Get+started+with+Pinterest

Get started with Pinterest

Step-by-step guide to the new online pinboard

Facebook and Twitter are obvious ways of sharing things on the web that you like, as of course is a personal blog or website. But there's now a new way of sharing your favourite web items. Pinterest is a digital corkboard that shows other people what you rate, what looks cute or appeals from a design or engineering point of view.


 * Pinterest**

If you're an avid user of all things Google, Gmail, Picasa, Blogger and YouTube, sharing items via Google+ may seem a more obvious option, while newshounds may prefer Digg. Pinterest offers a different slant, in which peer ratings are important. You indicate your admiration of other pinners’ taste in items on the web by having them on your Pinterest boards and following them, if you wish. Unlike Twitter, which is a live stream of comments and links that soon drop off the radar, pinned items stay on your page, ready for other people to delve into.

As with most social media websites, tags are at the heart of Pinterest. Having a decent photo or two also helps pique other peoples’ interest. The site is based around interest boards that you contribute to, create and share, and Pinterest provides a selection of popular topic boards to get you started. The more 'pins' a site or a Pinterest user acquires, the higher their Pinterest ranking. To see what's popular, check out the 'Popular' link on the Pinterest home page. It couldn't be simpler.

You can follow or unfollow any Pinterest member you wish, just as you can with Twittter. If you've linked your Pinterest account with Facebook rather than Twitter, it's 'Likes' that you're after.

Pinterest is nominally still an invite-only beta website. Yet, it has more than 12 million members and, in the US , is dominated by female users. A BBC primer on Pinterest in March noted that UK usage is currently weighted the other way; male users have embraced it.

Pinterest originally invited craft and fashion bloggers to try out the service when it was in closed beta and there’s still a big focus on homespun choices such as family, home, DIY & crafts, fashion and cooking and the boards Pinterest suggests reflect this. More ‘male’ interests such as technology, cars and science are listed at the bottom of the initial home page, out of sight until you scroll down. You can add your own Pinterest category; the default list is rather safe.

As the site develops and new members with different interests join, these listings will change. As with all things social on the web, from Digg to YouTube to Twitter, Pinterest is user-driven and is shaped by members' likes. What makes it more than of fleeting interest in that, unlike Twitter, it’s not ephemeral. What you pin is a public, permanently accessible log of what interests you and how you value the web. We just hope Google doesn’t find a way of monetising such a concept and tracking what we view and pin for the benefit of ad traffickers everywhere.

How to get started with Pinterest

Your email address and a password are all you need. Click on any of the preset interest boards you wish and follow any that look particularly interesting. The Find friends option under your Account photo is a good starting point for finding and sharing pins with like-minded Facebook and email friends.
 * 1) Request a login at Pinterest.com or accept an invitation from a friend.