Opinions on Pinterest

[Negin]

I finally joined pinterest this week.

I got totally addicted in a very mind boggling way. :eek: :lol:

I also developed a love/hate relationship with it - all those yummy recipes and gorgeous homes and places that I know I'll never have or seldom go to. :lol: I think that too much of those pictures might lead to a lack of contentment (at least, for me). You get off the computer and see that the fridge is still the same and your home still looks the same ;).

Plus, it really started to take up my time - it is a great way to kill time, I have to say. I don't always want to be productive and there are times when I simply cannot be productive - when drinking tea, or having just woken up, or when there's too much noise and distractions around, for example.

I actually prefer the layout and look of pinterest over FB. I despise the layout of FB. Yuck. :eyes: Pinterest's layout is really nice. Almost like looking at a magazine. Great for visual people like myself.

Then last night I started to get slightly paranoid about my user name. Tried to change my user name countless times. It wouldn't allow me to. I got upset and deleted my account.

Not sure if I'll join again or not. I'm getting some withdrawal symptoms ...

On the one hand, I love the layout and look. It's entertainment.

OTOH ... well, you've heard all my negatives about it. :unsure:

 

* If you don't like pinterest, why not?

* If you deleted your pinterest account, why?

 

Would love to read your thoughts on this. I know I'm overthinking it ;).

Edited August 27, 2011 by Negin in Grenada

[ThatCyndiGirl]

I was just discussing this very thing (sorta) with our 'breakfast guest' this morning. I told her that there seems to be so much pressure on SAHM, homeschooling moms to not only MAKE EVERY SINGLE THING FROM SCRATCH/make their own cleaners, etc. but also to decorate and label it perfectly.

 

It seems like it is no longer enough to make the lapbook, now it has to be perfectly lettered in the right font and laminated just so.

 

It is mind-boggling to me that people can find the time/attention to detail to attend to each little bit of a project like that.

 

I saw something on pinterest recently, a sign that read,"Done is better than perfect". I need to remember that. :001_smile:

[*Inna*]

Love it! :D

[TechWife]

I voted other because I have no idea what you are talking about.

[catz]

I like it and have slowly been using it (I've had an account a couple weeks). I don't love it yet and I do find looking at the pictures sometimes overwhelming in a not so good way. I have to avoid some things - like home decorating. That is so not my priority right now and I find it a little depressing to look at beautifully kept homes. We have a lovely house, but it's a struggle to keep a path clear through it! Too much perfection is a little frightening.

[twoxcell]

I signed up for it and looked around for about 10 min. I really have no clue what to do on it and don't think I have the time to waste. I also had the feeling that all those fancy pictures of what you love/or want could lead to discontentment. I may eventually explore it some more.

[NanceXToo]

Where is the "what the heck is pinterest?" option? I don't even know what it is!

[thessa516]

You get off the computer and see that the fridge is still the same and your home still looks the same .

 

I love Pinterest. So far it has had the opposite effect on me (WRT the above quote). I see a gorgeous, organized fridge and it inspires me to get up and go tackle my mess of a fridge. I'm a wanna-be creative type. If I can see the idea/plan, I can replicate it; don't count on me coming up with my own idea though. I'm keeping my projects limited to those I can actually accomplish, but I can see how easily discontentment could creep in and steal peace.

[kdeno]

I am sure I would love love love it.

[ashfern]

I voted "other". I just started using it. I had been hearing about it for awhile but figured that it was just another time waster. I'm using it as a visual for all my bookmarks. I have a ton of bookmarks of interesting things that I wanted to save but now don't know what's what or which folder it's in. I'm slowly adding my stuff into it. I followed a couple of people but mostly the home schooling and recipe boards. I really don't care about others favorite this-n-that. :tongue_smilie:

[Rosy]

I love it!! I find it inspiring. I find new ideas every day for stuff to make or stuff to do to the house, and it's easy to keep everything organized....so that if and when I actually have the time/money/inclination to do one of the projects I've pinned, it will be easy to find.

[jenangelcat]

I don't love it. It's very convenient though so I like it. I lost all my inspiration photos when my mac died so I the security of saving photos to Pinterest.

