Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Seven Ways To Be A Better Pinner



Hi. I'm Jen, and I'm addicted to Pinterest.

If you've also pinned the Kool-Aid, then you know Pinterest is a fun and easy way to visually catalog the things you love online. However, as the controversy over Pinterests's Terms of Service the other month showed, there actually are wrong ways to pin - ways that could even potentially get you in legal trouble. (And even if they don't, they're not very nice.) So whether you've been pinning for ages or are just getting started, here are a few tips to help you be a better pinner:



1) Pick The Right Picture

This sounds like a no-brainer, but sometimes - particularly with things like DIY tutorials or self-help articles - people tend to make some...well...odd choices:

If this isn't an article about hugging small appliances, I am gonna be SO MAD.



Maybe it's a Toy Story couch?

As a general rule, just look for a picture that's as self-explanatory as possible. If you're pinning a product, use a close-up. If you're pinning a recipe or DIY project, use a photo of the end result. 

 For example, I found this pin:

Right next to this pin.


  
Which would *you* click?




Articles can be a lot trickier, of course, since many don't have ANY pictures to pin, much less one that makes sense:

I CAN FLY!!

So, writers, this tip is just for you: always illustrate your articles, and use illustrations that are at least in some way related to your content. Remember, the more pinnable your content, the more readers Pinterest can send your way.



2) Pin From The Source

This is the most common mistake I see on Pinterest, probably because most pinners have no idea they're doing anything wrong.

The beauty of Pinterest is that, when used correctly, it directly rewards original content creators. However, when you pin from a third-party-site (meaning any place that is *not* the original source), you're robbing that content creator of page views and even business. Pinterest has become the #1 traffic driver for countless independent Etsy sellers, artists, bloggers, and more - so believe me, those clicks count.  

At best, an incorrect source link is an annoyance. At worst, it might get you in trouble with the image's copyright holder - so try to err on the side of caution.


Even if the site you're on credits a source, that's not enough. Too often that credit is just another site crediting another site, and we all know how frustrating it can be to chase a link through half a dozen websites. Don't do that to your followers or the content creator - find the original source and pin from there.

So to recap, because this really is that important: If I post a jewelry roundup here on Epbot, don't pin your favorite necklace from my site. Instead, follow my link to the shop it's sold from and pin from there. By the same token, if you see my flip-flop hangers featured on a craft site somewhere, follow their link back to Epbot, and pin the image from here.


3) Link To Posts, Not Home Pages

Now that you've found the correct source of your pin, help your followers out by linking directly to the specific page or post on the site in question, not just the website's home page. I've accidentally made this mistake a few times myself; I'll go back to a pin a few weeks later and realize my link only leads to a website's front page, while the post I'm looking for is buried somewhere in the archives. This can be über frustrating. Don't do it.


4) Label It!

Pinterest encourages users to explain and describe pins by requiring a caption, but more and more people are just putting a period in the caption box to get around that requirement. 

STOP DOING THAT.


I can't tell you how many caption-less pins I've seen of clear plastic bottles filled with colored liquid. What are they? Homemade dish soap? Perfume? Your baby's first wee? SOMEBODY PLEASE TELL ME WHAT'S IN ALL THESE FRICKIN' BOTTLES.


What is it?!

Ahem.

Adding a word or two of description not only helps people understand your pins, it also helps people find them. Think about it: if all you type is "WOW!" on your new bathroom makeover, then anyone searching for "bathroom makeovers" is never going to find it. Throw a few keywords in, though, and you'll not only be making Pinterest a more useful place for everyone, you'll also be reaching more potential followers. (I know I routinely follow people I've found while using the search function.)
 


5) Check Sources Before You Repin

I know this sounds like going above and beyond the call of duty - and it is! - but seriously, for every conscientious pinner out there, there are several more pinning willy-nilly from third-party scraper sites or the 75th Tumblr re-blog or some other uncredited source. At some point, someone needs to step in and remind the community that the originating source deserves a hat tip, don't you think? 

Fortunately, it only takes a second to click a pin and check the source address:

If the address looks suspicious or leads to something like a Google image search (another popular mistake), then take a moment to find the original source before pinning it. And if you want an extra gold star,  leave a comment on the incorrectly-sourced pin with the right link, too, so the original pinner can correct it.


6) Relax! You CAN edit your pins!

