Monday, February 20, 2012

Just not Pinterested

Every few days--or sometimes a few times a day--I get a notification that "XXX is following you on Pinterest." This makes me uneasy because, well, because I haven't done anything Pinteresting with my account since I set it up. I only set it up in the first place because my wife told me to. I "pinned" a handful of books, but then I felt like it was taking way too much effort, so I quit. Anyway, that was redundant since more or less all the books I've ever read are associated with me on Goodreads. And then I pinned a great video of Gordon Ramsay making great scrambled eggs. Beyond that, I haven't touched it. Pinterest just doesn't work for me, because it's so visual, while on the whole I'm more interested in text--articles, blog entries, that sort of thing. And sharing those sorts of things--not to mention pictures and videos--is easy enough on Facebook that, really, what do I need Pinterest for?

But when I get those notifications, I feel like "Gosh, so-and-so is expecting me to share something interesting, and I most certainly am not." Just having an account feels like false advertising....

Can someone make the argument for me: why should I like Pinterest enough to spend any time there?

3 comments:

  1. Here's what I like about it - but different toys for different brains, right?
    My ADD brain loves being able to pin images that trigger ideas. I like looking at my boards and being inspired to think more creatively about the mundane things around me. I've recreated several recipes and crafts I've found on Pinterest, and come up with a few ideas of my own based off of things I've seen on Pinterest.

    My librarian brain enjoys sorting my pins onto the various boards and knowing where to go back to find one I want to revisit. If you're already using a bookmarking app of some sort & it's working for you, there may be no reason to use Pinterest. I forget what some of my bookmarks are, so the visual reminder is helpful for me.

    Another thing I like is that you can choose to follow individual boards without having to see everything someone pins. With facebook, I sometimes get overwhelmed by the volume of things my friends post. I have one friend I occasionally hide because I get tired of his postings of 80's music, but then I start missing his political analyses and unhide him. On Pinterest, I can choose which interest of someone's to keep up with.

    Finally, I've joined a collaborative board with other young adult / children's librarians and have benefitted greatly from sharing ideas for YA programming, crafts, etc. with other people in my profession. I think this aspect of the site has what has truly kept me coming back to it.

    Hope that helps - and happy day of your lovely wife's birth!!
    Jen.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Chacun a son gout, mon ami. (I wonder what "rhubarb" is in French.)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I just feel overwhelmed by online forums: schoolfeed, linked in, and so many others I may or may not have signed up for. The ones I have set up accounts with I have since ignored. I've neglected my blog for months, though I do check in with Facebook pretty much every day. More than that is just too much!

    ReplyDelete