[Crissy]

I voted other. I like it.

I can see it serving as a beautiful system of bookmarking, but I don't spend much time there.

[Momof3littles]

I love it. I'm one of those people with a long, messy list of bookmarks on my computer. Pinterest is working well for me, as I can organize into boards (I have boards for science projects I can do with both kids, reading lists for each child individually, general resources for HSing (test supplies, etc.), Christmas crafts the kids can do, crafts I want to do, a board for recipes, etc. This is the most organization I've ever had for my bookmarks. Certainly it can be done other ways, but as a visual person, it is working well for me.

 

I also really love eye candy for home-related stuff. We just moved into a new house a few months ago and I love that I can organize my ideas on pinterest for the house.

 

FWIW, I don't have a FB account. I signed up for twitter just to use Pinterest.

 

I am generally okay with my lack of perfection. I love the eye candy but would never spend the time it takes in order to complete certain projects. I pin stuff I find inspiring, stuff I intend to do, etc.

 

I think the way I have it organized means I'm more likely to actually do some of the projects with my kids. Easier to find, easier to plan, etc. IMO.

[Lady Florida.]

Other. I've heard of it but don't really know what it is. I haven't looked into it yet, so I can't say how I feel about it.

[Mommy22alyns]

I've heard about it, but only looked at it once. I don't really "get" it.

[CalicoKat]

I love it. I'm one of those people with a long, messy list of bookmarks on my computer. Pinterest is working well for me, as I can organize into boards (I have boards for science projects I can do with both kids, reading lists for each child individually, general resources for HSing (test supplies, etc.), Christmas crafts the kids can do, crafts I want to do, a board for recipes, etc. This is the most organization I've ever had for my bookmarks. Certainly it can be done other ways, but as a visual person, it is working well for me.

 

I also really love eye candy for home-related stuff. We just moved into a new house a few months ago and I love that I can organize my ideas on pinterest for the house.

 

FWIW, I don't have a FB account. I signed up for twitter just to use Pinterest.

 

I am generally okay with my lack of perfection. I love the eye candy but would never spend the time it takes in order to complete certain projects. I pin stuff I find inspiring, stuff I intend to do, etc.

 

I think the way I have it organized means I'm more likely to actually do some of the projects with my kids. Easier to find, easier to plan, etc. IMO.

 

This is how I'm using it too. I can never find the bookmark I need but having a picture & organized by topic really helps.

[Running the race]

If I could get my bookmarks organized there, I'd love it. But I'm overwhelmed with keeping up with all the technology. I'm tired of learning new things all the time!

[Pamela H in Texas]

I'm also clueless.

Someone here had theirs in their signature and I clicked on it when bored waiting for updates to a certain thread one night.

I looked at it like "huh?" for 3 minutes tops and closed it out.

[Word Nerd]

Love it! :001_tt1:

[sparrow]

I voted other. I like it.

I can see it serving as a beautiful system of bookmarking, but I don't spend much time there.

 

 

Precisely.

[5KidzRUs]

Never heard of it. I went over and tried to join - was put on a wait list lol!

[AngelBee]

So many beautiful things there.

 

I know want a reading tree. :001_smile:

[Food4Thought]

I love it. I use it more as an inspiration/creativity vacation. I pin things that catch my eye or inspire me or make me laugh. I don't use it to bookmark, really. And I'm pretty picky about what type of boards I follow. I stopped following most food boards (since I have food intolerances), and I mostly follow art, quotes, crafts, and homeschool.

 

I spent a lot more time there when I first started out, but now I treat it like most of my other social networks - check in once a day and see what's new. :)

[ereks mom]

I signed up a couple of weeks ago, but haven't used it yet. I'm hesitant to allow access to my Facebook info, and when I e-mailed the Pinterest people about it, they said I can only sign up through Facebook or Twitter.

[smillard00]

I love it. It took me a while to figure out how I wanted to use it, so I didn't pin much for the first couple of months. I just went every week or two and poked around a little bit. Finally I put the Pin It button up in my toolbar and started using that instead of bookmarking websites with good ideas. That was when I figured out I liked it. It is like a visual bookmark directory for me which I love since I'm very visual. Plus, you have the social aspect because you can see what other people are pinning as well.

