Why Pinterest Is Amazing
Recently we updated the “Pinterest Etiquette” - a few guidelines that help make Pinterest the warm and creative community it is today.
It may sound strange to have ‘etiquette’ for a website, but we really believe Pinterest is special because of all the incredible people pinning the things they love. Every day, I open my email to thoughtful comments and suggestions: I never cringe the way I do when reading comments on YouTube. Like no other place, Pinners have helped me discover some of my favorite blogs, what I should read next, and stores I now visit far too often. Pinners constantly answer each other’s questions about sources, sellers, links, and labels. It really is amazing.
So thanks to all of our early Pinners who’ve helped create a community we’re so proud of. As we continue to grow, we hope “Pinterest Etiquette” will help new Pinners understand what kind of community they’re joining. And no matter when you started pinning, we’d love for you to give it a read and tell us how Pinterest can be even better!
Pinning Tip: Collaborative Boards
Group projects, big projects, a second set of eyes, or just for fun - whatever your reasons for using collaborative boards, we hope it’s a helpful tool for pinners.
For example, Team Pinterest has a board for posters and things we’d like to have for the office. We can all pin our finds, whether they’re serious or not…
Here’s how to do it:
Go to the board you want to edit or create a new board by clicking Add > Add a Board up at the top toolbar on Pinterest.
On the board’s settings menu, select “Me + Contributors.”
You must follow at least one board belonging to a user in order to add him/her as a contributor.
Start typing his/her username into the text field. Potential matches to this username will begin to load; when you see the person you want, click their name. Click Add. When you are finished adding people, click Save Board Settings.
You can also invite someone outside of Pinterest to get started and pin with you.
Users who you add as contributors will receive an email notification. They can opt out or choose to remove themselves at any time in the future. You can also remove them yourself by going back to board settings and clicking the X next to their name. Whenever you make changes, just be sure to click Save Board Settings at the bottom.
Hope this tip will help some of you on your way to some great collaborative projects or inspiration-sharing!
Pinning Tip: Rearrange Your Boards
There’s absolutely no denying Pinterest users are a visual crowd. We like making boards devoted to colors, color-combinations, patterns, shapes, and it seems like we really, really like “Keep Calm” posters.
So in case you didn’t know, you can have your boards arranged exactly the way you’d like on your profile.
Just click your username at the top-right toolbar and then click the Rearrange button at the corner of your page.
Now you can click-and-drag your boards until you have the order you want.
Click the Save button and then you’re all set.
For those of you who use Pinterest as a personal reference or an extension of your blog, this can help you highlight what’s most important to you or your readers.
Ideas for a Halloween party can relax at the bottom of your page, whereas floral arrangements should get cozy with table settings.
Of course, a lot of users have suggested the ability to rearrange pins too, so if we add that feature we’ll be sure to post about it here!
Pinning Tip: Upload Pins
Okay, you’ve installed the Pin It bookmarklet and you’re happily pinning from your favorite sites…but what about a picture you’ve had saved for ages?
Another tip I’ve been asked to clarify is how to pin photos languishing in your computer’s folders.
So, here is what you can do:
Anywhere within Pinterest, you can click Add > Add a Pin on the toolbar near your username.
This will open up a Pin It form. However, instead of pasting in a URL, click Upload.
Now you can browse and select an image already saved on your computer. Click Upload and then finish off your pin as usual.
I hope that helps some of you transfer your old folders into one place so you can get that birthday party or new business card done better and faster. As always, if you have any burning questions, you can email me for tips.
Pinning Tip: Permalinks
Last week’s “Pinterest for Beginners” round-up set off a flood of requests to show users how to pin from permalinks. And in case you thought “permalink” was just a horrendous typo, this post will help you pin responsibly.
When browsing your favorite sites, especially blogs or forums, you’ll often see a picture that must be pinned.
For instance, on The Boston Globe’s Big Picture blog, this volcano needs to be on a board, now.
But wait, take one more step:
Click the title or time-stamp of a blog post to be taken from the main site to the individual entry. Your volcano will always live on this specific URL, even as more and more posts get added to the main page.
Pinning from the permalink lets you refer back to the photographer or the instructions of a recipe with ease. The source-link Pinterest saves automatically will be the most helpful to you and others - truly pinning at its best.
If there are any other tips you’d like to learn more about, you can always email me.
Pinning Tip: Tastemakers
We believe everyone has something amazing to contribute to Pinterest. Staff Favorites is our way of showcasing boards that have caught our eye, but if you’ve ever wondered who causes big splashes and wide ripples with a single pin, we’ve also set up Tastemakers.
Just head to the People section on your toolbar to see the results of constant number-crunching: these all-star pinners get the most likes and repins within categories. And now you can follow them or try to edge-out a tastemaker with your own pins. The best part is, Tastemakers proves you don’t have to be a magazine editor or a top blogger to make an impression on what people see and like (and like and like…).
New Staff Favorites
Following your friends and some of your favorite bloggers makes Pinterest awesome. Sometimes it can even give you an insight into their interests and their taste you never had before (like a never-discussed James Franco obsession unleashing itself on your feed…). But making new friends and discovering different sites to check out makes Pinterest a whole lot awesomer. That’s why we pulled together a brand new set of Staff Favorites covering every category. So whether you’re a botany enthusiast, really into Old Hollywood everything, or you just want to see all your dream cars in one place, give it a look or a follow or two.
No James Franco boards were picked for the making of Staff Favorites. Sorry.
Perth Pinners
A couple weeks ago, I was working late here in California, and I noticed a stream of beautiful pins on my home screen. Curious who could be pinning in the middle of the night, I checked Google Analytics, and was delighted to see a small (but growing) group of pinners from Perth in Western Australia.
Aren’t You Popular
It’s fun to get compliments on your pins. We already email you when someone likes, comments, or repins an item you shared. Today, we added a screen that consolidates all of your fan mail in one spot. Check out Christine’s fan page here.
Go visit your own fan page under: Profile > activity > fans. You might be surprised how popular you are!
Email a Pin
We launched a beta feature called “email-a-pin”. Send an email with an image attachment to pin [at] pinterest [dot] com. Your image will be posted as a new pin to a pinboard called “Pins on the Go.”
- The email subject line will be the pin title
- The body of your message will be the pin description
- You can remove your email signature by adding #end. Anything below ‘#end’ won’t be posted.
We thought emailing a pin could be great when you’re out and about. Just snap a photo with your phone and pin it! See a window display you like? Drinking an especially beautiful latte? Spot a pair of pinworthy shoes? Just email us.
