Using Pinterest

How to use Pinterest, ideas and solutions.

Pinterest is an online pinboard. If you are a normal visitor and like to build a collection of web information, this is for you. Naturally you have to join. Go to www.pinterest.com and submit your email address, you will shortly be sent an acceptance email, just following the instructions, no problem. It is important you download and install the "Pin it" button, there are versions for Explorer and Firefox Browsers and Iphones at http://pinterest.com/about/goodies/ Setting up your Profile and creating boards and categories is the next step. If you are interest in Blogs, Videos and Books for example, you can create a board for each and when you find something suitable, you can Pin It to that specific board and build a collection. What is interesting, you can add Pins from other people, and repin them to your boards.  As the site is an open community, other people can view your Pin Board and copy your links onto their Boards. After registering, you need to wait for the Pinterest invite to be able to configure your Pin Boards.

Web Designers can use Pinterest

As a web designer you can include a Pinterest button into any web page with some simple code. Here is one I sent up earlier, which links to my Pin Board. This can help with your marketing and build great back links.  With a good Pin, this can go viral very quickly, so tell your marketing department and search engine optimisation team there is work to be done.

You can see how effective it is at collecting and categorising information, in the way you want to work. As a designer you may want to include the Pin It button into a page like this   It is very important that there is a an image which can be used for a Pin.  See the summary at the bottom.

Graphic Portfolios using jQuery Scripts

There is now an easier method to setup an array for text and images or build a complete website using the Masonry code from Dave DeSandro Here is an example array with photographs from FlickR

Downtown Perth, Australia Sydney Opera House

Dresden Frauenkirche

One of the last yellow buses of Malta

Singapore by night

Puerto Rico San Juan Old Town

Cesky Kumlov

There is a lot to learn. If you are a web designer or Graphic Artist this technique will be of interest. I have only created this demo to show as an example of what is possible. It's certain you will do much better

What is important is that every webpage has an image that can be seen and used by Pinterest. If there is no image, you have nothing to pin on your board.  

The link to the creator of this jQuer Masonry Script is http://masonry.desandro.com/ 

It is important the every page or Blog has an image that can be used to Pin It.