Have you ever clipped magazine pictures and pasted them in your room? Do you ever imagine gathering some of the wonderful pictures you find online into an organized workspace? Anyway, this is what Pinterest has brought to the online community.
Pinterest is the hot new social media site that millions of people are using to save and categorize stuff from across the web. It helps users pin down, organize and share stuffs – videos, pictures, recipes, and tips – with people all over the world. According to comScore, Pinterest was the fastest independent site to hit 10 million monthly uniques in the U.S.
When you sign up with Pinterest, you can choose to follow specific topics like food, art, design, and technology; pin photos from across the web; create your own pinboards, and share with others all over the world. You can follow a topic board and re-pin the pictures you find interesting.
How to Get Started With Pinterest
Setting up a Pinterest account is easy and fast, but there is a little twist. You need a Pinterest “invite” to become a member. Don’t worry, getting an invite is very easy.
Get a Pinterest Invite from the Website or a Friend
1. To get an invite from their website, go to Pinterest.com. At the top of the page, you will see a yellow bar. Click on the red button labeled “Request an Invite”.
2. On the following page, input your e-mail address and click the blue button labeled “Request Invitation”
3. In 24 to 48 hours, you will get an invite in your mailbox. Click on the specified URL as directed by the message in the email. You will be taken to their registration page.
Register on Pinterest
1. First, you need to sign up with Facebook (or Twitter). Then, all you need to register on Pinterest are your username, e-mail, and password. If you have a Facebook account, click on the blue button labeled “Sign Up with Facebook”.
2. On the window or tab that opens, you will be prompted to allow Pinterest to access your account. Click on the blue button – “Add to Facebook” – to grant access to Pinterest. If necessary, you can disable this access on your profile page after your account is created.
3. You will now be taken back to the Pinterest website to create your account. Fill in the required information as directed. Avoid using symbols or spaces, and bear in mind that your username has to be greater than three characters.
If you fill the form properly, the button below the form will turn blue for you to click. If it remains “un-clickable”, check the form for any error.
Click the blue button labeled “Create Account”.
2. On the following page, you will be prompted to click on the provided categories in order to get suggestions of whom to follow. Check the categories and click on the ones that catch your fancy.
When you click on an item, the item will turn green and display a mark symbol to indicate that you have selected it. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the button labeled “Follow People”.
3. The next page will display some of the people you are already following, based on the categories you selected in the previous step. You can “unfollow” these people immediately (on this page) or later if necessary. Also, you will be prompted to create your first pinboards. Click on the blue button labeled “Create Boards” to create your first pinboards.
4. This will take you to a short form with pre-filled columns. You can use the preset topics, delete and type in your own topics, or add a topic from the side bar on your right-hand side labeled “other Pinboard ideas”. Ensure each column contains only one topic. Then click on the blue button labeled “Create” below the form.
This will take you to a temporary page showing “creating boards” and then a new page where you will get a Pinterest bookmarklet called “Pin It”.
Get Pinterest Bookmarklet to Make It Easy to Pin Your Interests (Pinterest)
This new page is very important. Pinterest bookmarklet simplifies clipping pictures from different websites across the web.
1. At the top of the page, you will be prompted to add a “Pin It” button to your Bookmarks Bar. This is very easy to do.
First, ensure that you have your “Bookmarks Toolbar” enabled. If not, go to “View> Toolbars> Bookmarks Toolbar” in your browser menu. Click on “Bookmarks Toolbar” and ensure it gets marked.
The Bookmarks Toolbar will immediately appear under your URL bar.
2. Click and hold the “Pin It” button on the webpage, and move it to the bookmarks toolbar. Ensure a little blue line appears before you release your grip.
The button that attaches to the bookmark toolbar is the button you will be using to pin pictures and videos from various websites.
If you missed this page during your setting up process, go to the top right-hand corner of your Pinterest page, move your mouse cursor to “About” and select “Pin it Button”.
Update Your Pinterest Profile Page and Invite Friends
It’s time to update your profile page, and then invite your friends over from other social networks.
1. Move your mouse cursor to the top right-hand corner of your Pinterest page, towards your name and picture, and select “Settings” from the drop-down list.
2. This will take you to a form where you can update your profile information, change your profile picture, find friends, link to Facebook and/or Twitter or even delete your account.
Scroll down towards the bottom of the page. Turn on two important buttons – “Link to Facebook” and “Link to Twitter”. These will connect your Pinterest account to the two social networks. Then Click on the button labeled “Find Facebook Friends on Pinterest”.
This will take you to a page where you can locate and invite your friends on Facebook. Click on the red button labeled “Invite Friends”.
On the next page (Facebook page), select the friends you want to invite or search for them in the search bar. Then, Click on the blue button labeled “Send Requests”.
After this, you will be taken back to your Pinterest profile page. Move your mouse cursor towards your name and picture, and return to your “settings page” as described earlier. You can now make the changes you want on your profile page and fill your “About” column.
When you are done, save your profile by clicking the red button at the bottom of the form labeled “Save Profile”.
That’s it. You are set to start pinning pictures and videos that catch your fancy.
So, How Can Pinterest Make Your Online Life More Interesting
- You can save several images from across the web with a few clicks of the mouse and share it with friends. They could be inspiring pictures for decorating your home or wedding gown pictures for your friends to comment from around the world.
- You can share your favorite style of dressing with friends on Pinterest and other social networks.
- You can easily create several pinboards for different items and properly organize them.
- You can follow interesting individuals or your favorite fans.
- You can repin, comment, share or like other people’s pins.
In short, Pinterest is the social media site for you if you are a visual person.
