Pinning interests on a virtual clipboard
Class pictures, ticket stubs and quotes cover scattered bulletin boards in bedrooms and lockers all over the U.S., but some individuals are throwing out bulky bulletin boards and switching over to web compiling.
Pinterest, a web-based image-sharing network, allows people to do just that. This virtual bulletin board allows its users to “pin” images and share ideas with other users.
According to the Pinterest website, Co-founder Ben Silbermann said Pinterest fills an idea-sharing void.
“Once you know what you want, Google or Amazon will take care of it,” Silbermann said. “But if you don’t know what you want and you want to discover, I don’t think there are very good solutions.”
He said Pinterest appeals largely to do-it-yourself-ers, brides to be, stay-at-home moms and cooks.
Kristina Blesch, a sophomore majoring in journalism, said her favorite part is the crafts and wedding section. Riley Jo Justesen, a junior majoring in English and history, agreed.
“I love the do-it-yourself crafts and wedding stuff. I know it’s not my major, but Pinterest makes me want to be an event planner,” Justesen said.
Blesch said she wants to become a wedding planner.
“I keep a pin board just for wedding ideas that I might use someday,” she said.
Blesch said she’s an avid user of Tumblr and Twitter as well as blogging and posting online.
“I only get on Pinterest when Tumblr gets boring and I’m feeling crafty,” she said.
As with Facebook or Twitter, users can “like” pins or even “re-pin” something to their own board. Once a member of Pinterest, users can create different boards to categorize and organize pins they like.
Suggested boards include “things I love,” “favorite places” and “my style.”
According to the Pinterest website, its mission is to connect everyone in the world through the things they find interesting.
A favorite book, toy or recipe can reveal a common link between two people, the site states. There are different subcategories to choose from, such as design, films, books and food.
“One of my best friends is getting married and I’m always checking her board to see what she’s going to do with the wedding,” Justesen said.
Riley said she’s on Pinterest for about an hour and a half each day, and because of that, many of her friends say she’s addicted.
Justesen said she has used several craft ideas she’s found on Pinterest. She helped decorate the backyard for Alpha Chi Omega’s preference night at the beginning of the semester. Justesen is a member of the sorority.
“I found some really cute ideas on Pinterest and tied them all together,” she said. “I hung picture frames and mason jars in our trees out back.”
She said she wants to have a sorority “Pinterest craft-ernoon” sisterhood activity next semester to craft and bond as sisters.
Silbermann said Pinterest has a rapidly growing fan base.
“The website’s users have increased from 418,000 in May to a whopping 3.3 million in October — an 8-fold jump in one year,” he said. “Once you’re on Pinterest, you can scan through thousands of pins — whatever interests you — from quotes to recipes and everything in between. You and you’re friends and family can see and re-pin interests by following each other.”
Justesen said she follows her mom on Pinterest.
“I am always checking the “For Riley” board my mom has, wondering if that’s what I’m getting for Christmas.”
Justesen said she is currently following about 300 people and has been a Pinterest user about 8 months. She said it seems like new people get on Pinterest every day.
– caitlyn.lewis@aggiemail.usu.edu