How Very Pinteresting!

Pinterest. I've been hearing the name for a while now, and you probably have too. It's no wonder--with more 11.7 million users as of January 2012, Pinterest seems to be the next big thing in social media. I finally succumbed to curiosity and requested for an invitation today. Here are my initial thoughts:

Pinterest is primarily a photo-sharing site. It's kind of like Tumblr, but with categories. Users can upload photos by "pinning it" on their "boards" as well as browse, comment on, like and "repin" other users' content. The site aims to "connect everyone in the world through the 'things' they find interesting."

The best thing about Pinterest is that you're able to browse by category such as Art, Food & Drink, etc--something that Tumblr and Flickr have only addressed via tags. The next best thing is the interface. True to the pin board allegory, images are presented in small panels with a brief description and a preview of how many likes, comments and repins it has. So far, I find it to be very intuitive and user-friendly.

Can Pinterest stand the test of time? It definitely looks promising, with social networking giants such as Facebook already mimicking the interface with its newly approved Friendsheet app. Big-name brands such as Gap and Whole Foods are jumping on the bandwagon as well, likely because it's another venue to showcase their products and get feedback, and because of its crowdsourcing potential.

Just another fad or a game-changer?

Til then,
Mae