Pinterest 101: Five Tips for Getting Started

Social networks be warned - a new powerhouse has emerged in Pinterest. The site now has as over 10.4 million registered users, 9 million monthly Facebook-connected users, and 2 million daily Facebook users, according to Inside Network’s AppData tracking service.

Pinterest is a social community that is allows you to organize all the things you find inspiring on the web. By creating virtual pinboards, you are able to create a visual representation of all the things you love. People use Pinterest to plan weddings or parties, brainstorm home décor, find fashion trends, or collect ideas for hobbies. By “pinning”, or posting, images to boards on your profile, you can share with your personality and interests with others.

Below are the five steps to get started on Pinterest.

1. Create a Profile
Pinterest is an invite-only social community. Visit www.pinterest.com and request an invite from the homepage! Don’t want to wait that long? Comment on this post, and Rasmussen College will send you an invite!

2. Build your Boards
Your Pinterest profile is comprised of various boards that help you to organize the things you love. Pinterest provides you with starter boards, such as “For the Home” and “Favorite Places and Spaces”. Start creating your own boards for things that represent your personality. Also consider creating boards for, such as Words to Live By or Study Tips. The more personal your boards are, the more you will get out of them.

3. Follow Other Boards
Just like any good social community, you must have a solid group of people to share your content with. The first step in this is to find friends, family or users who share the same interests as you and follow their boards. This will allow you to have a homepage chock full of pictures for your enjoyment!

4. Repin Things you Like
As you are dipping your toes in the Pinterest pool, try building up your boards by “repinning” images from your followers. Repinning is Pinterest lingo for re-posting someone else’s pin on your own personal page, like you would share on Facebook or retweet on Twitter. Repinning will help you define what you really want to house on your Pinterest page.

5. Start Pinning!
Now that you have a solid base for your Pinterest page, it is time to start giving back to your community and sharing all the things you see – and love – on the web. The easiest way to pin something to your boards is to utilize the Pinterest Pin It Bookmarklet for your web browser. From this bookmark bar, you can easily pin a video or image on any webpage to your boards. There are also smartphone applications that will allow you to pin items from your phone.

Are you addicted to Pinterest, yet? Follow Rasmussen College on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/RasCollege