So you just realized you pinned something awesome from a third-party site instead of the original source. Don't worry; you don't have to delete it and start over again! Pinterest allows you to edit your pin source after the fact. Just hover over the image and click "edit."

Easy peasy!




7)  A Little Thoughtfulness Goes a Long Way

Hey, no one can follow all the rules all the time, so if pinning is becoming a chore, cut yourself a little slack. So long as we all keep these general guidelines in mind, and remember that there are real people being affected by where our pins lead, I think we can continue making Pinterest a great place to lose all of our productivity. Who's with me?






- And Finally, A Quick Word on Copyright:


The brouhaha over Pinterest's Terms of Service a few months back led to a lot of pinners deleting their accounts in a panic, and probably scared off a lot of potential users as well. The problem stemmed from language in Pinterest's ToS that stated you had to own the copyright of every image you pinned, or else have express written permission from the image's copyright holder. Obviously, 99% of the pins on the site break this rule. 

More worryingly, the Terms of Service also indicated that Pinterest could sell or license anything you pinned, leading people to fear their grandkids' photos might someday end up on a box of Lucky Charms.  

Remember this?


Fortunately, Pinterest has since changed the language in their ToS to this:  

"...you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable, sublicensable, worldwide license to use, display, reproduce, re-pin, modify (e.g., re-format), re-arrange, and distribute your User Content on Pinterest for the purposes of operating and providing the Service(s) to you and to our other Users." (emphasis mine)

As you can see, Pinterest is still laying claim to your content rights, but only insofar as to operate the site itself. And frankly, as far as CYA legalese goes, this isn't unusual or scary at all. Given the massive amounts of good Pinterest is doing for small companies and independent artists, I personally have no qualms with using the site or posting my images there - but of course you should read their complete Terms of Service and make that decision for yourself. 


I hope some of you found this helpful! And feel free to look me up over on Pinterest and/ or recommend boards to follow there; I'm always looking for more ways to avoid actual work.


So tell me, fellow Pin-addicts, what'd I miss? List your pinning advice and pet peeves in the comments!


UPDATE: A few excellent additions from the comments:

- Categorize your pins on boards, and do it correctly 
  Recipes don't belong in the "geek" category. 'Nuff said.

- Take the time to flag spam and inappropriate content
   Pro-anorexia and other self-harm pins *are* out there. Flag 'em (plus any other offensive content) by clicking the pin & selecting "report pin," so we can make Pinterest a safer place.
  
   Scammers can be harder to spot, but here are a few tips from Mashable on how to do so.

- When repinning, change the caption if it includes something personal
  You'd think this would be extra obvious, but it sounds like this happens to you guys a lot! So, if you see a personal note ("Hey, Mom, look what I made!") don't just repin that - change the caption.

92 comments:

  1. -claps-

    We need instructions like this for tumblr, too, because they're the worst when it comes to crediting. Sigh.

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  2. 8. Report spam, offensive/violent images or links, pornographic content, etc when you see it. It does actually work, but only if you click the "report pin" button!

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  3. Jen, thanks so much for this reminder of how to be a good pinner! Its always good to get a reminder and a way to be better at something that we all enjoy! Have a great day!

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  4. This is great info! I have been afraid to join Pinterest because of the scary things I had heard about TOS, but now maybe I'll go ahead and start an account...

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  5. My pinning advice is about my pet peeve. When I see a pin on a diy board or with a description including diy, but the source is actually a store, it drives me crazy. A quick fix is to add the price to the description. All you have to do is add a $ followed by the price, and Pinterest will automatically add the price on top of the picture. That way people will know it's from a store and not a tutorial.

    Great advice, Jen. Thanks!

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  6. I'm a huge Pinterest fan and you've pretty much hit the nail on the head! To me it just seems intuitive to make sure you're pinning the real source. Doesn't that just make sense?

    Anyway, personal pet peeve: People putting "Yum!" or "Gotta try this!" as the title of their pin. Seriously, tell us what we're looking at, please.

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  7. Good tips. I am guilty of doing the period thing, but only on inspiration pictures for home decorating or outfits, stuff like that. Tutorials get a description, usually I can just use whatever the blog post/article's title is.

    I can't even tell you how many times I've tried to chase down the original source through the Tumblr rabbit hole. I've even tried using TinEye but it doesn't always work.

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  8. THANK.YOU.

