- Not on Pinterest, but wanting to be? Send me an email at amy (at) positivelysplendid (dot) com and I’ll do my best to get you an invitation!
- For a terrific video tutorial on the basic in’s and out’s of Pinterest, check out this post at Home Stories A to Z.
- Wanting more information about the potential impact of Pinterest on bloggers? The Nester recently wrote a fabulous article on that topic that is truly a must-read.
Did you find this post particularly helpful? Pin it to refer to later and pass along to others! Do so easily by clicking the link below.
Having grown up in a home brimming with sewing notions and paintbrushes, Amy has a deep love for all things creative. On any given day, you’ll find her knee-deep in her latest creative endeavor, with projects ranging from sewing and crafts to home decor and kid-friendly ideas. Amy believes that everyone, regardless of skill level or experience, possesses the ability to create something beautiful, and Positively Splendid was born of her passion for helping others harness their innate creative potential.
This is a great post and much needed 🙂 I’m linking to it on my fb page!
Your wording is fantastic! I think great minds think alike. I just did a post on this very subject on Monday:
http://organizingmadefun.blogspot.com/2012/02/for-love-of-organizing-pinterest.html
You said things very nicely. I’m glad more bloggers are helping others be aware of these things because I know most people aren’t doing it maliciously and just really don’t know about it.
Becky B.
http://www.organizingmadefun.com
Organizing Made Fun
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This is great! So important as a website like pinterest is growing. One other tip I always tell my newbie pinterest friends is that when they are pinning something, make sure to write relevant words in the description part. For example, Entry, wallpaper, bench, etc- not just “so cool!”. You can add your own comments too, just make sure that you keep the relevant words in there too so that other people will be able to find it when they do a search for that specific item
Regarding repinning – Repinning an item is half of the fun of Pinterest. I do take the extra step to go check out the site and see if it’s a legit pin, but then want to credit the original pinner so she knows I would NEVER have stumbled across the idea at all if it weren’t for her….So, I always repin if I’ve gotten the idea from another pinner, but do scout out the pin first…Relevant descriptions are also important, as Jenny mentioned. Especially when repinning…. Sometimes the pin will look like a tutorial, when it isn’t, or say the items is “light” when it isn’t… Thanks for the post!
I was wondering how you can tell what has been pinned from your blog, so thank you for that tip!
One other thought on pinning from the original source ~ I think lots of people pin from link party features or “round-up” type posts, and although someone clicking on the pin would eventually make it to the original site, it makes it look like the idea is coming from the host of the link party or author of the round-up post.
Very helpful post since basically everyone is new to Pinterest!
I completely agree with this post and with that said…to play a little devil’s advocate here: I do sometimes wonder how far “Pinterest etiquette” can really be applied though? It’s not OUR site, unlike our blogs, so trying to tell people what they should and shouldn’t do seems a little overstepping sometimes, although I do (again) agree with all you said and in no way am I trying to make this a negative comment…I assure you.
In my opinion:
#1 Not all of those on Pinterest are bloggers so they may not be aware they are breaking etiquette rules and upsetting the original blogger #2 Some may not be internet savvy enough to even realize what they are doing “wrong”
#3 I kind of am just happy to see my ideas are catching people’s attention. Yes, sometimes it sucks when they are pinned back to another site, but at least it’s online with my watermark on it.
That’s just my opinion on the whole thing. I’ve seen several blogs post about this, but I kind of feel like when you publish something to the internet, you are immediately giving up your work to anyone who wants it, which is why I watermark my photos. It sucks that some people use it for “evil” (LOL), but it’s the nature of the Internet.
Either way, good observations and I do follow these rules. 🙂
I though we were supposed to repln other peoples’ pictures. If that is a big mistake I’ll have to delete all my boards
I am rather pc illiterate so I don’t know what a”blog” is. So I need help with no one to do that. Sorry if I have offended anyone.
Veronica
Very informative! Thank you =)
Brilliant post! I am Pinning it now. From the permalink!! 😉 I’ve been thinking about doing a Pinterest post too b/c I’ve noticed that too many readers are Pinning things on my page that I Feature from my weekend parties, when they should be clicking over to the original source. It is frustrating b/c I provide the permalink and the main url for each feature…some people don’t know better and some are too lazy to click over. I have to keep doing features so people will link to my parties, but this is worrisome!
I’ve been working on a post just like this one, but haven’t finished it. I think I’ll just save myself some trouble and direct everyone over here. Great job Amy!!
FYI, Michelle at Little Tipsy let me know about a petition asking Pinterest to put a character limit on pins. Here’s the link: http://signon.org/sign/character-limit-on-pinterest?source=s.tw&r_by=2487041
Hi, I think this is great. I have something I think that needs to be added to the list. I’m not sure if it bothers other people but it bothers me. When I repin something I always change the caption underneath, so when some repins from me they fail to change it even though its my original idea it really bothers me. I’ve even put my initials underneath and people still reuse the caption with my name on it. Lol maybe its just me, but its annoying
Certainly, in an ideal world, these tips are great. But not everybody uses Pinterest in the same way and your guidelines may not really work for someone who is using it differently.