 

Contentment can be a huge issue for me, so I totally understand where you are coming from. My recommendation is to come up with some categories that would be helpful to you and pin things in those categories, but don't just pin every pretty picture you see. I have a food category, but I only pin things that I really want to not lose track of or things that really inspire me. I have one for homeschool and I pin things that look helpful or inspiring. If I see a homeschool room with great ideas, I pin it. If it makes me jealous and sad that I don't have a dedicated room, I don't pin it.

[cloversandlions]

I'm on Pinterest, and after a frenzied first couple of weeks, I now only stop by two or three times a week. I do have over 50 boards, several of which are homeschool-related, but I also have a fondness for those "words of wisdom" that you see so often and wish we could bookmark. My older dd was overjoyed when I created a board devoted to wolves :D and my younger dd really, really loves to find pins for her favorite category, "food fun".

 

So...it has its purpose, and it's sort of a fun diversion and great place for ideas. I don't come away feeling inadequate at all, even though you'd never see my yard or any of the rooms in my home as pin-worthy. :lol: Instead, especially because I did NOT get the style/decorating gene, it's a fantastic springboard for me to find pictures of things I might love, since I'm very visual for things like that.

 

I deactivated my FB account, and eventually changed my Pinterest user name to my first name and last initial. Seems a reasonable compromise.

[Stacia]

I've heard about it a little, looked at it a little, but haven't signed up partly because it requires a FB or Twitter acct (or at least it did last time I checked). Don't have those, don't want to create 'shell'/fake accounts that I can use to sign up & then delete.... I loathe stuff like that.

 

I really don't need an excuse to spend more time online. I want to spend more time living my life, not looking at my computer screen, kwim?

 

Yes, the pictures are pretty. They're alluring. I love visuals.

 

But... I want to simplify my life. Slow down. Enjoy the real things here in my life. Reduce my computer time.

 

So, I'll pass.

 

:001_smile:

[MelAR05]

"I don't want to get involved into another time suck." - kdeno

I am sure I would love love love it.

 

:iagree:

 

What she said. I looked one day to see what it was about and knew right away I would become addicted very quickly.

[missmoe]

I've just recently started using it. I've used it organize all my web bookmarks.

 

I always look up neat websites with resources I want to use for school time, but forget about them by the time it's time to use them. I think having a visual reminder instead of a hidden away boring list of names of websites will work for me.

 

I've set up boards so I can open up my account at Pinterest, give it to my girls, and let them click away to the interesting website to reinforce our history or science lesson, or the current event I'd like them to read about, or the timeline pictures I want them to print, ect.

 

So for me it's a good thing. I haven't spent a lot of time on the actual site looking at lots of different thing. Instead I've used it as a tool to organize my homeschool a bit more.

[Heather in Neverland]

I answered other because I have an account but I don't really get what pinterest is for. I'm not addicted to it yet because I don't get it. :tongue_smilie:

 

Although I will say that for the same reasons the OP mentioned, I stopped watching HGTV and most FOOD Network shows. :D

[Negin]

Thanks everyone. Love reading your replies.

 

It is mind-boggling to me that people can find the time/attention to detail to attend to each little bit of a project like that.

I saw something on pinterest recently, a sign that read,"Done is better than perfect". I need to remember that.

So true.

I'm often so very relieved that we're actually quite isolated and away from having to compare ourselves to others. Our family life is quite insular and we honestly don't ever feel pressured to keep up with the Joneses, if you KWIM.

Interesting that you had this conversation with your breakfast guest. We had a dinner guest last night (and I didn't cook, since, as you know, I don't really like cooking - we ordered Chinese :D) about the pressures of keeping up with others. They live in the U.S. and have had pressures from friends galore.

Mind you, even if we weren't as isolated as we are now, I wouldn't feel pressured. I have had a few homeschooling friends who used to live here. They would make everything from scratch sort of thing. I never felt pressured. We all have different interests and loves and choose how to spend our time. They might make everything from scratch, but, might not have time to read books for pleasure or to do something just for themselves. As my sister once said: she'd rather go for a run than mop the kitchen floor.