    I feel bad for my hubby: I have been ranting about these exact same things since I was invited to Pinterest. So glad you could enlighten us from a place where people will listen. :)

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  9. Amen! You've covered everything that annoys me about Pinterest and its users. Excellent post!

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  10. Thank you for saying all of the things that drive me nuts and I try to personally avoid. I hope more photography sites realize that these pins are an important way to drive wedding-related traffic and will code a way to pin their images (or just stop making ridiculously annoying all-flash sites).

    You don't cover the ethics of affiliate links. What do you think about those? Never pin your own amazon link; do it and make a few cents; or just inform in the caption. I've seen lots of blogs informing about affiliate links in their posts lately that didn't used to and I'm wondering if it really matters all that much.

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  11. My pintrest peeve: People who repin things off my boards without changing the comment. I tend to be pretty good about being descriptive in my pins so even those ones with crappy photos can be understood. However, I also will tag friends who I think would enjoy certain pins. When I see that "janedoe has repinned your pin - 'hey @mom, I thought you would like the directions for this starburst quilt'", it makes me want to scream and track down 'jane doe'.

    Seriously people? How hard is it to use the brain you were given to CHANGE THE DANG DESCRIPTION?!

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  12. I love Pinterest too! Though the more people joining, the more I find pins like the ones you mentioned. Drives me crazy! I HATE finding an awesome pin, only for it to lead to the main page of a site (I've done that before though), or to a google image search, or a tumblr account. So when it's nailpolish- which I have a minor obsession with- I have no way of figuring out the color or tutorial.

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  13. you hit all my pet peeves! thanks, Jen.

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  14. And for the love of Pete (or anyone else) don't pin a picture of something wonderful with no link!!! Nothing is worse than repinning something only to go back and not have a recipe for those delicious looking pumpkin dog treats...or whatever. :)

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  15. I love that you followed your own rule and included a great, pinnable image at the top of the post. I'm off to pin it!

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  16. Something I discovered semi-accidentally is that you can highlight text and then click "pin it" and that (usually) becomes the label. I use this a lot when I just want to identify something, or don't have anything to say about the image. It only works with plain text, hyperlinks don't translate.

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  17. I do the period comment. I'm so ashamed! But I only do it when I'm pinning a picture that doesn't need any explantion. Mostly when I just think it's cute. And only for repins.

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  18. Awesome article and great tips! I've been so frustrated before when people just pin things without the address and it takes me to Tumblr or their Pinterest page. It's not that hard to find the source link. I've screen grabbed things and then uploaded the screen grab, but linked it back to the site I grabbed from (I guess that's OK. I'm not just going to not give credit.). I don't want to have people wandering the boards looking for where my pins came from. I'm glad you published this. I shall be pinning it (with the article link, of course!).

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  19. Yes, I just pinned your article, thanks to your lovely orange graphic at the top! I don't have enough time to be addicted to Pinterest, but I do enjoy it, and this post was really helpful. Thanks!

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  20. Something that annoys me is when people repin something I've pinned and don't change the caption when they ought to. I posted a pic with personal note that I made it on Tagxedo and people repinned it, thus implying that THEY made it. (example)

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  21. Thanks for writing this, Jen! Have you been to Link With Love? This is pretty much what they're all about! Happy pinning :)

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  22. Or you could do something more productive, like anything OTHER than Pinterest...

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  23. If you do find something that is original on Tumblr or feel you must pin from Tumblr (I have a blog on Tumblr and I don't pin from there unless it's a roundup of crafts with links to original sources)click on the NOTES and that will take you to the permalink. Part of the problem is that people are just clicking from Tumblr pages, but if you are on Tumblr, you know these change daily. Also, please get google search by image as an extension - so easy to use and finding the original source is really rewarding :)

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  24. Oh, and my Pinterest pet peeves are A. Tumblr, B. Tumblr, C. Tumblr, and D. people who pin obvious things like 'how freeze a banana' lol.

    Sometimes if I can't figure out the source from inside the Tumblr rabbit hole, I pull the image to my computer and use the Google search that lets you upload an image to help me find the original. It has been very helpful!

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  25. Also -- pin it to the board that makes the most sense. I explore Pinterest through the DIY categories, and I can't tell you how often I get excited over something that looks like a tute and it's totally not because someone pinned it to the wrong board.

