In recent years, we’ve found ourselves bombarded with new social media platforms popping up on what feels like a daily basis.  Some of these take off, others lay stagnant waiting for their chance to break into the social scene.  I’ve found myself hesitating on jumping on the bookmarking bandwagon…quite honestly, I’m not totally sure why.  I think part of my reluctance has been that I felt like social bookmarking can be scattered, like my brain is just jumping around from topic to unrelated topic while pressing through pages on StumbleUpon.  And then I discovered Pinterest.

Pinterest’s Mission: Our goal is to connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting. We think that a favorite book, toy, or recipe can reveal a common link between two people. With millions of new pins added every week, Pinterest is connecting people all over the world based on shared tastes and interests.

Pinterest is a virtual pinboard.

Now, we know how much I adore making lists (#ChecklistJunkie #sorryimnotsorry).  I mean, I did base an entire blog on it, so you can see why I was instantly attracted to this creative concept!  Pinterest made me feel organized, like I had more control over my bookmarking than usual.

Once you sign up (and you have to request an invite, which seems exclusive and initially turned me off and I may or may not have sent an aggravated tweet about it…but my uneasiness quickly faded away once I was officially signed up), you can create a pinboard for any and every category your little heart desires.  For example, my pinboards include “craft it.” “plan it.” and “bake it.”  Based on my interests, Pinterest suggested some boards for me to follow, and so the pinning began.

#cantstopwontstop

Once you install the “pin it” button into your Internet browser bookmark bar (which is super easy), you can pin directly from any website you come across, no need to copy and paste photos or worry about crediting the source…Pinterest takes care of it all!  Each time you pin or repin something you get the choice of which of your boards to include it on, and thus the outstanding organization.  Reference your pinboards at any time, pin from your phone, the possibilities are actually endless.  Although I’m obvi not going to start Christmas shopping yet (see Monday’s rant below), I have come across several DIY gift ideas that I have pinned in a safe place so they’re easy to reference once Thanksgiving is over and Christmas begins

Adam Belz featured Pinterest in the USA Today Tech section, saying “Pinterest stands out in a crowded social media field.”  The intriguing article provides a background of how Pinterest was created and how it’s being used now.  This past August,  TIME Magazine named Pinterest one of the 50 Best Websites of 2011, alongside A-listers like Klout and Google+.  Clearly this relatively new startup has been getting noteworthy and valuable coverage, and I highly suggest you check it out.  Whether you’re truly looking to organize & share your vast array of interests, or simply want an entertaining way to procrastinate, Pinterest is the way to go.