 

I do find looking at the pictures sometimes overwhelming in a not so good way. I have to avoid some things - like home decorating. That is so not my priority right now and I find it a little depressing to look at beautifully kept homes. We have a lovely house, but it's a struggle to keep a path clear through it! Too much perfection is a little frightening.

So very true.

I very much agree about too much perfection. It is so not me. I tend to be a a perfectionist in some little things, but certainly not in every single area of my life - and not in home decorating either.

 

I also had the feeling that all those fancy pictures of what you love/or want could lead to discontentment.

Yep ...

 

I'm using it as a visual for all my bookmarks.

Yes, it's very nice for that. My dd is loving it for her creative side and for all her sewing stuff.

 

I love it!! I find it inspiring. I find new ideas every day for stuff to make or stuff to do to the house, and it's easy to keep everything organized....so that if and when I actually have the time/money/inclination to do one of the projects I've pinned, it will be easy to find.

This.

 

or make me laugh.

I spent a lot more time there when I first started out, but now I treat it like most of my other social networks - check in once a day and see what's new.

Yes, the laughter part is great, as well as the nice quotes.

I saw this, for example and I just love it. I wish that something like this existed - being able to go around the world with a subway system. :D

 

 

I find it encouraging that you now go there less than you did at first. So there is hope for me and my addiction if I get back on :lol:.

 

Dh thinks I should get back on, since he knows it makes me happy. I don't watch much TV at all. He watches TV to relax. For me, pinterest would serve the same purpose.

 

I signed up a couple of weeks ago, but haven't used it yet. I'm hesitant to allow access to my Facebook info, and when I e-mailed the Pinterest people about it, they said I can only sign up through Facebook or Twitter.

When I signed up, I got an invite, and I think I signed up through FB, but then I chose an option to hide all my updates on FB, so that FB friends don't see all my updates, etc. Don't know if it makes sense or not.

 

My recommendation is to come up with some categories that would be helpful to you and pin things in those categories, but don't just pin every pretty picture you see. I have a food category, but I only pin things that I really want to not lose track of or things that really inspire me. I have one for homeschool and I pin things that look helpful or inspiring. If I see a homeschool room with great ideas, I pin it. If it makes me jealous and sad that I don't have a dedicated room, I don't pin it.

Fabulous suggestions. Thank you. :)

 

I now only stop by two or three times a week. I do have over 50 boards, several of which are homeschool-related, but I also have a fondness for those "words of wisdom" that you see so often and wish we could bookmark.

I deactivated my FB account, and eventually changed my Pinterest user name to my first name and last initial. Seems a reasonable compromise.

Like you, I most certainly do not have the decorating/style gene :lol:.

Love those "words of wisdom" etc. also.

 

Yes, the pictures are pretty. They're alluring. I love visuals.

But... I want to simplify my life. Slow down. Enjoy the real things here in my life. Reduce my computer time.

Stacia, I sooooo wanted you to join. You were one of the first of my friends that came to mind when I got on pinterest, since I know how visual you are. After all, you're the one who taught me how to post images on these boards. :grouphug:

I hear you about the simplifying, etc.

I've decided, that if I do go on, to only do so at very specific times - my brain-dead times, not times when I can be more productive.

 

I've used it as a tool to organize my homeschool a bit more.

Great idea. I love being organized and having structure.

 

Although I will say that for the same reasons the OP mentioned, I stopped watching HGTV and most FOOD Network shows.

Heather, you too? :lol: I thought it was just me!

[5wolfcubs]

Love it!

Love it so much I added it to my signature. :)

I have bookmarks in multiple browsers on multiple computers...I'm having great fun collecting the ones I really want to keep and being able to recognize them!

Oh, and finding new stuff from those of you who are so kind to provide links to your accounts!

[Jeanne in MN]

I use it for inspiration!

 

Wow! You can take an old wooden ladder, hang it on a wall for shelves?! Or hang it horizontally in a tree and hang candle lanterns from it or stand it up and place candles on it's steps?! Cool!

