With the weather turning cooler and students staying inside more often, Pinterest is becoming the time passer of choice by many BYU students. Pinterest is the third most popular social media site in the United States, only behind Twitter and Facebook. This start-up company from California is only two years old- but is maturing quickly.
The site entices viewers by allowing them to create virtual boards with “pins” or images that link to blogs or other websites. The site appeals visually to its users and allows them to search for anything that interests them and then virtually “pin” or place the images in different boards organized by topic. Hence, the name, “Pinterest,” or pin your interests. The images found on the site are aesthetically pleasing to the eye and pinners can create a wide variety of boards according to their passions. The site is used mainly by women but is striving to appeal to men as well, by adding categories such as motorcycles, men’s fashions, sports, and science and nature. Pinterest is noteworthy for creating their own nicheout of online images.
Right now, Pinterest is hoping to become a major holiday shopping contender this season, by allowing users to create pin board wishlists for Christmas. Researchers for the company are still trying to figure out how to make money off of the products sponsored by image on their site and are encouraging companies to place their inventory on the site.
“Retailers and marketers can use pins to influence buying decisions, especially when shoppers are expected to make holiday purchases online,” said a Brafton editorial.
With 20 million viewers, Pinterest is definitely a force to be reckoned with. This season, service organizations and non-profits will be adding to the Pinterest community with ways for users to give back online.
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