Pinterest -- The Next Big Thing or a Colossal Time-Grab?

My Pinterest Page

I blame my daughter. Last year when she was planning her wedding she introduced me to Pinterest and before I knew it, I was hooked. I now consider myself an avid Pinterest devotee (note-- I did not say "addict").

If you are not familiar with Pinterest, the site (pinterest.com) is highly visual and set up like bulletin boards. As with any social media,
Pinterest is all about you and so your

Frank Lloyd Wright by Wes Duvall

boards reflect your interests.

Barbie case, the 60s

My boards include Birds, Dogs, Frank Lloyd Wright, the 60s, the 70s, and the Art Institute of Chicago, among others. My assumption that I have impeccable taste is supported by the fact that I have 122 followers.

I love Pinterest and spend an embarrassing amount of time looking at the pins of those people who I am following. I rationalize this time expenditure in a number of useful ways:

Bonding. I can choose to follow people who appear to have similar interests to mine.  It's kind of neat to find someone who doesn't even speak English but who likes the same art. As with everything on the Internet, Pinterest is global and this is fascinating.

Christmas Mojitos

Knife by Greg Lyn

Learning. One of my boards is called Yum! and features pictures of food that looks unbelievably good. If I click several times I will come to the source of the picture and a recipe for the dish. I have discovered a number of recipes this way. Now to find the time to make them...

Humor. There are some really cute pictures of dogs and birds out there and trust me, I have them on my Pinterest boards. What did I do for fun before the Internet?

Appreciation. It's heartening to know how many people appreciate the same things that I do. A set of silverware designed by Greg Lynn and currently at the Art Institute of Chicago was among my most repinned images.

Lela Rose top at Target

Because most of interests users are female, Pinterest.is a great place to market crafts and fashion (like Etsy and Target do).  I enjoy it the way I would enjoy reading a magazine: the pictures are lovely and Pinterest has the added benefit of being a way to interact with others across the globe. Check it out -- who knows you might like it!