Use of Pinterest

 

If you’re curious about Pinterest, you’re not alone. Since its founding in 2010, the site has become the third most popular social network in the United States, according to the "2012 Digital Marketer: Benchmark and Trend Report" published by Experian Marketing Services. Pinterest is essentially a high-tech social version of a corkboard to which you can pin images and videos and share them with others around the world. Each pin is an thumbnail image that links back to the original website, making it easy to save ideas that you want to try or read at more leisure at a later date. The site contains a continuous feed of pins from your friends as well as a public feed to give you inspiration and help you discover new things.

Instructions

1. Getting Started

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     Create an account. Pinterest is invitation-only, so you must request an invitation from the Pinterest homepage or from a current Pinterest user. Once you’ve received the invitation in your email, follow the link to set up your account.
     
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     Follow other users. When you register, Pinterest automatically suggests users for you to follow based on interests you select, but you'll also want to see pins from people you know. Select “Find Friends” from the drop-down menu under your name in the upper right corner and sign in with Facebook, Gmail or Yahoo to locate friends from your contact lists. You can also search for friends by name using the search bar at the top of the page, or invite new users to join you.
     
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     Use different boards to organize your pins. Click “Add” at the top of the page and select “Create a Board.” Give each board a descriptive name – like “Food,” “Style” or “Favorite Books” – that represents the type of things you’ll be pinning, and select a category from the drop-down menu. Click “Create Board” when you’re finished.
     

   Installing the Pin It Button

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     Hover over “About” in the navigation bar at the top of the page and select “Pin It Button” from the drop-down menu. This button enables you to quickly pin images from the Web.
     
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     Enable the bookmarks toolbar in your browser, if it isn’t already enabled. For Firefox, click the orange Firefox button, click on "Options" and check “Bookmarks Toolbar” on the flyout menu. In Chrome, click the wrench icon, hover over “Bookmarks” and select “Show Bookmarks Bar” from the menu that appears. If you’re using Internet Explorer, right-click in the blank space beside the new tab button or beneath the address bar and select “Favorites Bar.”
     
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     Add the Pin It button to your Bookmarks toolbar. Click the "Pin It" button and, holding down your left mouse button, drag it onto the toolbar. Release it when the mouse icon changes to a plus (+) sign.
     

   Start Pinning

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     Use the Pin It button to pin images from a website. On the website you want to pin, click the “Pin It” button in the bookmarks toolbar to see the pinnable images from the page. Hover over the image you want to pin and click “Pin This.” Select the board you want your pin to appear on from the drop-down menu and enter a description in the text box. If you’ve linked your Facebook and Twitter accounts, click the check boxes to share your pin on those sites. Click “Pin It” to save the pin.
     
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     Pin a URL. Copy the URL of the page you want to pin from the address bar. Click “Add” in the navigation bar at the top of Pinterest’s homepage and select “Add A Pin.” Paste the URL in the text box and click “Find Images.” Click “Prev” and “Next” to select the image you want to use. Select a board from the drop-down menu, enter a description, and click “Pin It” to add the pin.
     
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     Pin an image from your computer. On the Pinterest homepage, click “Add” and select “Upload a Pin.” Click “Browse” and select the image from your computer that you want to pin. Categorize and describe the pin and click “Pin It.”
     
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     Use the “Pin It” button built into many websites and blogs. Click the “Pin It” icon on the page and a window pops up with a preselected image and a description already filled in. Select a board from the drop-down menu and click “Pin It” to pin the page.
     
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     Repin from other pinners. If a friend posts something fantastic that you’re dying to try, you can repin it to one of your boards. Hover over the pin and click “Repin.” Assign it to one of your boards, and add your own description or use the original – it’s already filled in for you.
     

Tips & Warnings

• Pinterest requires a Facebook or Twitter account in order to register.
• Pin ethically. Never copy the entire text of a page – such as a recipe or craft instructions – into the pin’s description; doing so violates the original writer’s copyright.
• Not all sites are pinnable. Some webmasters block Pinterest, while others may not have images that are large enough to pin. You can’t pin from Flash websites or Facebook.