Pinterest: What it is, how to use it and why you'll be addicted

Jan 19, 2012 8:00 AM by Katie Kavulla

Posted in Living / Technology

Get pinning

You've been hearing about it everywhere -- Pinterest -- but what is this crazy new website that has everyone buzzing? The simple answer is that Pinterest is a virtual inspiration board and people who are already "pinning" know that it's far more than that. Let us walk you through the ins and outs of jumping on the Pinterest bandwagon.

What, exactly, is Pinterest?

You know when you're browsing online and see something you love and don't want to forget? What do you do -- email it to yourself? Print it out and put it in a binder? Bookmark it on your computer? Now there's a simple way to compile all of the great things you find online -- from clothes to DIY home ideas to inspiration for your bathroom remodel -- on Pinterest!

Pinterest is a website that allows you to "pin" things online, just as you would pin them on a real life bulletin board, but instead, Pinterest saves all of your pins on your account so that you can access them easily. Plus, you can follow friends on Pinterest and "repin" things that they have already pinned on your Pinterest boards or browse a live feed of items that are being pinned by strangers when you're searching for inspiration.

Still feeling lost? Let's walk through it.

How do I get started pinning?

The first thing you'll need to do is get a Pinterest account. You can go to the Pinterest website and request an invite (yes, there's currently a waiting list) or ask a friend who is already on Pinterest to send you an invite.

Once you're on, the next thing you'll need is the "Pin It" button installed in your browser toolbar. This magic little button is what allows you to pin things online. Installing the button is very easy -- when you're in your Pinterest account, look to the upper right-hand corner and hover above "About," then click on "Pin It Button" and follow the directions to drag the button into your toolbar.

Or instead of using the "Pin It" button, you can also copy and paste links from sites you like, and it will search for photos from that page, which you can then pin. You can also upload photos from your computer.

What am I suppose to pin?

Here's the great thing about Pinterest -- you can pin anything you want! Everyone uses it for different things -- from saving recipes that you want to make to saving articles that you want to reference later (we can, ahem, certainly suggest some you should pin!) to all of the shoes you'd love to add to your closet for spring -- so Pinterest can easily be whatever you want it to be.

As you start pinning, create "Boards" that categorize your pins, making them easy for you to find later. Pinterest suggests some to get you started, but usually you'll want to create your own to fit what you love to pin. It takes a while to get the hang of creating boards -- they need to be the perfect combination of general and specific -- but we promise that the more you pin, the better your boards will become.

Red thumbtack

Don't worry, we didn't forget about the "Repin" function on Pinterest! Once you've added friends to your Pinterest account -- you follow them as you follow Facebook or Twitter friends -- you will have a customized feed where you can see all of the fantastic things that they're pinning too. See an idea you love? Just hover over that pin in the feed and click on the "Repin" button to add it to one of your boards.

Keep an eye on SheKnows for upcoming articles on the hottest home and living pins we've found on Pinterest -- we're excited to share them with you in the coming weeks!

Now start pinning!

More Pinterest inspiration

5 Tips for minimalist decor
2012 Pantone color of the year
Create a yoga sanctuary at home

Tags: pinterest social media technology websites

Comments

Comments on "Pinterest: What it is, how to use it and why you'll be addicted"

Hi I love Pinterest it gives me a reason to get up in the morning ha ha

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I did a search to try and find out how Pinterest is different from social bookmarking sites and found your article. After reading it I can definitely say - I still don't know. But then I don't do Facebook or bookmarking (except in my browser) because I think all this "social networking" stuff is a giant waste of time.

Can Pinterest be used to create photo albums?

I absolutely adore Pinterest! My friend is getting married and I've created a board just for her. When I'm online and I see something she might like, I pin it to the board I created for her. When she has time, she can just go to her board, and re-pin anything she likes!

What is Pinterest? Only the best thing ever invented. I'm so obsessed.

Pinterest sounds like a giant waste of time.

I loved pinterest from the moment i got an invitation from one of my friend. I share stuff, it's becoming my hobby.

When I answered my invitation to Pinterest, in order to create an account, I was told I would have to have the new Facebook timeline. I did not sign up being as I don't want the timeline. Why is this? Is Facebook part of Pinterest or vice versa?????

I still don't see the point, or how it is so addicted. I'm perfectly satisfied with the bookmarking system on my browser. Why would I want to share all of that information with marketing firms?

It took a few times. I asked a friend to invite me and she had trouble with Facebook letting her do it, so she added me via entering my email address. I added my username and it said it was taken, but by the third try it was not. Don't give up. Unless it starts to take you through the process, then you don't have an account. I also don't get this "invite only" crap.

I too love Pinterest and have any regular followers and a lot of repins from my boards...I must be doing interesting boards..e and see my stuff under Mar Schaeffer. I you like a pin go back to the orginal source and you'll have many new places to visit and like their other ideas as well..please remember to give credit where credit is due if you go there, they would appreciate it. If you pin alot on one board and I mean alot you may want to make any board so you can reference your info faster. Such as I going to do with my recipes. I plan to break them into catagories such as...Slow Cooker, Desserts, Dip & Appretizers ect. But most of all enjoy all the real nice things you never know existed.

I'm not understanding how to use pinterest. I tried to create an account. typed my name in , but left a space between first and last name then I seen it said no spaces. so I retyped my name, and it told me name already taken. Now I don't know if I have an account or not, and don't know how to get in to it to use it. Please help me to understand it a little better.

I LOVE Pinterest! Just signed up a few days ago and already addicted.

That's exactly how I describe Pinterest to people who don't know what it is -- it's a more fun way of "bookmarking" recipes, ideas, inspirations, etc. It's almost become a fun challenge for me to see how many "repins" my photos get :)

I got on Pintrest about two weeks ago, I love it! Yes, you're right about how easy it is to keep stuff organized and locate something you want to go back to. And if your own stuff isn't enough, you can see what others are pinning to add to your own, either "Like" or "Re-Pin." As a web designer, I really appreciate the way they have Pintrest set up, very user friendly and it looks great too!

I'm already addicted to Pinterest, but this was a great article to send to my mom, grandma and aunts who can't seem to figure it out (even though it's really quite easy!).

What if I do want to print out something and put in a binder? Such as recipes to try? Thank you, Shonni

Good article! I signed up for Pinterest a while ago, but didn't really get how it worked until now. This explains it well. Thanks!

This was so helpful! I keep seeing my friends talk about Pinterest on Facebook but never knew what it was. Can someone send me an invite?