What is Pinterest

Pinterest  was named one of Time Magazines best websites of 2011. Quite a feat for a website that had only been in existence for 16 months at this point. Even Barack Obama has now signed up to Pinterest pinning the Obama’s favourite family recipe for chilli resulting in 169 pins.

Pinterest is an online pin board which allows its users to pin and repin ideas, photos, instructions, articles, images, videos and a whole host of other online materials.

Using Google Adplanner to look at the demographics of Pinterest I was able to see that Pinterest already has 20 million daily users in the UK. Whilst this may sound measly compared to Facebook’s 250 estimated users, it is worth remembering that Pinterest is relatively new having only launched in 2010.

How to use Pinterest?  What’s so special about mood boards?

Pinterest is unique thanks to its ability to create pages of ideas that all come under one heading. So for example say I want to decorate a room and I have a few ideas, I’ve seen a few things online but I get to the DIY store and my mind has gone blank I’m sure I liked something pink oh ill have to get my ipad out and look through my favourites I just wish there was a way to see all these ideas on one page to see what works next to each other… Step in Pinterest’s Pinning app.

Downloading this app means that you can grab an image from any website and pin it to one of your mood boards. 

To Repin or not to Repin?

When it comes to what to repin and how to use social ettiquete it is worth remembering that the Pin app allows any user who has downloaded it to  lift an image from a site without any prior warning or notice for the owner of that image/site. This creates a link back to the original site, which can be a good way to create traffic and build links. Furthermore every repin is effectively another chance at getting your site out there.

Pinterest and intellectual Property Theft 

It is also possible to upload an image from your desktop, ipad, smartphone and pin to a board. If a pinner uses an image downloaded and saved to their desktop, the advantage of a  link no longer exists. Effectively the user is taking the credit for that image and additionally those who repin that are themselves allowing this intellectual property theft often without even realising it.

I myself love looking at Pinterest but I am not yet brave enough to repin, especially as Pinterest’s terms and conditions state that if a case is brought against a user for intellectual property theft, the defendant will also have to pay Pinterest’s legal fees. A risk I am not sure im ready to take at the moment.

Did you like this? Feel free to comment below Repin, like and tweet

NiktoriaM