Like Marmite, Pinterest fans will either love or hate this week’s news; Facebook announced on Wednesday evening the addition of 60 new apps to combine functionality  with Facebook, including the pinboard social site Pinterest. 

Launched in March 2010, Pinterest is a user generated site allowing members to create theme-based image boards. Users populate their boards with online media and images using a “Pin It” Button, and content can also be “Re-Pinned” to boards. Like other social sites, users follow other users and can comment on “Like”s, “Pin”s and “Re-Pins”. Pinterest is currently still an invitation only site. 

Pinterest has grown greatly in popularity, particularly among the early adopter blogosphere community since it’s launch in 2010. Last year saw social networking focus on the visual, wiith Instagram reaching critical mass and a new emphasis on aesthetics in the way we socialise online coming to the fore. Screen Culture will continue to be a part of our lives as screen technology and mobile pads evolve further, allowing our consumption of curated visual aesthetics to spread and share even further ( via Trendwatching)

Pinterest is important to watch in social media for many reasons; the way the collaborative moodboard ability develops will allow brands and consumers to interact in a visual way more easily; brands can easily visualise their particular slice of the market in moodboard for; Pinterest is a great way to drive traffic to blogs and sites, and, perhaps most importantly, Pinterest is a creative tool as opposed to a broadcasting platform like Twitter and Facebook.

As Facebook embraces Pinterest so we see the mainstream acceptance of the site. New users will be exposed to the “Pinning” culture, more members will join the pinning community, and the way Pinterest drives visual social will be one to watch.

See you at the boards.

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