Pinterest piques a collector’s interest.
A colleague of mine has a typewriter collection, and it made me think of how collectors usually have a sentimental attachment to the object they choose to collect. Whether you grew up listening to Elvis and excessively check Ebay for King of Rock ‘n’ Roll memorabilia or you love to smell all your different Yankee Candles, it’s your infatuation with the object that drives the collection.
And, this old as time passion for collecting has finally gone virtual, thanks to Pinterest.
Not only are more people exposed to what you collect, but you can show it off and find others who share your love for beanie babies or Star Wars figurines.
Pinterest is a way to bookmark images of your favorite books, clothes, foods, music, home ware, technology, places to travel or really anything else that strikes your fancy. Each thing you choose to present on your profile or “board” becomes a “pin.”
And, the pin is blowing up.
Pinterest now has 17.8 million users, according to CNN Money, and to becoming a user even requires an invitation request.
So Pinterest has millions of users and $27 million in venture capital funds, but ultimately how is the site making money?
Millions of people are pinning their favorite products, which could only mean that users become inspired to purchase what they find in Pinterest searches. Unlike Facebook and Twitter, Pinterest has created a niche to share what you buy or collect and has the potential to be a social tool that directly promotes sales.
Another reason Pinterest is here to stay is that it allows users to post pins on Twitter and Facebook, which makes pinning user-friendly and easy to merge with other popular social media sites.
According to Mashable, Pinterest is “especially popular among women,” which is very interesting. The stereotype is that women spend more time shopping and cooking, and fashion and food images are very common pins.
So go ahead pin your favorites on Pinterest.
Here’s one of the best virtual collections around:
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