36 | September 2012 www.womanthismonth.com Sharing Inspiration Anyone with an ounce of creativity should be indulging in the latest online fad; pinning. Share inspiring ideas, notions and musings and in turn be enthused. If you can’t get enough of Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, blogging and any other social media sites then you must make sure you start pinning with Pinterest. Although launched in 2010, it is only in recent months that the site has really taken off globally to become the hottest new social media site. A BBC article reported that last June there were 1.3million unique visitors globally and exactly a year later there was an extraordinary 31.2 million. Recent research has labelled it the third most popular social media site in the U.S. The site is a content sharing network that retains elements of blogging, but is predominantly image led. Users can ‘pin’ images, videos and other objects from the internet. Users create boards upon which they can upload any images that they happen to stumble across/like/be inspired by to share with the world. Just like with Twitter, you can follow people whose boards you like and similarly you will soon be obsessed with gathering your own clan of followers. It’s really simple to sign up to use the site and the founders have recently opened the site to all. You can choose to connect with either your Facebook or Twitter account, and images you ‘pin’ will simultaneously be posted here. Creating a Pinterest account is currently free and instantaneous, so we advise you get going now! Why is it different? Think of Pinterest as a virtual mood board. Users steer clear of elongated text and instead opt for simply a few words that describe each image. You can pin anything that you like from the internet and share it with the Pinterest community, giving the site an almost educational role. Who is pinning? The site works because everybody and anybody can use it, so users’ eyes will be opened to a whole new world of images. You can follow the likes of fashion stylists, celebrities, artists, musicians in addition to any Tom, Dick or Harry that takes your fancy. Is it user-friendly? Yes. The layout is uncomplicated and clear, with the home page displaying profiles that the site deems you’re interested in. Images are quick and easy to upload too; once you’ve created an account you are invited to add a ‘Pin It’ bookmark on your web browser, so that whenever you are on a site with images you love, you can press the bookmark and choose the image you want to post on your Pinterest profile. The site is also an app. Online
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