Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Pinterest

I joined Pinterest four weeks ago, and I love it. It's simple to use. I'm not limited to seeing only what my "friends" or "followers" post. I can follow any person that I want or just one or two boards that a person has. There's none of this friend request business, just click follow and that's all there is to it. And I can share my pins with anyone who isn't a member of Pinterest. You can go here to see my boards:

The amazing thing is that in the past month I have discovered over twenty artists whose works that I really love and that I would not have otherwise found. I love art. I love going to art shows and museums. When Google launched its Art Project, I was stoked as I could go and look at classic art and get closer, down to paint stroke level, than I ever could in a museum.

And then there is some amazing photography of the most beautiful places in the world and some really funny stuff. I found texts from the dog there.

BUT there are drawbacks to Pinterest. You have to have either a facebook account or a Twitter account to join. Most people have one or the other, but I would like to see them do away with that requirement and stand alone. It's also not the best place for having a conversation. While you can comment on pins and have a conversation about a specific pin, it's just not the best environment for having a discussion.

AND it is not the best place to market your books. If you're looking at it as potential place for building a platform for your writing, this is not the best place to do that. It is more visual, more for sharing of images, craft ideas, art, places, products, and for some reason tattoos.

However, a writer could use it to get ideas for stories or visual references for story descriptions like buildings, locations, clothes, furniture, and so on.

If you're interested, check it out here.  You have to request an invitation to join, but that is relatively simple to do. Or leave a comment with your email address and I'll send you an invitation to join.

Updated to add: Pinterest is now open to anyone with an email account. 

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