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  26. Preach on, sistah! I think you hit all the major points. As a photographer, I actively try to respect original content as much as possible - to the point that I've stopped pinning anything from a credit-less Tumblr hole, and always double-check the link before pinning (often editing the link to go to the original source instead). Pinterest is awesome for traffic to my blogsite, and I absolutely love it as a resource, so I hope more peeps take your tips to heart! My main peeve? PERMALINK. Learn it!

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  27. I suppose you missed "report malicious pins when you run into them". I ran into some pins of recipes that looked really interesting, but when clicked, they led to a page that automatically redirects to a site impersonating pinterest (instead of pinterest, url says something like pint.erest or pinterset or ...) with the notice that "to view this recipe, you need to install the pinterest recipe app", effectively trying to make you install a virus which will use your account to pin to the same site or other impersonating sites. Another one said something along the lines of "your account has been verified, you get to pick a gift card for supporting pinterest" with gift cards ranging from $100 to $1000. I suppose most pinners are intelligent enough to realise that this is a scam for identity theft, but some might not be. Don't just ignore these pins, report them and make the internet a better place :)

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  28. Shelley in So. ILMay 1, 2012 at 2:30 PM

    My issue with Pinterest is that at the beginning, before I had even a small clue about what I was doing, I must have pinned someone that I didn't actually want to follow. And now this guy is clogging up my boards with hundreds of pins each day. I swear I don't mind a little geek art here and there, but I don't need to see the 300 prints he pinned today. Or yesterday. Or tomorrow. Or ever again. I have tried on several occasions to find a way to stop seeing him and his prolific pins, but no luck. I even asked Pinterest. No answer. Any clues?

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  29. love this post! cant tell you how many pins ive clicked that led me to google.com/images or tumblr.com/dashboard... come on people!! on a similar note, often you can drag a un-sourced pic into google images and find the original location

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  30. PLEASE tell people how easy it is to use Google Image Search to look up the original source of an image - it has helped me so many times.

    Just right-click the image in Pinterest, copy the URL (right-click > "Copy Image URL"), then go to images.google.com, click the little camera icon in the search bar, and paste the URL (Ctrl+V or right-click > Paste). Click search, and you should have a whole list of places that image is found online, and hopefully the original source is near the top!

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  31. You forgot one: pins categorized incorrectly. I check the posts for Geek, and there are fitness posts there. I check the crafts, and there are FITNESS posts there. I mean, I am sure that it happens because someone forgot to change which board to post it to- but it happens SO much. Its just stupid

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  32. Awesome. Thank you.

    I just ran into an issue today, trying to pin an article about diy candles but unable to get an image of anything but the blog headers. (No images from the actual article came up as options.)

    I finally settled for pinning the 3rd party page that I found the project on originally, just so that I could have a picture of the finished product. Now I can go back and link to the actual article instead.

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  33. @Shelley--you should be able to click on his username to bring up his profile, and then there should be a giant button that says "Unfollow all". That should un-subscribe you from all of his pins.

    The mis-labeled/categorized pins irritate me, too. And I think I'd rather have no description at all than just "wow" or "so yummy" on a recipe!

    Also, when people pin things that are a) 4 pages long or b) pinned at a size that makes reading the text impossible. If you're pinning a lolcat or something, make sure it's actually legible in the pin!

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  34. I agree with what you wrote. I've been pinning for quite a while & have had the bummer experience of trying to find a pinned recipe and then end up on a different site or even just a plain creepy one. The best advice I've read & you also mentioned it, is to describe the pin with a few key words FIRST, then add on all the blabber you want second. That way, people can find it when they search for it with key words. Thanks for the guidance!

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  35. Love this! I can't think of anything to add for Pinterest rules, but there's another site (Evernote.com) that is a private "notebook" for articles. If I find an article that I love but there's no photo to pin for it, I clip it to Evernote so I can reference it in the future. AWESOMENESS!

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  36. To Shelley in So. IL:

    There's a simple fix for that: next time you see one of his updates, click on his username, this will take you to his profile. Centered under the Pinterest logo, in the bar above his boards, will be a button "Unfollow All". It looks grayed out, as if it's a disabled control button, but you CAN click it, and it will stop updates from this person. If you still receive updates, you might need to expressly unfollow the boards too, but just unfollowing all should do the trick!

    To Sally Jenks: wow, that's a really nifty feature. Thanks for dropping it, will definitely make use of that option :)

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  37. Thank you for this! I hope lots of people read it!

