Pinterest - Lessons Learned

My most recent addition to my Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Pinterest Board

I have had my pinterest account now for about six months and am a BIG FAN!  link to my pinterest board.   I have 33 boards and about 225 followers.  I thought I would take a moment to write about how I use the application and what I have learned - not just about pinterest but much more!

First of all, did you know that the "social network" was the brainchild of three young entrepreneurs, Paul Sciarra, Ben Silvermann, and Evan Sharp, about two years ago.  I read an article in Country Living Magazine that said the site gets over 11 million hits per week and I believe it.

Wikipedia has a lot of demographic and commerce information about pinterest link to site (for example, the average user in America is a woman while over 50% of the users in Great Britain are men).  I am going to concentrate on how I am using it and what I have discovered!

MY USE and LESSONS LEARNED

1.  To keep track of things that I will want to find later.  I have never liked the various ways I have been able to manage/file the results of my internet searches so I can find them easily later - particularly much later than when I was doing the search.  Now I set up a board and "park" the images for later retrieval.  For the most part, the original location is linked to and remains linked to the image.  So, for example, while I was searching for a rental vacation home for a family reunion, I "pinned" the options that might work and left the board in place until the selection was made.  This board lasted only as long as the search.  I also maintain a recipe board that helps me quickly locate that great pork loin recipe I have now made 2-3 times (I have a "paper file" but spend way too much time trying to find individual recipes).  

2.  To keep a project file.  We are redoing our lower level/basement.  I have pinned ideas, products, tips and techniques and anything else related to this board - Ideas for Basement Renovation.  Recently, we made on-line faucet and lighting fixture purchases and all of my research ended up in this file.  I expect that this one will be retired when the the project is completed.

3.  To alert my daughter about things she may enjoy.  My daughter is an active user with two small children.  She is clever and uses pinterest-obtained ideas to decorate, cook/bake and is now starting to sew for the girls.  Whenever I see something she may like - in any category - I post it to my "Things My Daughter Might Like" board.

4.  To assess and organize furniture and decorating trends.  My business Wydeven Designs link to website is an internet store selling refurbished heirloom quality furniture.  I have to know what people are looking for and what images are most popular in order to be successful.  While I recognize that there may be a specific demographic that uses pinterest more than others (evidently women and - I suspect - younger women in USA), it is also the group that is most likely to be making on-line purchases.  

5.  To keep track of favorite blog postings.  Since I follow about 40-50 blogs on a somewhat regular basis, I want to be able to file and retrieve favorite postings including ones that help inspire my own blog.  I have a "Things for My Blog" board to support this goal.  One problem is that the images sometimes only connect generally to the blog, not to the specific posting, so later retrieval brings you there and you still  have to do a further search for the specific posting.

6.  To support my own learning and growth.  I am a passionate user of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and have a board with images and ideas that support that passion (mostly obtained from blogs).  I also have a separate "DIY Ideas" and "Refurbished Furniture Ideas" that are a little broader but are there for the same reasons.

7.  To plan and dream.  I love everything about France (French furniture, travel, sights and sounds, etc.) and have an "All Things French" board that is a perfect place to park images that remind me of this love and help plan for that next big trip to France.  This corresponds nicely with the various French-inspired blogs I follow and allows me to revisit favorite postings (see prior comment about blog connections).

I started this posting thinking I had only a few things to share about my use of pinterest but discover that I could go on and on - I probably should save more ideas for another posting.  Quite clearly, however, I have learned how to use this social networking application with a vengeance!

This post is linked as follows - linked here