What is it and why should you care?

According to Mashable’s founder Pete Cashmore, “Pinterest is the breakout social network of 2012.”

But Pinterest has been around for two years so why now?

Because it’s growing like

crazy!

And it’s referring more visitors to other sites

than Google +, YouTube and LinkedIn combined.

But if you’re a women, aged between 25 and 44, and living in California, you probably got

there before the rest of us. (According to Hitwise)

So what is Pinterest? Let’s go straight to the source…

So what do you do?

You add Pins.

A Pin saves an image or a video and allows you to share it via a Board.

You add Pins to Boards.

This is one of my Boards.

You follow other Users and Boards. You can like, share (Repin) and comment on Pins.

And you can add Pinterest to your Facebook Timeline, Tweet your Pins and embed them in your blog or website.

So why does Pinterest work?

It’s simple It’s fun

It’s addictive

With a beautiful interface.

An iPhone app so you can add your own photos.

And there’s talk of an iPad app on the way.

Pinterest is full of genuine people sharing their passions and interests.

It has built a friendly community that cares about etiquette.

And it’s not overrun by brands or shameless self-promoters.

YET

Share with me @markralphs

pinterest.com/markralphs ralphsmcintosh.com

Sources http://pinterest.com/about/

http://weblogs.hitwise.com/heather-dougherty/2011/12/pinteresting_trend_in_social_m.html

http://techcrunch.com/2011/12/22/pinterest-40-fold/ http://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/06/tech/web/pinterest-website-cashmore/index.html

http://blog.pinterest.com/ http://mashable.com/2012/01/09/the-top-brands-on-pinterest/

http://monetate.com/infographic/#axzz1m6Lo89M6