    Another thing that bothers me is long, long descriptions. Like when people pin "500 Things You Should Tell Your Kids" and then proceed to list all 500 in the description so it is about a foot long. Boo!

    I pledge to help make Pinterest a better place.

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  38. Okay, so as a non-addict who doesn't fully "get" pinterest, but uses it a little anyway...

    Is is cool to say in the comments of someone's pin "Hey, here's the real source (link)" Or is that being dickish?

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  39. Nurse Pickles and RJ above me both hit my two peeves:
    1) Not changing MY comment on a pin. I pinned a Star Wars family sticker with a comment about ME seeing a zombie family sticker in the Lowes parking lot, and 400+ people repinned it with that exact same comment. Even on my repins, I try to add my own comment to it, even if I keep the description.
    2) Not using the category feature correctly. The geek pins bug the crap out of me because only about 1/3 of them are actually "geek" related.

    Glad to know you can edit a pin, I did NOT know that. :)

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  40. As someone who is recovering from an eating disorder, please do report anything being used an thinspo or promoting ways to lose excessive weight. Getting fit is wonderful! Trying to reach a 0 is not. In short, anything that uses a specific number is likely not promoting health and rather promoting EDs.

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  41. These are good guidelines! You know what's funny though? I found this on Pinterest, and it linked to your homepage rather than the post! It worked out though. I'm looking forward to checking out the rest of your site.

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  42. #3 so much! I hate it when somebody posts a great looking recipe or something else cool, and then I go to it and it is the front page of a blog. I really don't want to go digging back through the archives to find what I wan.

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  43. Ditto on the bravos, hand claps, etc. Especially #2.

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  44. Yes yes yes. One more thing, for me, I love using Pinterist for art. So people have the opportunity to get yet another gold star (how many are we up to now?) by putting the name of the artist in the comments section.

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  45. I would like people to stop using Pintrest as their personal Myspace/Facebook page. When I have to go through 30 pins on your favorite music because you were picking out your favorite album covers at three in the morning....I am Annoyed!!
    Use Pintrest for what it is there for, not to make statements about who you are.

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  46. PLEASE do a Tumblr how-to because that is what some uf us need (:

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  47. You have hit so many of my pinterest pet peeves! I have had to use google image search more in the couple of months I've been on pinterest than I have the rest of my life.

    One thing I've seen a couple of times lately is people not organizing their pins on to boards, just a board for every single pin! Sorry, I'm generally not interested in everything about your life, so I'm not going to follow you if I can't pick and choose which boards I'm interested in.

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  48. Thank you so much for clarifying some of the panic out there re linking pins to original sources. Since my son is a photographer, I had already been conscientious about the issue. But, you gave me an idea of how to link my blog to my pinboards that I had not thought of before! What a huge help!

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  49. All awesome rules to follow! Thanks Jen! I think everyone has already stated everything that I was going to add so I'll just add that my name is Renee and I'm a pinterest addict.

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  50. I'm totally on board!! I hate all the uncited artwork on Pinterest. I want to know who the original artist is!!!

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  51. Thank you and well said!

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  52. Is there a way to edit the board that you have posted a picture in if you realize it was on the wrong board?? I have a couple that I want to move from board to board, and am having trouble figuring out how to do so. Thank you! equest2005 (at) woh (dot) rr (dot) com

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  53. Yes, to change the board just click on your pin and click "edit pin." In that screen will be a drop-down menu of all your boards. Easy peasy!

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  54. This may have been mentioned earlier but to elaborate on #2.
    if you can't find the original source after a couple of clicks or you fall into the black pit of Tumbler then use Google image search.
    I usually have two windows open if I'm on Pinterest, one with way too many Pinterest links in tabs and another with Google up so if the links don't go to anything or are a spam link (I've been seeing that a lot recently) I can click on the picture from the pin and drag it to image search. Usually I can find the source in a couple of clicks and then pin it directly.
    actually if the source says .tumbler anywhere I usually just use Google image search.

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  55. Funny that you mention changing the caption...A while back I pinned a recipe for pretzel rolls because my husband likes them. Seven re-pins and five of them left my caption of "[Dear Husband] loves pretzel rolls!"

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  56. My peeves:

    the "get a FREE pair of Joebobs shoes or Startrucks coffee" that everyone repins compulsively. Normally the company who offer site product is not involved, it could be a scam (replace could with is).

