Social site focuses on interests, 'pins'
BY ROBERT EVATT World Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 06, 2012
3/06/12 at 4:26 AM
Pinterest is the latest social network to explode onto the scene - it recently passed 10 million users - but this one is a little different than the others.
Rather than give you yet another outlet to repost an interesting news article, display pictures of your kids or talk about what you had for lunch, Pinterest is all about interests.
At least in theory.
Users "pin" their interests in the form of pictures onto the site for the world to see. Pins can be anything, such as a still from a movie you like, a funny picture of a cat, a photo of a great homemade dessert or whatever else you find interesting.
How can I join?
Go to the site and request an invitation. Mine came about two days later.
Once that arrives, the site will prompt you to sign in via Facebook or Twitter; there are no other options available. Do that, and Pinterest will automatically have you follow everyone you follow on those networks.
A note about privacy - there really isn't any on Pinterest. Everything you post can be viewed publicly, and there's nothing stopping random people from liking or commenting on your pin.
As a result, most people choose not to post things relating to their personal life. You can choose to un-follow anyone Pinterest has chosen to have you follow at any time, however.
How does it work?
Pins from your friends are put up in a scattershot fashion when you first sign in. Of course, you can look at friends' profiles to view their specific pins, which can be arranged in "boards" that organize pins by topic.
You can also search Pinterest's database for what everyone else has posted, either by categories such as architecture, DIY & crafts, humor and others, or you can search for specific terms of your own like "funny dog" or "Volkswagen Beetle."
How do I post pins?
Before you can post, you'll be directed to create a few boards to put them in. Either create your own topics or select from a variety Pinterest will suggest for you.
Pinning is easy. You can upload a picture directly from your computer, or you can link to a picture on a website. Hit add pin, copy and paste in the web link, and Pinterest will let you choose which image on that page you'd like to post.
One tip to help find images to pin is to do an image search on Google or other search engine. For Google, click "images" on the top, then your search results will show up as images.
Links to the referring website will show up on your pin, so many users will share a recipe by pinning a picture of the food item, which will link to the detailed recipe.
Robert Evatt 918-581-8447
robert.evatt@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Images and comments taken from Pinterest.com. Courtesy
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