Do you use Pinterest and if so, how?

I started looking at Pinterest because I saw some friends posting about it on FB. I looked at it and enjoyed the photos. They have such a range of topics, from decorating to food to hair, to clothes, to art, to travel – it’s like you name it, it’s on there. Anyway, back to my story. So I didn’t download the “pin” button, and therefore, did not get the full benefits of the site. Once I downloaded the “pin” button and started really using it, it’s definitely one of my daily “go to” sites.

Definitely, I think it’s valuable for (what I use it for so what I can speak to) crafting. I look at it for ideas, and a lot of the stuff is linked to other sites that I can learn from. You can search for topics, as vague or as specific as you want, and look at many other photos and ideas on that topic. You can follow other “pinners” and when they post and pin stuff, you can see it automatically as it will come to your main page.

Sometimes I’ll search for things like “Victorian” and look at anything that’s labeled (by other pinners) as Victorian. I can be more specific, like Victorian houses or Victorian clothing. Sometimes if I want ideas, like for decoupage or kids’ parties, I will search for that. Sometimes I’ll just go there and look at other pinners’ stuff and see what’s interesting, and save it by pinning it.

I find it very helpful when wanting to look for ideas, inspiration, or just finding stuff that I like and pinning it, much the way you might tear out pictures from magazines (back in the day when people did that) and putting them in books or on bulletin boards.

Thanks – that’s very clear. Do you have it linked to your FB account? I try to avoid doing that.

@janbb: No, I try to avoid doing that when possible. I have used it to invite people to Pinterest, but I don’t want people being annoying by seeing “jca has pinned whatever.”

I tried it out for a few days and decided that it wasn’t for me.

@syz: Did you pin or just browse?

I am curious because before I downloaded the pin button (which by the way I think it stupid. I think it should be easier to pin without having to download that button), I would look and not really get the full use of the site. Once I downloaded the pin button and started pinning, it was like a lightbulb went off and like “oh, okay, now I see what the fuss is about.”

You can also follow magazines and blogsites – and their pins and boards will come up automatically on your feed. It’s a good way to follow people’s stuff without having to go to each site and click on it and wait.

I am not an avid pinner, but now and then I gravitate back to pinterest. The boards that I currently pin on the most are: a food board for ideas (which needs some organizing), a board for animal pictures that make me smile, and a board for craft ideas that I would like to do in the summer. It serves a similar function as Tumblr (which used to act as a kind of digital scrapbook for me where I would reblog mostly photos and short musings.) Pinterest is a little more accessible as a digital scrapbook because of its visual organization.

My account is not, and never will be, linked to my Facebook account.

What I think might make Pinterest easier to use is if they had better explanations on the site on how to use it to its fullest advantage.

It’s not a big deal. Get an account, don’t connect to your facebook, and look at stuff. It’s just a random website that shares everything from pictures to news articles, pets etc.

Yes, even as @Blackberry said, it’s great for just looking.

I have an account that’s not connected to my Facebook, I just browse and repin things that I think are pretty or cool. It’s pretty fun! Lately I’ve been on less frequently, though.

Just joined. It could use some better instructions and explanations as you create your account. So far, looks like another big timesuck to me but I will give it a try..

I use it as a repository for images I want to pull inspiration from for projects. That might be colors, or typography, or feel.

I think honestly they don’t tightly define what it’s for because people use it for such varied purposes. To some it’s social, to some it’s a tool, to some it’s just a drawer to save and collect.

I use it for a few things:

Inspirational items
Animals (for when I need a cuteness fix)
Recipes
Gifts that I want to buy for myself or others some day

I spend about 5–10 minutes a week on it. I don’t see any benefit to having tons of stuff to go through. (I have the internet for that!)

I use it, and I don’t link it to facebook. I find that annoying, and I’ll drop it in a shot if it sells out to anyone. Conjoined social media is just a bad idea all around.

I tend to pin a lot and do very little. I collect lots of ideas for crafts I like to do. I’ve started collecting pictures that appeal to me, for a project I have in mind, but this may never come to fruition since I need to learn how to use a particular computer program and I’m spending too much time fluther-stalking and pinning. I’ve also collected pictures of personal style items, home style items and things I find interesting in the hopes that the nieces and cousins who follow me get a better understanding of what I like and what I like to do.

I had a look and while it seems pretty good at finding obscure images I haven’t got around to joining yet.

I don’t really understand what to use it for (in my life). It seems really good for crafts and other DIY, and wedding planning. But that’s something I’d use maybe 3 times a year, not something I’d just browse through during free moments like Tumblr. I keep searching for history stuff (not just anything history, but my specific interests), and finding about 5 things total, and none of them sourced.

I’d definitely never link it to my Facebook. Anything I want people to see on Facebook, I can use status updates for.

@janbb you are right – it can be a big timesuck & it can be addictive. I have to set limits for myself with things like that (& fluther) because otherwise I’d never get anything done.

I love my pinterest and I use it for a variety of things.

1 – collecting ideas for food
2 – collecting ideas for gifts for my significant other
3 – creating vision boards for personal motivation
4 – dream boards of perfect houses, spaces, rooms, furniture etc.
5 – being a voyeur into what others find interesting
6 – great tattoos

When I win the lottery I’ll just hand my pinterest over to an architect and a decorator and go off on vacation while they use all my great and favorite pins to design the perfect new dream house for me.

Yes I have a pinterest account and just love pinning all my interests and even a few that shocks me as well.

@jca I pinned, had a few re-pins, and likes, and followers. It just doesn’t click for me.

Check out what others are pinning as well as what is happening world wide on the news.

I did…. until today… when I discovered PUNCHPIN

A pinterest for guys, Finally. All you dudes out there who tried pinterest and found a wall full of flowers, dresses, purses, ashton kutcher and home decor….. Abandon Ship!

I was doing some online shopping before and I pressed the “pin it” button by accident, and all of the items in the category I was looking at (shower curtains, to be exact) came up on a grid style page, and I could see that I could pin any of them if I wanted, to show I liked them or to store them for future looking at. I didn’t know that was so easy, and now that I know I may be doing it more often! Previously I had only “pinned” from Pinterest or from sites that had “pin it” like blogs and magazine sites.

I did, until I realized it was sucking up as much time; and I was using it as a replacement for, Facebook

But what are you using Facebook as a replacement for? :-)

Myspace

Before that… does anyone remember xanga?