    People who are repinning actual pins and changing the URL to their scammer sites. I recently found that most of the repins of "Bacon Jam" did not in fact lead to a recipe (darn!)

    Some style sites like BHG.com are aggressively populating the site with their content. that's advertising.

    The number of people who "blog" by republishing photos, without proper credit. At least make a cogent comment on why you like the stuff.

    check the links, people!

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  57. Thank you, Jen. I just started with Pinterest and want to make sure that I am using the site properly.

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  58. my pet peeve is ppl pinning pics of their family, dog, etc... Take it to FB ppl!

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  59. If I am running a search and find something I want to re-pin, I "like" it instead. That way instead of losing my place in the search I can gather them all in one place. When I have the time, I go to the original sources and pin from there one at a time.

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  60. Thanks for posting this. A lot of these problems are pet peeves of mine on Pinterest, so I try to do them the correct way- changing the caption, choosing the right picture, pinning from the original source (nothing frustrates me more than seeing a picture of food that looks really good, only to be taken to a Google image!). More people need to take heed of your tips here!

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  61. Sadly, I have no idea what this is all about.

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  62. One of my new pet peeves is going to someone's boards to follow them and they have 262 boards with 1 pin each on them. I don't thing you need that many boards with nothing on them. (personal opinion). It makes it a lot more interesting to have much fewer boards with more pins. I don't follow the one-pinners.

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  63. Thank you! Thank you!! Thank you!!!! I actually learned something from this article besides all the "Yay! Finally Somebody Said It's" coming out of my mouth!

    I think I'll go pin it now....

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  64. Wow, great tips! I totally agree about re-captioning a pin if the original was personal - I get a bit worried seeing something I pinned repinned when I realize my daughter's name was in the caption. Usually it's been changed though, phew! Now I'm tempted to go waste some time on pinterest instead of working on new jewelry and bags for my etsy shop!

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  65. Some random person categorized my diy board as home decor... it's not. Just because she re-pinned one thing I had pinned that was to do with home decor she categorized it as home decor... frustrating.

    Also frustrating is the person who re-pins EVERYTHING.

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  66. This is a good place to remind people how they can do a reverse image search through Google to find the original. So often, I find deadend links or circular links, and those are really not helpful.

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  67. I try very hard to get attributions right, but I'm sure I've messed up a few, especially early on.
    Funny about the changing comments. I agree, I don't like repinning personal notes, but sometimes I feel like I'm "stealing" someones thing if I don't leave something in that the poster commented. I try to remove names & directly referential info, though.

    Also, Playing "devil's advocate" a bit,here's two more thoughts-is Pinterest for someone to build their business or for someone to use and enjoy for personal reasons?
    I'm here for the latter. If it gets as impersonal and promotional as Facebook it won't be any fun anymore. So, folks, please don't just pin stuff to try and get followers!
    Finally, if boards are made by individuals for their own use, who's to say that "geek" is the wrong category for someone to put a recipe in?
    Jen is a geek and she posts recipes. IF I want her recipes in the places I put her other geek things, they might end up in a "geek" category. Or, maybe I'm organizing a "geek" event and I want ALL the things in one place...including the recipes. Why is this wrong?

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  68. I have a question I've been wondering about. I have a board where I recommend books and movies I've liked exceptionally. With movies, there isn't always a seperate website (anymore) so I use imdb as a source usually. What do you do for books? Amazon/Barnes and Noble or do you track down the author's website and link to that?

    I noticed someone mentioned 'use Pinterest as intended'. Could you please explain how Pinterest is intended, because I see it as 'use it for whatever you want within legal/reasonable limits'. If I want to use it to list parts I need/want for my motorbike so I have an easy overview, or keep a list of gift ideas for several specific people, or make a list of cute animals because it cheers me up to look at them, or have one self-promotional board for my Etsy shop among all my regular boards, and a Bucket List, would any of those be considered 'not as intended', and who came up with those rules and enforces them? I see people use it for a myriad of reasons. Was Pinterest invented to show off how much style you have? A wedding planner tool? A crafting inspiration? All exclusive of another?

    As many questions actually pose a statement, so does this one: I don't agree there is one specified use for Pinterest. I'd be interested in different points of view though.

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  69. This isn't so much a rule as a helpful tip: You can rearrange your Boards page, and doing so by alphabetical order makes specific boards much easier for you and others to find. Plus, it makes my low-level OCD happier.

