So, Pinterest. I've Been on it a Bit Now. I Have a Couple of Conclusions.

[miss_s_b]

Yes, it's as addictive as everyone says.
Yes, it could become a time sink if you let it.
Yes, it can also be incredibly dull, if you let it be.

My tips, such as they are, from my usual dive-in-and-do-everything-and-see-what-sticks approach to anything new:

1. Follow only the most interesting people, and be selective about which of their boards you follow - otherwise you will quickly get bored of irrelevant crap filling up your stream, and you will miss stuff if you have a day when you are short of time. Don't follow someone just because they follow you - although obvs you should do them the courtesy of looking.


2. When you're NOT short of time, look at the "everything" or "popular" streams - this serves two functions. Firstly, you can (sometimes) pick up really cool stuff. Secondly, it reminds you that the little bubble you live in of carefully selected friends/blogs/tweeters/etc. really is a tiny bubble on a great big see of insanity. I mean, one of the most popular pins at the moment is "how to get rid of armpit fat". If you are worrying about having fat armpits, then you haven't got enough actual problems to worry about, for reals.


3. Use the "Pin It" bookmarklet liberally - or Torily or Greenly or Piratically or even Labourly if you like ;) - because it brings new stuff onto the site, rather than people endlessly repinning each other. Having said that, repinning of cool stuff is absolutely to be encouraged. It's a balancing thing.


4. Don't forget to check/set up your notifications - the setup they have for default is probably fine for most people, but I had to tweak it for me.


5. Follow ME. - because I'm awesome. Also, I have invites if anyone wants one. i'll need an email address to send it to, and you have to already have a faceache OR twitter account to sign up.

Any other pinners got any useful tips?

Comments

[freddiefraggles]

I think you've got the most important points! I would add:
6. Don't have too many boards - I have 9 at the moment, which is plenty, if there were more I'd have trouble picking where to pin things to.
7. You don't have to repin everything - don't forget the like button. I use the like button to keep a note of things I want to look at in more detail when I'm short on time.
8. You don't have to repin everything - be selective. Only pin your favourite graffiti, the prettiest lace work, the phrases that really mean something to you. The rest is just noise.

[miss_s_b]

I am certainly repinning less now than I did the first day.

With the number of boards... I think I've got everything covered now, but it does depend on how you are going to categorise stuff - Sinister Dressing Gowns is an experiment to see how shared boards work, in case you are wondering ;) - but yeah, people who make a new board for every event they go to confuse me.

[staceyuk]

Please may I have an invite? Would like to share tarot decks and tarot bags on there.