perhaps but I can't see how one could lose copyright
DeleteI've been hesitating also joining Pinterest or not. Now I know I need a Facebook or Twitter account I won't. My desktop is full of files with the photographs I choose and then I pass them to a pendrive, because I don't want to lose them, but I don't remember where they come from. Looking for something like pinterest without the public thing, I've found Springpad. From what I've read it allows to have a private profile and it's similar to pinterest with boards and all that stuff. But I haven't test it yet.
ReplyDeleteI've been using Springpad for a couple of years now and not only is it great, it's free!!
DeleteI'm seriously considering joining because I would like to start up my at home sewing business and I could take pictures of my work and post them there! If anyone is interested I could tell them the location of the place I sell from (on a consignment basis). I never really considered it until your post Peter! Great free exposure......maybe I could get things going to a point that I could kiss them goodbye at my job!! LOL! Wouldn't that be fabulous!!!
ReplyDeleteI have an account that I've never used. I've been on maybe once or twice, but I know people who absolutely love it. I don't really get it. But it does send a bit traffic my way. I may have to force myself to pin a few things to see what all the fuss is about.
ReplyDeleteOh, and eighty percent of pinterest users are women. I wonder why that is?
I notice people keep bringing up copyright issues with Pinterest. Don't any of you ever see the mess of Tumblr acounts?!?! I DESPISE when I find an image via Google search, only to discover it's un-credited on some teenager's Tumblr... How am I to find out who owns that image if some lazy micro-blogger doesn't link back to where they found it? OR WORSE, the back-link is to another Tumblr, which is back-linked to ANOTHER Tumblr, and so on ad nauseum until I either find the original source or BLAM, hit a lack of accreditation...
ReplyDeleteTry using the Tineye site, they can often find the original source of images that have lost their attribution (I dislike tumblr for that reason too)
DeletePinterest. Tumblr. etc. Sorry but I don't get it *at all*. I do have 4 friends (well, relatives actually) on Facebook, though. But I never ever post anything and I'm using a fake name and a fake address because I really don't trust it.
ReplyDeleteIn a very short period of time, Pinterest became the number one source of traffic to my blog thanks to other pinners who pinned photos from my blog. I also pin my own photos from my blog and from my etsy shops in order to showcase things I make or blog about. It's an excellent way to self-promote and a pins can go viral, quickly.
ReplyDeleteI also like to see what other like-minded folks are pinning when it comes to vintage home decor and sewing. It's also a super source of inspiration on just about any topic you can imagine.
It is also a giant time suck. ;-)
I, too, found that "invitation" to Pinterest thing off-putting. What's the deal on that?
ReplyDeleteAfter I finally got the email and registered, I discovered I really don't care for Pinterest. Springpad works better for me.
I'm still trying to figure out how Facebook makes money.
ReplyDeleteI don't use facebook or twitter and I sign into pinterest. I haven't used it in ages but like it for all the reasons mentioned. I actually forgot what I had on my boards and needed to check something out as a project and I had one already pinned. I got an invite really quick, but that was ages ago, and signed in with my email.
ReplyDeleteJosette
Forgive me if I am repeating something that has already been said here ... i just CAN'T do 92 posts, but i thought
ReplyDeletePinterest was ridiculous, too, until I saw this... http://www.businessinsider.com/pinterest-founding-story-2012-4?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Falleyinsider%2Fsilicon_alley_insider+%28Silicon+Alley+Insider%29&utm_content=FaceBook
If you can spare the time, it is sooooooooo worth watching. Then, it will be crystal clear.
I'm with you. I sign up for things like Pinterest (and before that, Polyvore) and most recently, Springpad, but I don't really see the point. Pinterest's subscription process was indeed annoying. I was put on their waiting list. I also hate sites that make me sign up through Facebook. (I use a special Facebook account for those things.)
ReplyDeleteI use Evernote. I can create my own private collections and share them if I choose.