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  70. Ooh, and also, please don't copy and paste entire sections of the text from the you are pinning into the description of the pin. It may take away clicks from a shop or blog, plus technically it breaks copyright laws.

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  71. @Phoenix--I use goodreads for books (goodreads.com)and keep 95% of them off pinterest entirely. There are other social media book sites as well, but I can't comment on those. One of the best things about it for me & my husband is its phone app that lets me scan in book ISBN codes so I don't forget about a book I come across but don't want to buy at that moment. I haven't tried pinning from goodreads, but it should be possible-they always have a picture of the book. No idea about any of the other ones.

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  72. Although I agree with the article, I really think you should be lecturing Tumblr users. There are an absurd number of Tumblr blogs which make no effort to credit and link to a source. How do I know? I have an absurd number of pictures on Pinterest which I have tried desperately to locate the source of, only to be sent through a maze of Tumblr posts leading to nowhere.

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  73. Heather, I completely agree with you about Tumblr, which is why I'm rarely on blogs over there. In some ways I feel like the whole thing is a lost cause in the proper-sourcing sense, whereas Pinterest is still growing and might avoid Tumblr's pitfalls & reputation. (Pessimistic, I know!)

    And for locating sources, you just can't beat Google's new image search: just drag any photo into the image search bar, and it will show you every site that picture's appeared on. It's been a LIFE-SAVER for me sooo many times. Give it a try!

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  74. *Please read in mildly annoyed voice, not super snarky voice*
    Sorry people, I don't use pintrest for YOU, I use it for me. If I want to lable my garden board "Monkey Butt", instead of "Cute Garden Ideas" I will. It's MY virtual pinboard, and they are there for MY future reference. I agree with Phoenix, "AS INTENDED" can bite me. I intend to pin pictures I think are cute/useful/interesting, just like the pinboard in my craft room. Don't like it? Don't follow me.

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  75. @Jen- I will try it out.

    @Terry- I agree with you too. I really try to have a source for my pins, but I pin for myself. Most of what I pin are for roleplaying game ideas, my imaginary gastropubs, and inspiration for my art, decorating, etc. I really couldn't care less if I'm followed. It's saving space on my hard drive from all the pics I used to download!

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  76. It is a lot easier to handle your own business than to try and police the whole internet, and a lot less frustrating. Blog writers need to adapt to the times and make their pictures more pin friendly, such as that nice one for the lamp you show. It has all of the relevant info so even if it was not linked properly, in the 'wrong' category and labelled 'awesome', anyone who was interested could easily find it. Use watermarks in case someone pins a different picture. Be pro-active instead of trying to be a bossy pants!
    My comments are directed at the blogging community as a whole and not this specific article. I found it well written and informative, thank you!

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  77. Okay-I discovered something amazing and I haven't figured out how to tell the whole world.

    If you are pinning something, highlight (by clicking and dragging) the title or a description and then press the Pin button. IT WILL SHOW UP IN THE BOX!

    Which means you don't have to take the time to type out "Chocolate Chunk Berry Ganache inside a Chocolate Bunny Shell under a layer of Chocolate peanut butter balls Covered in Nutella". (I hope that's a thing one day)

    Am I the only person that knows this??!? If I am, I'm running for Pinterest president...

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  78. Please try and put your pins in the right category. When looking at the humor section, I don't want to see recipes, inspirational quotes or diet tips. And I certsinly don;t want diet tips when looking at recipes ;)

