Pinterest

                      "It is one of the “fastest growing social services in the world.”


Pinterest is a pinboard-style social photo sharing website that allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections such as events, interests, hobbies, and more. Users can browse other pinboards for inspiration, 're-pin' images to their own collections or 'like' photos. Pinterest's mission is to "connect everyone in the world through the 'things' they find interesting" via a global platform of inspiration and idea sharing.

Why is Pinterest different?

Pinterest is an excellent site for inspiration and ideas and it is also a very cool community filled with artistic souls.

Here are four reasons why Pinterest is different:

- Pinterest uses a new type of social interface to drive traffic and it is linked to Facebook
  and Twitter.
- Pinterest appeals to both the general public and to the art & design crowd
- Pinterest is an excellent marketing tool
- Pinterest is the first of similar sites and it signals a shift in Internet marketing, viewing
  and usage.

Usage

Pinterest users can upload, save, sort and manage images, known as pins, and other media content (i.e. videos) through collections known as pinboards. Pinboards are generally themed so that pins can easily be organized, categorized and discovered by other users.

Pinterest acts as a personalized media platform, whereby your own content as well as anyone else's uploaded pins can be browsed on the main page. Users can then save their favourite pins to one of their own boards using the “Pin It” button. Content can also be found outside of Pinterest and similarly uploaded to a board via the “Pin It” button which can be downloaded to the bookmark bar on a web browser.

Users

Pinterest is easy to learn and quick to use. The visual interface is stimulating to the brain and it invokes almost an addictive response in users. This is appealing to both the art crowd and to general users. Males, although they do not currently make up a large section of Pinterest viewers, could in the future due to the male affinity for visual stimulation. In addition, from a conversion perspective a buyer interested in shopping for anything, can quickly assemble a Pinterest shopping list on the site and come back to it for comparison-shopping when ready to buy.

How To Register

There are several ways to register a new Pinterest account.
Potential users can either receive an invitation from a friend already registered,
or request an invitation directly from the Pinterest website.
An account can also be created and accessed by linking Pinterest to a Facebook or Twitter profile. When a user re-posts or “re-pins” an image to their own board, they have the option of notifying their Facebook and Twitter followers; this feature can be managed on the settings page.

Users who choose to log into Pinterest via Facebook must currently be using Facebook's "Timeline" format. On the main Pinterest page, a "pin feed" appears, displaying the chronological activity from the pinterest boards that a user follows.

When browsing for new boards and relevant pins, users can visit a "Tastemakers" page that recommend pinboards with content similar to previous pins saved by a user.
For both guests and Pinterest users, there are currently four main sections to browse: everything, videos, popular and gifts. These subcategories provide an organized system of browsing, which helps fellow users to connect and share interests. Quick links to Pinterest include the "pin it" button that can be added to the bookmark bar of a web browser, "Follow me" and "Pin it" buttons added to personal website or blog page, and the Pinterest iPhone application available through the App Store.

The website has proven especially popular among women.  The most popular categories on Pinterest that got the most popular pins are food & drink, DIY & crafts, and women's apparel.

http://pinterest.com/