Pinterest. There is so much inspiration held within one name, from recipes, fashion, crafts, weddings, nurseries, art, decorations, tattoos and more. One can find the recipe for oven-baked fried pickles, instructions on how to make your own laundry detergent and wedding centerpieces all on one site.
Pinterest is an invitation-only website that allows users to create their own virtual pinboards, where they "pin" pictures and links to other websites and pages. "Pinning" an item essentially means copying a link and saving it on a board where a users can go back and view it later.
These links range anywhere from tips for brides-to-be on their big day to how to perfect a fishtail braid. There is no limit on boards or pins, and they may be organized into categories. Users are able to comment on pins, "like" pins, follow each other's boards and repin items onto their personal boards.
Senior early childhood education major Mara Kennon found the site about six months ago while reading a blog. She has been hooked ever since.
"They were saying it was a virtual bulletin board, like, you just found cool stuff and you saved it," Kennon said. "I was like, I got to find that out. It's so up my alley. [I] got on there, never looked back."
Kennon is getting married on Dec. 22 and has been using the site to get ideas for wedding details. Due to lack of a privacy feature, Kennon does not post her ideas and inspirations for her wedding on her Pinterest boards.
"I don't want to put a lot of stuff on Pinterest because people who will be invited to my wedding are on my Pinterest, and I don't want them to see everything," Kennon said.
Kennon also finds craft inspirations on Pinterest and creates canvas pieces that display famous quotes and bible passages. What started out as a hobby became a way to make extra money as she started selling her pieces..
Kennon tried advertising one of her canvases on Pinterest with little luck, and has since decided against promoting her pieces on the site due to lack of time and importance.
"If I had an Etsy shop with my crafts in it, I would totally put it on Pinterest and pin it and get it out there," Kennon said.
Esty.com is a website where users buy and sell homemade goods.
Pinterest gained extreme popularity over the past six months. Some pinners are using the popularity to their advantage and advertising their own businesses and merchandise on the site.
Senior public relations major Hillarie Mueller has been using Pinterest for the past six months. Mueller advertises her family's recently-opened business Paisley Patches on the site by pinning pictures of merchandise and links to the business' website.
Paisley Patches' merchandise includes handmade clothing for children. Since the business is just starting out, an increase in sales has not been noticed.
"However, we have been repinned several times," Mueller said. "I then go on and comment on the repin just to reinforce our name."
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale student Adam McCallister learned of Pinterest through friends. He finds the site useful for do-it-yourself projects.
"I don't know any other guys who use it, and I think that is a shame," McCallister said. "Everyone can benefit from using Pinterest because they can always find something fun to do."
Pinterest has recently encountered questions concerning copyright infringement. Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights. A copyright holder's exclusive rights include the right to reproduce the copyrighted work, spread information contained in the copyrighted work and make derivative works.
Allowing users to pin pictures and links directly off other websites without a license may be considered copyright infringement. The site is trying to figure out a solution to copyright questions.
Until then, pinners will stay as addicted as ever.
"I am on Pinterest more than I am on Facebook or Twitter," Kennon said. "I'd rather do Pinterest. You can tell by my amount of pins how much time I spend on there."