With a number of my boards, I never, ever have a need to click on the picture to go to the original source. I use it like a virtual bulletin board and really, that is my understanding of what Pinterest actually is – simply there for visual inspiration. I’m not using Pinterest to up the traffic on somebody’s blog, to be honest. I use Pinterest for me.
When I am pinning, I do make sure I’ve got the original source, but repinning? I honestly spend too much time there as it is – I’m just not going to try to chase down every repin. Unless I know it is something I’m going to do in the very near future and I need directions (a recipe, a tutorial…) I don’t have time to check all my repins.
That said, I do respect what you’ve written here and try to follow it for my own original pinning as I said, but just wanted to offer the perspective of someone who might not be using Pinterest as you and some of your other readers do.
I agree with ArloMo. I do not blog and had no idea Pinterest was so complicated. I am not sure I even understand what you are talking about. I love pinning but now feel a little guilty but not really sure why. ????
Thank you! Great tips. Just a caution about #1 though. Legally, you are only supposed to pin content that you own the copyright for, or have permission to share. No one follows this rule, of course, but it’s probably still good to be careful. You are not, however, in violation of anyone’s copyright if you repin. So you just have to be careful pinning from the original source.
I’m just learning about this myself, but thought it was important to share. There is more info on all the “rules” and copyright issues with Pinterest here.
http://blog.hubpages.com/2012/02/using-pinterest-for-hubpages/
good tips, Amy! I gave you a pin and I’m following you, too! http://pinterest.com/susieqtpies/
Have a great day!
Great post! I pinned it and plan on linking to this article in a future post, so that everyone can see it!
Chef Dennis, also has a “Neighborhood Watch” pledge going on right now calling for us all to watch each other’s backs, found here: http://www.askchefdennis.com/2012/02/our-neighborhood-blog-watch-starts-today-and-some-startling-news-about-pinterest
Found your article on from Pinterest, kudos–your method must be working. 🙂 I second what some of the other commenters have said, though, about skepticism over the validity of this article on the whole. It came across a little redunant, especially since Pinterest doest have an Etiquette page on their website. http://pinterest.com/about/etiquette/
The source information was really interesting–I didn’t realize you could look at that!
I’ve been pinning for over a year now (started 12-17-10), and I’ve always used it as a virtual pinboard–that is, as a reference to the images, especially with repinning. If I’m the one pinning something, I’ve always used the permalink, but I only check the source of repins if it’s an article or tutorial I know I’ll be following up on.
Also, a good tip for Pinterest: if the page you want to pin from doesn’t have “usable images”, you can copy the image location, pin that, and then edit the pin with the permalink from the page you wanted to use.
Oh my, #4 is an absolute pet peeve of mine! Not only does it take away from the original poster, but I have actually un-followed people because it clogs up my whole “home” page with stuff I have no interest in. (Wow, thank makes me sound too lazy to scroll 😉
Great post, thanks! I just shared this on my fb page.
i agree 100% ! Especially on pintiquette #3 I can’t tell how many times that has happened to me thanks! 🙂
I have seen a lot of “this is how you should use Pinterest” from social media d-bags. They drive me as crazy as “this is how you should twitter.” It is MY pinterest or MY twitter… if you don’t like how I use it, stop following me.
THIS, however, is actually useful and doesn’t really tell people how to use it. It is just really helpful in making everybody’s experience better. And #4 is one of the biggest things that has driven me absolutely crazy. First of all it clogs up the whole page when people do that, and it is just rude to the person who made the original post. I have sent that same message to Pinterest, but one of my other peeves about their site, is that they don’t seem to be terribly interested in what people are telling them (in that they have very few ways to actually contact them with ideas and bug reports.) Thank you for making a post that is absolutely useful and not at all dooooshy. You rock!
#4 will be harder to do now that there is a character limit in the description block, even when repinning.
Thank you so much for posting this. I do, honestly, follow most of the “dos”. I do “repin” a lot, if I’m using my phone or iPod. However, I have learned to also check the source. Pinning from Google images….I do that every so often if I am wanting to check back on the image to create my own version and I don’t really need a tutorial. I see it as I am using my boards for my own use, and if I don’t need the original URL, and the image is just fine, I’m good. But, I for sure see your point. Thank you so much, and I can’t say thank you enough, for sharing how to track your pins. I really needed that. I like to thank people for pinning my ideas, and I wasn’t sure how to do so. Thank you sooo much!
I agree with these tips too! Sure, not everyone will follow all of them, but even if we just get craft bloggers to do them, it helps a lot, right?
And I love seeing what’s been pinned from my blog. I look there when I’m sad. Then I get not sad 🙂
Very Helpful! Thank you!
