10 Tips for Playing on Pinterest

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Goo goo gaa gaa? My favorite thing about Pinterest is that as a social network it reminds me of that magical 6 to 9 month infant age.  You know, were the child is almost about crawl, but still sits in your lap. The baby is nice and sturdy, loveable, smiling, happy…. but like everything in life, things will change as it grows. Nonetheless, I am thoroughly enjoying this early phase of Pinterest mostly because there are truly no defined rules of social conduct. There are so many newbies streaming into Pinterest, the culture is a constantly shifting.

“Pinterest is what you make of it.” When I first joined Pinterest this summer I took this comment to heart. Yesterday I asked you to join me in being a Pinterest Punk. One follower confided on Facebook:

It’s so true! Hardly anyone says anything, but I’m not sure that is bad either. With so many things grabbing my attention these days (fb, flickr, blogs, twitter–to name a few) I kinda like that I can just pin away and not have to ‘talk’.

I thought about her comment a long time and realized there are moments I do appreciate the silence & the lack of pressure, especially when I am on my iPhone. Below are 10 traditional tips for playing over on Pinterest, but I’ve realized this week…

The #1 RULE at Pinterest can be found at the core of their statement, “Pinterest is what you make of it.” Don’t follow anyone’s rules; it is what you make of it. If you like it quiet, enjoy the echo of silence. If you want to chat, start up a conversation. If you want a board about miniature unicorns, go for it. I am pretty sure that more than one of my followers has perused my Nat Dee Loves Tooth Paste for Dinner board and has just shaken their head in either disgust or confusion. C’est la vie!

Here’s to you Pinterest! “I like you, very much… just as you are.” {Bridget Jone’s Diary Clip}

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If you are new on Pinterest…

1. Stand Out. I recently watched The Story of a Sign video again. Take note! Be non-traditional when you name your boards and you will get a better response.
2. Use your words. I tell my kids this all the time. Be a grown up and use your words to describe your boards with gusto. Explain what you plan on pinning & why people should follow your board. Let them know what to expect! Be creative in your board descriptions and have fun.
3. Little is the new big, befriend the average every day Jane. Most people come on to Pinterest and follow the big dogs that have a large number of groupies.  The problem with this? We’ve already seen their content because it has been re-pinned by a zillion and one members. There are many fish in this creative ocean. Look for smaller friends & your re-pins will feel fresh.
4. The beautiful people, the beautiful people. It’s all relative to the size of your… {Marilyn Mansion} On Pinterest your photo counts, a lot. This is a visual network; if you want something to go viral it has to be beautiful. Sadly sometimes great content is overlooked because of a poor photo.
5. I’m King of the World! Once you have a few boards & pins under your belt march up to the front of the ship and let everyone know you are now on Pinterest. Send out an email to friends, notify your Facebook and Twitter followers, if you have a blog post their icon, tell the world.

If you’ve been around the block…

1. Be a show off. Did you know you can share your OWN photos on Pinterest? In the right hand top corner there is an “Add” button. Click there and hit “Upload” and then browse your computer for a file. Once your pin is posted you can hit “edit” to attach a URL to your photo. This is a great way, for example, to showcase your work and still link through to the tutorial you used. Check out this example, see above the image on the right? It says “Uploaded by user.”
2. And you are? Be sure to fill in your profile. In the haste of setting up an account most people leave this blank. If you are too shy to write out a blurb about yourself consider finding a quote that inspires you. Pinterest recently took away the ability to send notes adding your Twitter or Facebook accounts allows people to still send you a message.
3. Be yourself. Don’t be overly concerned about whether or not someone else will like your pin. Remember Pinterest is basically the equivalent of a very fancy, adult “All About Me” collage, minus the tape & poster board. Make sure it reflects you!
4. Have a rocking ratio. Yes, re-pin as a way to collect cool ideas, but remember to be you and share some of your favorite recipes, blogs, and articles too. I am a bit heavy handed with my re-pinning. There is soooo much cool stuff out there. My recommendation is for every 5 things you re-pin be sure to add 1 *brand spanking new* pin to the world of Pinterest.
5. Give us the flower, we don’t want the root. Be sure to pin the full url from the website. This is especially important with blog posts. Many people accidentally pin the root url because of the way the blogs are hosted. When people click through from your pin they land at the homepage of the blog instead of at the post you originally intended them to be.

Let’s Lasso the Moon Tip: Clicking on the title of a blog post
ensures you have the correct link to pin!

You can tell by quickly glancing at the URL before you pin it….
Root: http://letslassothemoon.com {bad}
Direct URL: http://letslassothemoon.com/2012/01/03/be-a-pinterest-punk/{good}