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What is Pinterest?

Pinterest is a virtual peg board that allows you to sort, share, and view all the beautiful images on the Internet.  You can search for something specific, like knitting projects or handmade jewelry designs, or you can browse much larger categories, like DIY & Crafts, Weddings & Events, and Holidays.

 

How Do I Use Pinterest?

A pin is an image added to Pinterest.  So every time you upload an image or add someone else’s image to your board, you’re adding a pin.  These pins are then arranged on what are called “boards.”  A “board” is a set of pins that share a common theme.  For example, you could have a board called “Recycling Crafts” and it would be filled with various pins you found on Pinterest or on the Internet.  You can have as many boards as you’d like and each one of those boards can have as many pins as you’d like. 

Anyone who comes across Pinterest can view images, but in order to create boards and add your own images, you need to be a member.  To become a member, you can request an invitation directly through the Pinterest Web site or, if someone you know is already on Pinterest, they can send you an invitation.

Once you’re a member, you have full range of Pinterest’s tools.  You can create boards, upload pins, and follow the boards of other people that you like.  For example, I have a DIY Craft board of my own, but my friend also has a DIY board. Since I’m a Pinterest member, I can follow her board so I’ll be updated on when she adds new pins to her board. 

 

Why Should You Use Pinterest?

Pinterest is one of the easiest and best ways to drive traffic to your blog.  Posting recipes you’ve made, crafts you’re working on, and even your plans to renovate your house or make your own wedding invitations is a great way to get repined by other users.  It’s also a fantastic inspiration tool, since people are adding pins every day, there’s always something new!

 

How Do I Start?

Head on over to www.Pinterest.com.  As you can see, you’ll have access to view all the images, but you’ll need to request an invite in order to do everything else.

Once you have the log in, which should take a couple days, you’ll be taken to a front page that looks like this:


pinterest front page2 Pinning Down Pinterest

You can search for something specific in the search bar in the upper left corner or you can browse around the major categories, found under the “Everything” tab in the top center of your screen.  For our purposes, I’m going to click on the DIY & Crafts category.

pinterest category Pinning Down Pinterest

Now I’m only looking at pins that are DIY and craft themed.  There’s a vibrant crocheted afghan there!  That’s sure to brighten up any room!  There is also a cute felt owl craft and a rubber stamping tutorial about stamping on fabric.  So you can see just in this small block that there are a wide variety of projects on Pinterest.

pinterest diy category Pinning Down Pinterest

Now, I’m looking for something a little more specific.  My friend’s birthday is coming up and she loves penguin crafts, so I’m on the hunt to find her something cute and cuddly!  I’m going to enter the term “penguin crafts” in the search bar and see what comes up…

pinterest search bar Pinning Down Pinterest

Okay, now I am only looking at “penguin crafts.”  They are so cute!  Let’s browse and find a pin…ohh!  How about this?  I love it!  Now we’re going to click on this image that we want to “pin.”

pinterest penguin craft Pinning Down Pinterest

Now I’m looking at a different page.  I can see my image in the center, and above it are two buttons, “Like” and “Repin.”. Clicking “Like” will allow me to “like” this image, similar to Facebook.  If I click “Repin,” I can place this image on one of my existing boards…or if it doesn’t fit on any of my existing boards, I can create a new one.  Thankfully, this pin is perfect for my “Crochet Patterns” board…so I am going to “pin it” there.

pinterest penguin pin Pinning Down Pinteresthow to repin on pinterest Pinning Down Pinterest

If you look to the left of the screen, you’ll see a small picture grid.  This contains all the other pins in this person’s crochet board.  If I wanted to, I could click “follow” and as soon as another pin was entered into this board it would show up on my Pinterest home page, much like a Facebook newsfeed.  If I click on the image itself, I should be taken to the original source from which this project came. You can find that very Huggable Happy Colors Penguin craft at FaveCrafts!

You can also install a "Pin it" button to your browser's toolbar so that you can pin images from anywhere you are on the web. Next time you find a project you love on AllFreeCrochet you can click the "Pin it" button in your toolbar and you'll get a screen that looks like this:

Simply select the image you want to pin and the same box will pop up that let's you add a caption and select which board you would like to add it to.

 

That's it! It's that easy. Be sure to visit our boards on Pinterest!  We’d love to see what you’re creating!  You can follow all our boards here:

FaveCrafts

AllFreeChristmasCrafts

AllFreeCrochetAfghanPatterns

AllFreeCrochet

AllFreeHolidayCrafts

AllFreeSewing

AllFreeKnitting

AllFreeJewelryMaking

CutRateCrafts

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