Instructor: Sara McKinley

www.pinterest.com

Ever used one of these?

Did you or someone you know collect articles, magazine cutouts, notes, photos or recipes and pin them to a cork board like this? Maybe you still have one?

What is Pinterest?

Pinterest is a Virtual Pinboard.

Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.

Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people.

Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.

http://pinterest.com/about/

What is a Pin?A Pin is a visual representation of a link to the original source of information. For example, clicking on the picture (Pin) of the Ham and Potato Casserole takes you to the recipe on the original website.

What is a Pinboard?A Pinboard is a collection of Pins centered around a particular theme.

It’s the cork board if the digital age! Now you can save all of that valuable, inspiring or entertaining information on the Internet in a fun and interesting way.

Examples

http://pinterest.com/about/

Redecorate your Home!Save patterns, furniture, and accessories that catch your eye. Use as inspiration or even create a wishlist of products you plan to buy so that you can remember where to purchase them later.

Examples

http://pinterest.com/about/

Plan a Wedding!Pick out colors, flowers, cakes, clothing, gift ideas, and more. Family and friends could even leave comments and suggestions.

Categories

Not only can you use Pinterest to save your favorite websites, articles, videos and images found on the Internet, but Pinterest also makes it easy to find inspiration that others have already Pinned! You

can search for pins, browse one of the 33 categories, or simply browse the newest or most popular Pins and Pinboards.

Searching for a PinTyped “how to change oil” in the search bar

Searching for a PinFound several Pins about how to change the oil in my car

Viewing a PinWhen I click on the Pin, I can see some more information about it.

The website source of the Pin

Who originally created the Pin and any comments about it

Other Pins from the same source

More Pins on the Pinboard this person pinned the article to

Viewing a PinIf I want to look at the website or article the Pin is referring to, I can simply click on the picture.

Viewing a Pin

Is this article on how to change the oil in my car something useful that I would like to read again later?

RepinningIf so, I can click the Repin button to add it to one of my Pinboards.

Repinning

When I click the Repin button, a new window will appear where I can choose the Pinboard I would like to Pin it to (or create a new Pinboard if I don’t have one for it yet). I can also edit the Pin’s description. When I’m finished I can click the Pin It button and my new Pin will appear on the board I’ve chosen.

Repinning

Here is my new Pinon my DIY/Crafting Pinboard. Now I can read that article again whenever I want.

SocializingThere is also a social aspect to Pinterest in that you can “Like” a pin (much like “Liking” a post on Facebook) or you can comment on a Pin.

SharingYou can also Share a Pin with others on Facebook, Twitter or by email.

Browsing Pins

If you don’t have something specific to search for and are just looking for inspiration, try browsing by Categories or see what’s Popular.

The “Pin It” Button

For example, you can Pin things that you find while browsing the Internet by using the handy Pin It button often found on websites.

Not only can you Repin what others have already Pinned on Pinterest, but you can also create new Pins yourself while browsing the Internet. There are several ways to do this.

The “Pin It” BookmarkletYou can also add a “Pin It” Bookmarklet button to your Internet browser’s toolbar to make pinning things you find on the Internet even easier when a “Pin It” button isn’t available on the website itself.

The Pinterest AppThere’s even an App for Pinterest – be inspired and pin wherever you go on your smartphone or tablet.

How do I sign up?

Go to www.pinterest.com

Sign up with your Facebook or Twitter account if you have one.

(or)

Sign up using your email address.

How do I sign up?If you choose to use your Facebook or Twitter account for Pinterest, you will sign in with your usual Facebook or Twitter username and password on a page like the ones below:

How do I sign up?If you choose to create an account using an email address rather than a Facebook or Twitter account, you will create a Username, enter your Email address, create a password, enter your First and Last name, and select your gender. You can also upload a profile photo (if you used a Facebook or Twitter account instead, your profile photo will update automatically to match your Facebook or Twitter account).

How do I sign up?You now have a Pinterest account! You should see a blank page to get started.

How do I get started?

You can add a description about yourself or a favorite quote to appear below your name by clicking in the space that says to write a little bit about yourself.

How do I get started?

Clicking on the little grey boxes will allow you to add even more information about yourself if you wish, such as your personal website (if you have one) and the location you live in.

How do I get started?

Clicking on the “Edit Profile” button will allow you to do all of these things plus you can edit your account using this button. You can change the email address that you use to log in, change your password, your profile picture, etc. all in one place.

How do I get started?

You can also do the exact same things by clicking on your name in the upper-right corner and clicking “Settings” in the drop-down menu.

How do I get started?

Now I have a profile picture, a quote or description, and the state I live in displayed. You can add to, delete or edit your profile again any time with the Edit Profile or Settings options.

Let’s get inspired!

Click on the Pinterest logo at the top of your screen.

Let’s get inspired!

If you are brand new to Pinterest, you will probably see a page like this which suggests boards in different interest categories for you to follow. Once you start following other People or Boards, you will see their latest pins here in your Feed.

Let’s get inspired!

Once you find a Pin that you like, you can look at the board that it is pinned to and see if you like other things on that board.

Let’s get inspired!

If you do find a board that you like a lot, you can Follow it to see what other things that person Pins to that board in the future by clicking the “Follow” button.

Let’s get inspired!

You can also find friends to Follow with the “Find Friends” or “Invite Friends” options by using the main menu under your name.

Let’s get inspired!

Once you start Following other Boards or Pinners (people), their most recent Pins will show up in your Feed. You access your Feed by clicking the Pinterest logo at the top of the website.

Create a Board

You can create a new Board as you find items you want to pin, or you can create a Board by accessing the Boards page from your account menu.

Create a BoardIf you create a new Board, you will be able to: name your board, select a category most related to the content of the board, choose whether or not to make the board Secret*, and invite others to Pin to the board.*Pinterest now allows you to create a few “Secret” boards that only you can see. This is helpful if you want to create a collection of Pins for a surprise party, for example.

Create a Board

Once you’ve created a Board, you can always go back and edit the board or delete it by clicking the “Edit Board” button.

Activity & Followers

As you start to use Pinterest more, you’ll notice that other Pinners will follow you and your boards. You can see who is following you by clicking “Followers” and see who you are following by clicking “Following.”

Activity & Followers

Your Feed will also start to display a summary of recent Activity (Pinners that have liked or repinned your pins, started following you, boards you’ve been invited to recently, etc.)

Further HelpStill have questions about Pinterest? You can find the answers by going to the “About” menu and then “Help.” You can also find out all about the “Pin It” button and more.