Social media pro: Pinterest
GET INSPIRED WITH THIS IMAGE-DEPENDENT SOCIAL NETWORK.
WHETHER IT’S PHOTOS, status updates or resumes, social networks these days seem intent on helping you stay up to date on the latest and greatest happenings with friends. However, this isn’t the case for all social platforms, with Pinterest in fact taking quite a different approach. Placing an emphasis on the visual image, Pinterest takes you into a world of inspiration and creativity, allowing you to find and save photos from all over the web. Whether it’s food porn, potential holiday destinations, even just an endless stream of Kmart furniture, Pinterest allows you to save all this and more in a single place. Think of it as the digital equivalent of a vision board but without the hassle of physically cutting and sticking several images together. So put on your creativity hat and follow us as we guide you through the many features of this inspirational social network.
THE BASICS
SIGNING UP: Before you begin pinning to your heart’s content, you’ll need to sign up to Pinterest using either an email address, Facebook or Google account. The app will ask for your full name, age and gender (which you can skip), as well as country. Once done, select a minimum of five topics that interest you — some of the options include health and fitness, architecture and custom motorcycles. Doing this will help Pinterest fine-tune its results specifically to your needs.
PINS: One of the first things to understand is what a pin actually is. While most web browsers have some kind of bookmarking tool, Pinterest takes quite a different approach, focusing on images rather than web links. For example, you could pin a dress you found online, a recipe for a cheesecake, even a fancy lamp that you’ve taken a liking to. The easiest way to add a pin is through the home tab — once you find a pin you like, tap the red save button to add it to your collection. You can also add pins using your smartphone’s web browser, or a third-party app. In addition to saving, tap the share button to send a pin to someone not yet signed up for Pinterest.
BOARDS: When you go to add a pin, the app will ask where you’d like to put it. Rather than have all your pins on one page, Pinterest allows you to create different boards to house your images. Accessed from the saved tab, you can create as many as you like. Think of each board as a blank canvas. For example, you might want to have one for gift ideas, another for home DIY inspiration and one for ingenious storage hacks. To create a new board, tap the plus button at the top of your saved tab and give it a name. Press the pencil icon on a board to add a cover photo, description and to assign it a topic (so other people can find it more easily).
HOME FEED: Once you’re feeling comfortable with the above, it’s time to visit the home tab. Here, you’ll find a never-ending collection of content tailored to your interests and past activity, along with pins from any people, topics or boards that you follow. Tap on a pin to see its source, along with comments made by other users. You can also post a photo response demonstrating your attempts to replicate what’s shown in a pin.
STEP IT UP A LEVEL
FRIENDS: We all have our strengths, and I am proud to say visual creativity isn’t one of mine. But there are some people on Pinterest who always seem to have an eye for the visual prize. If you enjoy the look of another person’s pins, you can add them as a friend to stay up to date
with anything they post. Simply navigate to a person’s profile and tap the follow button.
SEARCH: One of the easiest ways to find inspiration is through the app’s search tool. Start by typing a few words — for example, ‘winter fashion’, ‘fish tacos’ or ‘last minute gift ideas’. As pins begin to populate, you can further refine your search by tapping on one of the suggested keywords displayed below the search bar. Press the funnel icon to filter results to show only pins, people or boards.
EXPLORE: In addition to your home tab, the explore page shows ideas and pins currently trending on the site, along with recommended people to follow. You can also swipe left to move through different pages devoted to each one of your pre-chosen interests.
RELATED PINS: A simple yet extremely useful feature on Pinterest is the ability to quickly see related images for a pin. Once you’ve found a photo that you like, simply swipe up to see similar images.
MESSAGING: A feature present on the majority of other social networks, for Pinterest it’s no different, with the app allowing you to send and receive messages with other users. To do so, visit the notifications tab and tap the inbox button to see a list of recent messages, along with the option to start new conversations.
IMAGE SEARCH: Unsure how best to describe exactly what you’re looking for using mere words? In addition to text, Pinterest lets you search for pins using your camera. Just tap the camera icon in the search bar tab and snap a photo, or choose one from your camera roll. The app will then analyse the contents (and colours) of that image to come up with a list of similar pins.
GOING PRO
SECRET BOARDS: There are some boards you mightn’t want other users to see. For example, a board devoted to ‘90s-themed costume ideas might be great inspiration for you, but others... not so much. For these scenarios, you can make pins private by navigating to a board and tapping the pencil icon.
COLLABORATORS: If you’re struggling for inspiration on a board, why not ask for help. You can allow other users to add pins to a board by pressing the pencil icon and tapping the collaborator button.