I’m sure everyone’s wondering what’s all this hype about Pinterest which is basically just a social book marking site where users can collect and share photos of their favorite things, activities, interests etc. So what’s new that has made this photo sharing site such a rage in a short time?
It lets users create theme based pinboards for inspiration and idea sharing! One can either like a picture of re-pin it to their board. Pinterest’s aim is to “connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting”.
The website created by Paul Sciarra, Evan Sharp and Ben Silbermann is managed by Cold Brew Labs and funded by a small group of entrepreneurs and inventors. The site was launched in March 2010 and was operational on an invite-only basis. Within a year it had 10,000 users and the launch of the iPhone app brought in and unexpected amount of downloads. On 16th Aug 2011 the website was listed among Time Magazine’s “50 best websites of 2011”. It’s one of the fastest growing social networks online, third-largest next to Facebook and Twitter. Millions of people are talking about social media’s overnight sensation. Once it reached 10 million users in February in record time, the buzz peaked 373% over 2 months with 119,000 social mentions!
A research from RJ metrics came up with some interesting findings about pinterest:
- The top source for Pinterest photos is Etsy, however it only accounts for 3% and Google images ranked a close second
- 80% of the pictures from the site have been either re-pinned from someone else
- With the recent media hype surrounding Pinterest, user sign-ups have skyrocketed.
So why is Pinterest any different from other photo-sharing sites like Instagram? Although they basically serve the same purpose the main difference is with the way they’re used. While Instagram is used by people for sharing personal photos, Pinterest is just about uploading photos which you find interesting on the net. Instagram allows you to apply filters to photos while photos on Pinterest cannot be altered and are uploaded in their pure form. Pinterest has a beautiful interface which is not only inspiring but its visual layout is better for amazing photos. Another difference is that on Pinterest who you are is not important but what you like is! Although instagram has better social integration and shareability still it’s just and iPhone application but Pinterest is for everyone!
10 Things we love and hate about Pinterest – infographic
Google+ is putting its focus on photos, taking cues from Pinterest and Instagram. CNET's Dan Farber and Seth Rosenblatt have the Inside Scoop on the different ways Google+ will now sort, surface, and even GIF your pictures.
Today we'll report a handful of stories, including a study of the "lost boy" generation and the Machinima network, NSA's secret Google tricks, "Pinterest Stress" affecting your Mom, and the music business in American prisons.
If you scroll through Pinterest, you probably have seen eye catching fashion photos of Maria De La Cruz from Haute and Rebellious. She is this segment's featured blogger.
Talking trainers and a grumpy cat were two of the highlights at an interactive festival that in previous years gave us Twitter and Pinterest.
AUSTIN — Gap isn't a brand that you'd expect to see at SXSW, but it's making a splash during the music portion of the festival, partnering with Tumblr to bring Austin-goers tunes by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, the Shout Out Louds and more. (The brand is also the official t-shirt partner of SXSW.) Working with musicians is a recent turn for Gap, but it's actually a return to the brand's original roots — in the early days, the company was called "Pants and Discs" and sold denim and vinyl under one roof. But in the past year especially, Gap has upped its cool factor by embracing indie musicians, fashion bloggers and creating 'lo-fi' content on hot new apps, like Vine (not to mention Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest).
Cloudparade lets anybody planning a wedding curate collections of items, Pinterest-style. But Cloudparade links planners directly to vendors, so they can buy their collections immediately.
