Hey Sun Devils, I’m back with another installment of your favorite all-things-internet column — favorite being a relative term. This week is crunch time for many of us, so you may have had to neglect your Facebook (don’t kid yourself, Ashley) or catch up on your favorite blogs another time. One website we lady Sun Devils can’t seem to get enough of, though, is Pinterest.
The website helps you categorize online images you want to save for later. You can literally put them in any category or “board” you want. Many Pinterest users mark recipes, crafts and photos that inspire them in some way and place them on a board, which can either be made private or public. You can make as many boards as you want and control how specific you want them to be. There are approximately 30 labels or categories you can apply to a board, though you don’t need to categorize them.
If the variety of television shows on cable TV has taught you anything, you’d know that there is a voracious audience that demands shows about weddings. If you are at all interested in matrimony, Pinterest caters to users looking for inspiration for their impending or imaginary weddings. Just search “wedding,” and you’re directed to an entire category of Pin Boards centered on unions.
Some popular motifs on the website appeal to women, but Pinterest is relevant to men, too. Pinterest can help you remember vacation spots by putting an image to an idea, or maybe even create a visual book recommendation list that you can send to friends and family. Fashion-savvy gents can take advantage of the “Men’s Apparel” category and scope out upcoming trends, or maybe “Outdoors” if you’ve been itching to find a new hiking spot nearby.
Pinterest blends multiple intelligences. It appeals to those with an eye for design, has an easy-to-use layout and links an image to something that may have otherwise slipped your mind. I appreciate how customizable Pinterest is. You are in full control of what ends up on your boards as well as which boards or users you choose to follow. I use my account both for specific projects like birthday parties or as inspiration for the future home of my dreams.
For all the non-believers out there who still aren’t convinced, Mashable, a social-networking news website, recently reported that Pinterest recorded more online traffic than YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn collectively in the month of January. That’s a lot of pins. Beware, though: If you want to sign up for an account, you have to request an invite, which will arrive in your inbox within a week. Be patient. I promise it’s worth the wait.
Reach the columnist at aamentze@asu.edu
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