9 Tips For Pinterest - Making it Your Personal Assistant

Interested in Pinterest, the virtual pinboard to bookmark items of interest to you?

Here are 9 tips (plus a BONUS one, too) to make Pinterest work for you. They are a part of my weekly, Friday series on CatholicMom, so they'll be new ones there each week.

[1]    Make Pinterest work for you. Let it be your filing cabinet. Make boards of things you need to remember and want to catalog. 

* Create a Favorite music board and add YouTube performances. Separate it by classical, hard rock, by decade. 

* Make your own top 10 lists. For instance, and again with YouTube, catalog all the funniest videos that come across your path. 

*  Create a Yearboard- all about the year you were born or exciting things from THIS year.  

*  Need to learn something, create a board for it with articles and how-to videos. 

*  Create a mystery board. In the description ask followers to see if they can figure out what you're getting at with the pins you pin...Charades!

[2]  As for BASICS, when you receive an email notification from Pinterest saying that someone is following you, in turn you don't have to "Follow All" of their boards. If you are only interested in some of their boards, just follow those specific boards of your shared interests. It'll make Pinterest more manageable and pertinent for you.

[3]   "Repin" is different than "Like." The way I see it, repin is for something that you really love. It suits your current boards or makes you want to create a board for it! Likes are something that doesn't fit into a board...yet...but you want to remember it.

[4]   Commenting. Who doesn't like getting a comment? If you've really appreciated a pin or have a kind question, why not reach out? Like I say on my blog, the mannerly use of commenting is how we begin to build relationships. Commenting can make Pinterest a more conversational place, a community.

[5]  Don't like a pin? Move on. With 10 million users (and growing) on Pinterest there's much to see. Find something you do like. No need to start a war...their pin, their board.

(That said, there is "report pin" option which I would use for something illegal or pornographic.)

[6]  Find something on a blog that you want to pin? Why not let them know in the comment box? "Great post! Will be sharing a link to this on Pinterest."    Then they'll know who to thank for all the referral traffic from Pinterest. They may start following your boards.

[7]   Bloggers, want to be pinned? Put an image on each of your posts. In fact, find an image that evokes the focus of your post. On Pinterest, it's the image that grabs attention. You'll be amazed with the traffic Pinterest can bring to your blog. There are readers who only need words and there are readers who need pictures with words...you can attract them both.

[8]  Give credit, we are obligated to make sure our pins link to the original source.  While Pinterest says best not to promote your own stuff...but, what's safer?  You're assured of getting the credit right and there's no chance of making yourself angry. It's your board. No one has to follow you. There is an unfollow button. Create a nice mix, share the love.

[9]  Utilize the buttons to Tweet your pin or Facebook your pin...when appropriate. Ask yourself how many of these pins are my followers going to want to see? It could be overdone if your friends receive 10 Facebook updates from you in as many minutes. Because once you're in a groove on Pinterest, the pins can start dancing...

[BONUS - A GREAT IDEA alert - here it is!]  Why not create your own group board? 

From the top right ADD button, click Add a Board and add your friends and family as contributors.  

Some ideas? 

*  Make a family vacation board or family reunion board to share ideas, hotels, locations, day trips, sites to see. 

*  Make a board with fellow parishioners for upcoming Sacraments, like – FHC, and resources for preparation, for Confirmations you could pin about Saints candidates can choose. For Pre Cana and wedding ideas you could pin money articles, tips for a happy marriage, Church teachings and quotes on the sanctity of marriage, wedding ceremony music samples, readings. 

*  Collaborate with your playgroup moms for kid ideas, discipline articles, books to read, recipes and stress relievers. 

*  And if Pinterest ever allows private boards…Make a board with your husband of things you want to accomplish with each other, house plans and goals you are helping each other with, prayer inspirations for each of your children.  **UPDATE** Pinterest now does have SECRET boards.

*  Make humor board with your siblings, especially if they live far away and share nostalgia pins with them as well.  

Bottom line, sure you can use Pinterest to organize your thoughts and interests and plans and goals... BUT, you can also use Pinterest to connect! 

Make it work for you.

(Next Friday there will be a new tip at CatholicMom.com)