{This is what my Pinterest page looks like}
Pinterest has been around a while now, but there are still many that haven’t explored it yet. So I’ve creating an easy-peasy guide to getting started, the basics of it all and how to have a little fun along the way. But first things first…
What is Pinterest?
When I was 15 it really, really cool to have a pinboard where I’d pin inspiring quotes, photos of my friends, homework notes and things I found in magazines. Oh ok, AND boys. Pictures of boys too. Pinterest is just like that, but it’s a virtual pinboard so you don’t need to snip or clip anything. It’s mess-free and fun. So you can pin things you discover from anywhere around the internet onto your board/s, and check out other people’s boards too.
Sound like something you want to take part in? Here are the steps to getting started.
Step 1. Sign up to Pinterest. Click here to do just that. You can sign-up just by connecting to your Facebook or Twitter account, or with an email {I did mine with an email}.
Step 2. You’ll need to think of a username. Just use your name if you like, or something fancier. Upload a photo too. If you want to get particular, the size you’ll need is 165px x 165px {but if that’s too confusing just try a photo and see how it goes}.
Step 3. Pinterest will ask you to pin 5 things you like. Don’t stress too much. Just pick 5 things that tickle your fancy – perhaps a recipe, an inspiring quote, a dog. It doesn’t really matter. FYI: Those pictures you’re clicking are called pins.
Now that you’re set up you can do a few things.
Start following other people. You can follow me here. You can also find your friends too. Just use the drop-down menu at the top right-hand side of your page in Pinterest, and select ‘Find Friends’. You’ll be able to find which of your friends are using Pinterest by Facebook, Gmail, Yahoo and Email. Click follow to start following each of your friend’s boards.
Create your own boards. Again on the menu in the right hand corner you’ll see ‘Add+’. Click that and you’ll get the option to add a pin, upload a pin or create a board. You’ll want to create a board, so click that. You can organise your boards however you like but an easy way to think of it is just like areas of your life. So perhaps a home decor board, a fashion board, a recipe board, an inspiration quote board or even a holiday board. So create a board, name it whatever you like, select a category that it’s most suited too and then click create board. {The last option there is for you to invite people to contribute to your board. Perhaps you have a friend that you want to pin pictures to your board, you can invite them there if you like}.
Get pinning. There are a few ways you can pin to your boards, and I want to share the two simplest ways {as not to complicate things!}. On many websites {including my own} you’ll see a ‘Pin it’ button. You can scroll down to the bottom of this post to see one here. If you see a website with an image you want to add to a board, just click ‘Pin it’, choose the correct image and select which board you want it to be pinned to. Easy.
Sometimes a website doesn’t have a ‘Pin it’ button or the buttons they do have a little bit fussy {ie they won’t let you select which image to pin} so I suggest adding a pin it button to your browser. It’s super easy and you can do it here.
Get re-pinning stuff. Now when you’re on Pinterest.com you’ll see things that your friends have pinned. So might like them as well, so you can re-pin them. You’ll see that option when you hover over the images. You can also browse through the categories {just select from the drop-down menu under the Pinterest logo} and check out pins from people you’re not friends with {this is where you’ll find some great stuff}.
And you’re on your way…
Some other little things you might like to know:
Sourcing the source. Before re-pinning it’s always good to find that pin has linked to the correct source. This can sometimes be an arduous task, but I like to click-through to where ever the image is from and check that it’s credited correctly. If not I either attempt to find the right source, or just avoid pinning. For more on Pinterest etiquette, see here.
Let your friends know if you see a pin you like. You can ‘tag’ a friend in the comments under the pin and let them know. eg. Hey @FatMumSlim this dress is so you!
Find out who has pinned things from your site. If you’re a blogger or a website owner you can check out who has pinned things from your site by typing this in your browser: http://pinterest.com/source/YOURWEBSITE eg http://pinterest.com/source/fatmumslim.com.au
Are you on Pinterest? What’s your favourite things to pin? I love sweet recipes & inspiration quotes, you?
