{365 Days of Social Media} Day 18: Intro to Pinterest

If you are on social media at all, you’ve likely heard buzz about the increasingly popular photo sharing site of the moment: Pinterest. Launched in Palo Alto, California in closed beta status around March of 2010 by two Yale grads, it proceeded to operate – and continues to operate – on an invitation only basis, and secured a large chunk of change in funding toward the end of 2011. Currently, it has a reported estimated value of $200 million.

Not bad for a website that basically allows you to “pin” any image you like onto a digital “vision board” and share it with others. In a nutshell: that’s what Pinterest is.

To get started:
1. Secure an invitation from a friend already using Pinterest (if you need an invite, leave a comment w/your email addy below and I will send you one; or DM me on Twitter with your email addy).
2. Go to Pinterest.com and set up your profile with bio and photo.
3. Create Boards. Think carefully how you want to use Pinterest and label your boards accordingly. Ex: Recipes to Try, Home Design Inspirations, Fave Photographers, etc.
4. Drag the bookmarklet into your web browser so you can easily pin items directly from your browser bar.
5. Anytime you find something you like on a website, you click the Pin It button now in your browser bar and add it to the Board of your choosing.
6. Follow friends, colleagues, and those on Pinterest who seem to post pins that are of interest to you, and when on Pinterest.com, repin and like their pins.

Such a simple digital shared vision boarding community. Look beyond that, and you’ll see it is so much more.

What I love most about Pinterest (disclaimer: I am totally in love with this website & its capabilities), is the community-building and brand-elevating potential it holds for individuals and businesses alike. Collaboration is a huge part of our Urban Bliss community, and I love the immediate and easy sharing of ideas and values. You can shape your public personal and business persona with these boards in such a simple, beautiful, visually-organized manner. You can easily keep track of decorating ideas, favorite photographers or illustrators (I use it as a hiring resource for Urban Bliss Media), recipes, design software tutorials, how-to articles, and so much more. Whatever your interest, whatever your industry — it is so easy to make Pinterest work for you.

There are many ways you can use Pinterest for business, and I’ll be discussing that around Day 31 of our 365 Days of Social Media. In the meantime, happy pinning!

Are you already on Pinterest? What are some of your favorite Boards to follow or some of your fave Pinners?
{Follow my Pinterest boards here!}

365 Days of Social Media™ is a basic social media networking online bootcamp from graphic design & social media strategy studio Urban Bliss Media. Each day, the Urban Bliss Life blog will feature a quick tip, tactic, and inspiration to help you maneuver the wacky world of social media with confidence. 

About Marlynn Jayme Schotland: Marlynn Jayme Schotland runs on coffee, bacon, red wine, and the Beastie Boys. She is the Editor of Urban Bliss Life, Regional Sales Manager of Plum District (Portland), and Owner/Principal Designer + Strategist of Urban Bliss, LLC .

Tags: 365 Days of Social Media, How to Use Pinterest, photo sharing apps, Pinterest tips