 

Or I can take that old globe that's broken, cut it in half, add pendant lights to each half and make cool, globe, pendant lights for our school room.

 

Who would have thought to use Oreo's to show the phases of the moon?

 

Look at how that school room is layed out, or the color they used. I can do that!

 

Just so much cool, fun stuff.

[KidsHappen]

I voted other. I don't even know what it is. :confused:

[Negin]

Thanks everyone. I've signed up again and am having fun with it :D, yet trying to be disciplined at the same time ;).

I love the layout and all the great ideas.

I made Cinnamon Roll Pancakes yesterday from one of the recipes. :D

Pinterest is so much fun. :)

[amyable]

Other. I *love* the visualness of it. It's how I think. I spent a ton of time there the first two weeks I was on. But I really do struggle with contentment in my life. Seeing one cool, perfectly crafted thing inspires me. Seeing 1000 overwhelms me. I know that even if I tried *really hard* to do most of those things, it wouldn't turn out like their photoshopped perfection. I don't have the emotional energy to spare right now wondering why MY attempt at Mrs. Awesome Pinterest Lady's craft looks like something my 3yo could have done better on. :lol: (but really I want to :crying:).

[Rhonda in TX]

I like Pinterest, but I spend very little time looking at other people's boards. It's just a place for me to keep track of homeschooling ideas, books I want to read, products I want to try or that I love, etc. We are talking about a kitchen remodel, so I'll probably start a board to track kitchen ideas.

 

I'm visual, so I find it very helpful, but I don't spend hours on it. Sometimes I even forget about it! (I voted "other".)

[FriedClams]

I *could* love it, but since I don't have FB, I can't sign up for a real account, so I can't save anything. Super annoying.

[scmama]

I love it. I love seeing the way people use everyday objects. Love getting new ideas. I only found out about it because of this site. Which is another one of time spenders. :)

[Parrothead]

"Collect the things you love."

 

I'm not much of a collector. Seems it could lead to virtual hording.

[Runningmom80]

Love it! I'm a bookmark junkie, and this is much more organized. :)

 

 

I always say I'm cheating on Facebook with pinterest. :lol:

[ThatCyndiGirl]

Thanks everyone. I've signed up again and am having fun with it :D, yet trying to be disciplined at the same time ;).

I love the layout and all the great ideas.

I made Cinnamon Roll Pancakes yesterday from one of the recipes. :D

Pinterest is so much fun. :)

 

 

I was on last night and noticed that you had repinned a pin of mine. I thought, "Good to have you back, friend!" :001_smile:

[TracyR]

Not sure. I use it to find things for art, crafts, homeschooling. The pictures are nice to look at. But I only pay attention to the things I'm looking for to begin with. So it has no real affect on me. But I just use it to have a visual reminder of important links that I need.

 

I really don't care what other people's houses look like or what they make. If I find a good recipe on there. I repin the link and hope that I will have time one of these days to give it a try. Other then that I think many people here are taking this site a bit to seriously. LOL

[Negin]

I was on last night and noticed that you had repinned a pin of mine. I thought, "Good to have you back, friend!" :001_smile:

:grouphug: I LOVE your boards. :D

[ubermomto5]

i've loved pinterest so much. i am very visual so having everything i am interested in right there makes it so much easier to find. i've even started going through my paper files and pinning the things i've saved over the years - every martha everyday food recipe is on there. no more papers!

if pinterest ever goes under i'm in big trouble.

 

eta: i don't find that envy or discontent appears. i only follow boards i am interested in, or use it for research purposes. it's not really a 'browsing' medium for me.

Edited June 22, 2012 by ubermomto5
forgot the other part of the question

[justLisa]

No, I do not have an account. I have looked around it before, but it's not really something that interests me. I keep large unmatched bins in my pantry because I keep bulk storage. I cannot afford to spend more money on the things holding my food, than the cost of my food.

 

I once tried to look to Pinterest for ideas for my sewing room, but nothing was actually useable. I am not going to spend longer folding/rolling perfectly stacking my fabric than it takes me to actually work on a project.

 

I guess I really don't have an opinion about it.