And my life was forever changed.
Despite the awesomeness, there are some issues I feel need to be discussed about Pinterest.
1. Click on the pin before you repin. This is not a hard and fast rule, but it really helps in the long run. There are so many pins that only lead to a picture and not an article... if all you're looking for is inspiration, that's great. But if it's a recipe or a craft project, you might need some instructions. Follow the pin and see if it leads somewhere helpful.
2. Take the pin description with a grain of salt. Just yesterday, I made a recipe I found on Pinterest. The description said the ingredients included sour cream. When I clicked through (which I did when I pinned it, but only to make sure it led to the actual recipe) the recipe called for mayonnaise, not sour cream. Luckily for me, I had mayo on-hand, but if I hadn't, dinner would have been put on hold while I run out to get the missing ingredient. When you follow the pin through, feel free to fact-check the description while you're there.
3. Pin your own stuff sparingly. In the terms of service, it states that you can pin your own stuff, but try not to shamlessly self-promote. I don't pin my own stuff... I figure that if it's good enough, someone will pin it. And even without pinning my projects, I get tons of Pinterest traffic. I'M NOT SAYING DON'T PIN YOUR OWN STUFF. What I'm saying is, if you're pinning your own projects MULTIPLE TIMES, you're trying too hard. There is a well-known blogger who pins her own stuff almost exclusively. And she pins the same thing a week or two later. And again a couple weeks after that. It gave me a bad taste in my mouth and I had to stop following her pins and blog. Don't use Pinterest for self-promotion and see if you don't still get traffic... 'cause I'm thinking you will.
4. Pin stuff from blogs. Tell the bloggers you're pinning their stuff. You will make their day.
5. Actually try the stuff you're pinning. I have eleventy billion pins. So why am I on the internet? There are pins to re-create.
Haha, I totally agree with #s 3 and 5! I try to pin two pins of other people's stuff for every one of my own, but some days it just doesn't work out. :-( And yes, I totally have the horrible problem of pinning things because they're brilliant, and then never doing anything about it!
ReplyDeleteI loved LOVED your pinteresting points. I too refrain from pinning my own projects. I can see how there could be some advantages but for me personally, it is much more gratifying to find they have been pinned by someone else. The only other tip I have recently started to implement is I know credit the source from which I am pinning in my description. i.e. useful information in case
ReplyDeleteZombies should take over by Thrifty Crafty Girl.
Good tips. I do pin my own stuff but only once, not numerous times hoping someone will see it. I try to always clock through and pin the item for myself. It sucks to re-pin something and then when you actually want to go back to the source, the pin leads you to nowhere. There are several projects and recipes I have tried already but so many more I haven't. I need to get on it. Every now and then I'll go back and get rid of pins I know I'll never try.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips!!!!
ReplyDeleteCarmen and the Primcats
I agree wholeheartedly!
ReplyDelete