For a long time we have been using Facebook, Twitter, Myspace etc. as our favourite social networking sites. But it is been quite a time there, isn’t it? If you want a change then come and join Pinterest, which has changed the way we have been using social media tools.
What is Pinterest: So here is the big question: Pinterest, what is it? Well it is a new type of image centred social media site which has recently exceeded 2.7 million users. The mantra of this site is, as the name suggests, “Pin It.” If you like a picture or video, do whatever you like to do with it. Be it your own or another one’s, if you like it, pin it, share it, comment on it, anything you want!
WEBSITE: www.pinterest.com
How to join Pinterest:
You can join this site in different ways.
1) Join by getting an invitation from a friend: Any friend of you who has already joined can send you an invitation to join. You can join the site by the invitation.
2) Join by requesting an invitation from Pinterest: You can also send a request directly to the site to send you an invitation, so that you can join.
3) Facebook/Twitter: You can also register directly via your Facebook/Twitter account. In this case, your other account viz. Facebook/Twitter will automatically be integrated with your Pinterest profile, so your activity will be shown in your Facebbok/Twitter profile. Although, you can uncheck this option if you want to.
What can you do with Pinterest:
1) Pin, Like and Repin: When one enters the site after joining, he has to follow minimum 5 boards of his own interests. Then his homepage will appear where he can see “pin feed” in his profile. He can “pin it” any photo from the “pin feed”. He can also like a photo and even repin a photo from other users pinned photos.
2) Board Creation: Before pinning you need to create a board where you would pin an image. A board is a place where users pin the images.
3) How can I upload a new image: To do that so, you have to press “+” button in the top right hand corner. There you can select either uploading from your computer or select to enter an URL of a website and pin pictures from there. The pictures will always show the original link of the website in Pinterest.
4) Comment and follow: If you like a picture you can comment on them and share what you like about the picture. You can also follow another user’s boards if you like the pictures they upload.
5) Share your activity in Facebook/Twitter: You can also share your photos/videos in Facebook/Twitter and people can come to know about your likes.
SNAPSHOT OF MY OWN PROFILE IN PINTEREST
Advantages: It is a newer way to express yourself where images speak for you. We can understand another human being from the way he does things. Similarly, a friend of yours can come to know how you are from the pictures you like. For example, if a friend of mine likes pictures of different foods frequently, it is assumable he likes cooking. You can also create your social contacts from here. In fact if you are a photographer, this is a heaven for you. You can create boards and upload your pictures. See what other fellow members comment on your photos. Here you can also build your admirers. A pretty cool business aside social networking! You can build followers here. You can share your personal images too. This way you can let the world know about yourself. Let the world know you more by Pinterest.
Conclusion: If you are a person of good taste you would definitely like Pinterest. Albeit statistics showed us that women love pinterest more than men, believe me, I have found nothing wrong with this site being a male. Rather what I believe any person from any gender would like this site if he has a good interest in photos/videos. In the end, I would suggest just give it a try and then only you would understand how is it!
PICTURE COURTESY: My Own Profile in Pinterest