PINTEREST : Taking People To Next Level of Social media

snapshot of Pinterest

A lot happening in the Social media space. For professionals Linked-In is around, those who want to get stay connected with friends and relatives Facebook is there, the smart celebrities who want to give sound bites  or open up their mind with fans as well as public at large, Twitter comes very handy. There are so many other such sites around but the way these three has made impact on communicating with friends, relatives, employers, employees as well as fans is un-parrallel. Not surprising advertisers jumped on social networking sites, they are not only advertising their products but also  mapping consumer behavior, gauging spending patterns, improving/ customizing  their product based on the online feedback.


Now Pinterest is catching up so fast that with this speed it can leave everybody behind. Surprised ! Unless you live under a rock, you've already heard something about Pinterest, the remarkable social community built around virtual bulletin boards of photos, videos, and content that members find online. Perhaps the most fascinating thing about Pinterest is that its growth hasn't been driven by millennials or techies or any of the usual suspects. Nielsen reports that 23.7 million U.S. uniques visited Pinterest in Feb 2012 alone , more than double the traffic from just two months earlier.Mind it, it is in the situation where the you may become a part only by invitation !

 Nielsen also reports that more than 70 percent of the unique are women, and that the highest penetration is among women age 25 to 34.

With all that traffic and passion, it's
natural that brands are jumping on the bandwagon in some interesting ways. The key to Pinterest is to communicate the brand's broadest essence and mission. It's about a lifestyle and a universal promise. It's not a place to shill but rather to celebrate, share, and educate with people on both an emotional and rational level.


Looking it as business opportunities many US brands such as Michal's Craft Store, Nordstrom, Middle Sister  Wine, Savanaah college of Art and Design which are not top end brands but after coming on board Pinterest, sale has shown a fast  upward trend.


Another interesting dimension to Pinterest is it's Indian connection. Sahil Lavingia, a 19 year old young Indian is a person of Indian origin, behind this venture.Sahil  is son of Singapore based Investment Banker of India origin.Sahil after living in Singapore, hongkong, London and Newyork packed his bags to reach Mecca of Innovation i.e. Silicon Valley. He Enrolled at University of Southern California to study computer Science. But within a semester, he dropped to join Pinterest as its main designer.He set out on this adventure because he wanted to solve more interesting problems. In August 2011, he founded Gumroad, a virtual platform whose mantra is to sell anything you can share.

Curation is a long-standing tradition of collecting, saving, and organizing objects. This typically consisted of books and historical materials for museums or organizations that held historic value for culture preservation. Today it takes on a different meaning. Organizations have evolved from collecting artifacts to digital curation of media and content. While the role of curation has largely belonged to scientists and scholars, and the content from official sources, social media has tipped curation on its head. Heck, even the Library of Congress decided to begin archiving tweets in October 2010. That says a lot about how important what we the people say and post is to world history.

How effectively we may harness Pinterest

Today's web does not limit the act of curation to those with a doctorate degree. Anyone and everyone can, and do, curate using everything from bookmarking sites to social networks. "Social curation," as we call it, is simply the act of sharing, categorizing, and spreading content to others. The content can be your own or someone else's. And, because you are sharing content that lives in its place of origin via linking, it is not considered stealing.

Why do people spend hours online bookmarking, pinning, and reposting? The answer is different for everyone, but we can be sure that it's for the same reason a woman might show off her shoe closet to a friend to hear, "OMG, those are so cute where did you find these?!" Or, a man might sit through an entire dinner carefully talking through the history of aviation and the ins and outs of his profession. We all want to be recognized for our expertise, talents, and savvy. Posting content we care about displays our creativity, interests, opinions, and personality. Being social creatures, we naturally want to share the best of things with our circles and get recognition for the good find. On the receiving end, people enjoy discovering and exploring things that are highly relevant and interesting.

Of course, when human behavior shifts, brands are quick to follow suit. In this article, we'll discuss how marketers can get in on the social curation boom in a meaningful way.