Pinterest is the hottest thing since sliced bread these days. I always wonder, “What’s the next obsession?” Whelp, it’s Pinterest these days and it’s spreading like wildfire. It’s definitely one of those things in life that you ask yourself “Why didn’t I think of that? I could be rich. Damnit!”
On Tuesday I got the chance to listen in on Social Media Today‘s webinar featuring Pinterest. Hosts included Scott Meyer, Geoff Livingston and Heather Taylor. They were all very insightful, brought up good points & made me think beyond the webinar. Bravo for keeping my interest.
One of the best points brought up in this webinar was when they asked, “Why people like it?” and I believe it was Livingston who replied with – “People like that there’s no dialogue. People are tired of the long conversations,” that are happening on other social media platforms. This visual network is “delicious on steroids” said Livingston. Well put! Taylor disagreed and believes that more communication be added to Pinterest. I’m with Livingston.
A friend of mine raised a good question about this visual network – will this be the end of magazines? We’ll see what happens next. This online bulletin and vision board is on everyone’s daily agendas – except for men so they say but I know you’re out there pinning. Yeah, I’m talking to you Jon.
Copyright issues has been the latest hot topic with Pinterest. SMT recommends people seek a lawyer to get specifics and make sure you’re not headed down the wrong road. Encouraging people to insert where they found their images and give credit where credit is due is key but I don’t think that will catch on. I know I’m guilty on most pinning occasions. I’m hoping Pinterest comes up with something to nip this issue in the bud.
Lastly, they mentioned creating a resume on Pinterest – what a fabulous & creative idea. Yet again, “why didn’t I think of that?” Oh and if you’re on the Pinterest business train be sure to add it to your daily or weekly social media calendar – update and pin regularly.
Thanks to SMT for inspiring me on this one. Great webinar – looking forward to more.
Sounds like I missed a good webinar, Alyssa. Thanks for the post!
Re: the Copyright issue, I’ve been seeing some sites with protections against Pinterest, in the form of pretty savvy coding. If a site owner cares enough to do that, then most Pinterest users aren’t going to bother with any cumbersome work-arounds. Pinterest users like the easiness and immediacy of the platform, after all.
However, this kind of proprietary stuff has been going on since the beginning of the Web. If a person or company is putting awesome content online that’s soooo good that many people are actively sharing it on a viral platform like Pinterest, success-minded artists and creatives may want to explore ways to take advantage of the extra eyeballs instead of trying to guard it so protectively.
I know this is wayyyy overly simplistic and of course there are people who abuse the intent of the platform by messing with the originating links, but we’ve seen this model happen so many times with blog content, YouTube videos, the music industry, etc. There’s a force at work here, and people and businesses can spend their time fighting AGAINST it (a losing battle, for sure), or put their time and energy into identifying and/or creating the opportunities WITH it.
Going WITH the flow of energy, ideas, creativity, and possibility is not only easier, but it’s just plain smarter – and ultimately, more profitable and strategic – in this ever-more socially driven world.
Just my two-or-three cents!
Lani