#Pinterest

#BMG155

When I was a kid, before the internet became a household staple, I used to stock up on magazines and cut out what I thought was cool or neat and I would glue or paste them into this book I created of things I liked. It was filled with ideas of what I wanted my house to look like, things like Kitchen ideas, bedroom and bathroom ideas, outdoor back yard ideas.  This book eventually turned into 2 and 3 books, one for food ideas, all sorted into different categories. The3rd book was filled with craft ideas, knitting, sewing, and decorating ideas. Sooner or later these books filled a large container and finally into a cabinet all labeled and filed neatly.   

Then one day my girlfriend introduced me to Pinterest!  This was definitely the site for me, when Pinterest first started you had to be “invited” to join.  I still remember the day I received my Pinterest accepted invite email, I think I spent that entire afternoon on that website. Flash forward a few years and my Pinterest page is filled with over 6,000 pins and 84 categorized boards. Pinterest is a site I am on every single day and I am always finding new pins to add to my page.  For those of you who do not use Pinterest or use it rarely let me give you some basic terminology and a few tips and tools how to utilize Pinterest to its full potential.

When you sign up at Pinterest.com, you’ll have the option to link either your Facebook or Twitter account with your Pinterest account. This will make it easier for you to find your friends, family members, and favorite blogs and brands to follow on Pinterest.  If you prefer to start with just your e-mail address, you can always connect your social accounts later.

Pins

Pins are visual bookmarks that you collect on boards. You can save Pins you find on Pinterest or add new ones from your favorite websites.

Boards

Users can then save individual pins to one of their own boards using the "Pin It" button, with Pin boards typically organized by a central topic or theme. Users can personalize their page by pinning items, creating boards, and interacting with other members.

Pin It Button

This button is one of my favorite features of Pinterest; it allows you to add content from any website onto your Pinterest page boards. All you need to do is add the "Pin It" button to your web browser.  Visit the "Goodies" page on Pinterest to learn how to install it.

Like and Comment

Let's say you like someone's pin, but not enough to add it to one of your own boards. That's where the like button comes in handy. The original pinner will be able to see that you've liked it, but it won't be added to the feed of pins that your followers see.   You can also add comments to your pins or your friends' pins by clicking on the comment button.

Upload Pins

If there is a photo you've taken that you want to upload to Pinterest, you can do that by using their upload feature. Go to your main Pinterest feed and click the "Add +" button in the upper right-hand corner (the same one you used to create a new board).  From the screen that pops up you'll be able to add a pin by pasting in the URL of a website or by uploading a photo from your hard drive.

There are also many Benefits to businesses using Pinterest; Traffic is probably the #1 reason for businesses to have a Pinterest page. The Company Shareaholic recently found that Pinterest referred more traffic to sites than Google Plus, YouTube and LinkedIn combined. Also, a quick keyword search can tell you what your audience is discussing and sharing. You can also search Pinterest by category, or use the pinners you follow to see what’s trending at any given moment.

Many companies are using Pinterest as a place to gather ideas and inspiration. You can use Pinterest to generate new product ideas, identify trends and even zero in on business opportunities.

To visit Pinterest and gain the whole experience please visit www.Pinterest.com or watch this video I found on Youtube.com on how to utilize Pinterest.

-Laura Gwyn