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  79. Thanks Jen! This is a great post. For those of you that want to use the Google image search even faster, just DRAG your image to the search box here: http://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi Bada bing, bada boom! Oh I remember the good ol' days when Pinterest was first starting and I actually would get upset at people for not crediting the original source and find it for them and comment it on their pin. Now I am more in the business of finding it for myself, I realized, "Hey, I don't work at Pinterest!" Although I will still find the original source and pin it myself and if I have enough time sure I will leave it in the comment of the uninformed pinner. (and if they(Pinterest) made more of an effort to reach out and respond to the pinners that ask questions from their staff maybe I'd still be doing this. Lesson learned pinterest...not that it seems like they care too much anyway. I hate to be negative like that, but c'mon, Jen it seems like you get it. Communicating with your audience is a vital part of the success of your web business, and if you make people feel unheard in the internet world, well good luck with that, because it just so happens that sites like Pinterest are popping up all over the place, and in fact existed before Pinterest (I won't mention which ones, because I am a die-hard Pinner.) And I get not responding to the people who get upset over a web page re-design and tell you that they will be deleting their account unless your go back to the old way, LOL, but to the people who actually have legit questions about Pinterest and you can't hire someone to hang out at a desk and answer these questions all day long....You are located in Palo Alto-the Bay Area for crying out loud, I know about a gazillion people around here who would gladly work as your Q&A probably even on an unpaid internship, yet very little effort seems to be made when it comes to your audience.) Oh and don't get me started on the period caption...IT DRIVES ME CRAZY. When I first signed up for pinterest, if you made too short of a description or one that didn't make sense like a PERIOD a little bubble would pop up asking you to please elaborate. What happened to that guy? And why can't they make it so you can't just put down a period? Even on my quotes board I right out the quote or the meaning I take away from it in the caption. I mean, is that what people are thinking in their heads? Period. Like oh this pin makes me feel, 'period'. Or this pin makes me think, 'period'. Oh you must be a delight to talk to in person...

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  80. My first pin was actually fixing a broken pin and I did comment back to the original pin. Didn't realize that I was unusual...but then again story of my life! Thanks Jen for putting it all out there...
    Also-pet peeve for me, a pin that only leads to a pin-then another pin-for infinity. circular pins suck. That's all I have to say about that.

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  81. Thanks for posting this! I hope you don't mind that I pinned it. :)

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  82. Also - like Kat McGill said above, you can save a lot of time by highlighting the important text (a header or summary) BEFORE you hit the pin button. It just goes right into the description, awesome!

    But on the other hand - don't select the entire page.

    Another "good guy" thing you can do when someone does that (posts the entire text of a site as the text of their pin) and you want to repin it: delete that and put a teaser!

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  83. What a great article! I've been practically preaching these things to pinners for a bit now, myself! Especially the google image search. You might be interested in checking out this great new startup, Curalate, they're focused mostly on brands but have a great deal to do with helping brands have their pins recognized and follow them - something they can't do if someone is pinning their product from google instead of the source!

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  84. Obviously people re-pin without reading what they are pinning. I had to follow a trail to get to this article! Thanks for posting and for all the comments. I am new to Pinterest and have made some of these mistakes. I realized I needed to pin from the original when I wanted to try a recipe and couldn't find the source. What a disappointment and waste of time. I hope to be a better pinner.

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  85. Thank you for the information. Had no idea as there is no real guide, just pinned what I liked and then came back to them. I will go back through my pins and adjust.

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  86. Sometimes I am hasty in making a comment and then realize the grammar or spelling is way off.I am brand new today to Pinterest.

    Can anyone tell me if it is possible to "edit" a comment we make on someone's pin photo? ...and how to do it?

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  87. Boy, Have I been Doing It Wrong!!!

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  88. I pledge to tidy up my Pins and keep them clean and tidy. But ... whose going to clean the house while I do so? :)
    Thanks for reminding us of good web-manners.

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  89. Thank you for the reminders. I absolutely hate clicking on a pin only to find that it doesn't go to the original source!!!

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  90. Rule #3 is the reason I am this far back in your archives :(
    Fascinating stuff, all of it.. but I'm looking for the specific thing they pinned, gosh darn it! Not just the blog... but I stopped and pinned the rules. Also, now I know where that shoe hanger thing originated!

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  91. Xandraawesome from pinterest (wasn't an option to comment as :P ): Also want to add - don't claim copyright law if you don't know anything about it. Had an annoying person keep on posting to not pin her jewelry & accessories from her etsy page if we were just going to recreate it or get inspiration from it. I get inspiration from other designers all of the time. And I use some to maybe even all of the same elements in my jewelry, because I /can/. I've read up on copyright law on jewelry, accessories, & even clothing and basically nothing anyone makes that is a utilitarian item can be copyrighted. Can you imagine someone copyrighting the "Men's low-V neck T-Shirt?" The hipsters would have made them a billionaire by now. Anyway, logos can be copyrighted, but not the items themselves - hence why Coach bags went from blank canvases to being covered in Coach's "C" print and Coach logos.

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  92. As an addition to comments, people should make sure they are putting the correct information/caption under the image. So many times I see images of people from history that have no relevance to the name underneath! If you are going to pin, at least make sure you have your information/facts correct and show some respect to the person or image you are pinning.

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