Pinning Some Thoughts On Pins

It seems like nearly every other blog or article or comment I read is making some remark about Pinterest.

Even if you have not joined Pinterest, I bet you've heard people talking about it too.

For those still wondering, the concept of Pinterest is that you can use it like a pin board. In fact that is the best way to imagine it, like a pin board over your desk where you clip out recipes, colour ideas, gardening tips and pin them up for inspiration or future reference.

Instead of taking scissors and clipping from a magazine, you have a button on your tool bar at the top of your browser page. When you see something you like you click the button and choose the image and then make a comment that is meaningful for you about your choice. 

Before Pintrest I used to have a random list in my "favourites" file so I could trace back to sites containing knitting patterns, recipes or craft supplies. With Pinterest I make this list more meaningful and categorised and user-friendly.

I've heard so much negative comment about how time-wasting Pinterest is and how distracting people find it because they get lost in Pinning. I think what they mean is that they get lost in pretty pictures and seductive images of desire. I can see how you could get sucked in to looking at so much prettiness but I think that is missing the point of Pinterest. 

I really value being able to Pin boards (categories) that allow me to find knitting and crochet patterns and recipes. I also have boards that I pin ideas to about gift ideas I have or themes for parties. I remember how frustrating it was before when I used to think "now where did I see those preserving jars?" or "which site had that cute kid's print again?" Just like that cork board over my desk I can retrieve that information and by clicking on the photo go directly to the site of the original source.

I also have a couple of boards that give me pleasure, photos for meditations and feeling good. 

You have the option to "follow" people and see their pins and they you but don't get too caught up in that. It's great to discover other great finds through like-minded people but essentially your board should be for you. You needn't get caught up in how pretty or how co-ordinated your boards look because essentially it is just a collection of ideas. A cross between a visual phone book and scrapbook. 

There has also been a lot of talk about fear of copyright breach. I am happy for people to pin from my blog with the intention of finding their way back to recipes, crafting patterns and so on for personal use but not for profit or mis-representation and I make that statement in my side bar to help people make that decision. In fact my crocheted rug tutorial from my side bar has been pinned hundreds of times and even if they may not want to start one till next winter, at least they will know where to find the pattern. It also saves unnecessary printing out on reams of paper and allows us to keep it more eco-friendly.

If you haven't tried it yet but want to check out the different ways pinning could be useful then feel free to visit via my button at the top of the page "My Pins" or you could follow this link here to the Pinterest home page. 

As with anything, whether it's what you read, or what you do with your home or raise your family, your pinning should be about you and foremost for you. It's about what you see and find useful for your life. If you share some common interests with people then it is nice to follow all or some of their boards but it's OK completely if you don't follow anyone, maybe it is the way to keep from being distracted.

Check it out you might like it and it might save you a lot of searching in the long run.