Hi, Amy – I love your Pintegrity post! I found another similar post a few weeks ago and pinned it to several of my boards. It got repinned a few times in the first day or two, but sadly, it’s been all but ignored. I will pin this one as well. Maybe some folks will take notice – eventually! I also wrote to Pinterest about this two weeks ago, and they never replied. 🙁 I just posted a comment on their Facebook page. I’m hoping to get LOTS of comments in that post to keep the issue alive and get their attention before the problem gets so far out of hand that it’s impossible to fix. I’d like to encourage you to go to Facebook and look for the post (just look for my name – Karen Schouest) and add a comment to it, and maybe encourage some of your other blogger friends to do the same. I don’t even have a blog (yet), but I care about this issue. I can already tell from the comments so far in the post that many people just don’t realize the harm – they think it’s okay as long as they include the original link. We must put a stop to this “innocent-but-harmful” ignorance! ~Karen 🙂
Oops – forgot to leave a link to the Pinterest Facebook page … http://www.facebook.com/pinterest?sk=reviews
I agree with your tips – they’re all great. I think one major one was left out though:
DON’T take photos off of Pinterest and then upload them on your blog – even if you credit the source – I still find it sketchy. Come up with your own projects and photography.
I am not a fan of these “Pinterest Picks” type of posts. So unoriginal!
How wonderful. Thank you for all of the tips. I would also like to add that posting items for sale should be a “NO.” Pinterest is for a collaboration of ideas, not a place to market oneself. If we allow marketing, pinterest may become pages of spam and adds 🙁
great list! nothing is more frustrating that finding a pin that is linked to nothing…a few of the “lessons” i have learned the hard way, so thank you for beginning the cycle of standard for the beloved Pinterest 🙂
I agree with Libby. I think that is another way that bloggers get robbed of credit, because Pinterest users will eventually find those photos on the secondary blogs and pin them to their boards, crediting that blogger with the original creator’s item. They may not even realize in the moment that it’s wrong. I also think many people get into a “pinning frenzy” and just don’t want to take the time to do their homework and make sure they’re doing things correct not only from a technical standpoint but ethical as well.
I had no idea, thanks for the information! I will certainly be a little more careful about my pinning in the future!
Related to what Libby said, here’s another unfortunate offshoot of that that is happening on Pinterest: Last night I came across this pin for some homemade lotion: http://bit.ly/zd7KQp. There is no link with the pic, but the comment reveals that, while it is the poster’s original photo, she used a recipe from something she pinned to her “Products I love” board, which came from another blogger. So what she did was followed the blogger’s lotion recipe, made her own lotion, took some new pics, and then posted it to her “Things I make and want to make board.” Even though she did indirectly mention she got the recipe from somewhere else, she didn’t credit the blogger. But even if she had, it still would be wrong to post her own pic the way she did. And to add to the confusion, on her “Products I love board,” there are TWO lotion recipes, so it’s not even obvious which recipe it is, though using the “whipped” clue in the plagiarized post, I suspect it’s this one: http://bit.ly/wIzmV5. Then, to further add to the problem, **13** people repinned the user’s plagiarized, uncredited, unlinked pic, and now people are repinning those repinned posts. This will not even be obvious to the original blogger and creator of the lotion recipe, because it won’t be obvious to her that this new pic goes to HER recipe. Who knows how often stuff like this is happening on Pinterest. For some reason, I’m unable to sign in with my name this morning, so this and the previous “unknown” comment is from me, Karen S. 🙂
What a great job you did!
The only the only other thing that I would as is it is not kosher to categorize someone else’s boards.
This is great! So many things that I’ve been thinking… The only other thing that drives me batty is when someone goes on a repinning frenzy, and doesn’t change the caption to something relevant to her…. like “This would be perfect for my daughters!” ….I know you, and I know you only have one (adult) daughter, so are you pinning this for your granddaughter or are you pinning this because you want to make it for the craft booth we want to collaborate on? OK, maybe my “someone” is someone specific…. But still 🙂 I *always* change the caption, unless I’m on my phone, because Pinterest is somewhat buggy on mobile.
Great post, Amy! I love the way you have presented it. And I swear, Pinterest saw it, too, b/c I see today that there is a character limit for the comments with each pin? I think it’s a great change!
very good post! very helpful!!
thanks!!
loveshappyhour.blospot.com
pinterest.com/loveshappyhour/
I found you at Serenity Now. Thank you so much for the great post! I’m posting your link on Facebook so I can help get the word out. I’ve had a complete recipe copied on a pin, and it frustrates me to no end!
I am glad that more and more bloggers are trying to get pinterest etiquette rules out there. Most people make mistakes without realizing it. So thanks.
I think pinners need to chill out a little over getting upset that people don’t write better descriptions. We all need to remember that while the boards are for public consumption not everyone is pinning for you. They are pinning for themselves so they don’t owe it to anyone to write a description a certain way.
I also don’t care if someone uses my description. When I was a newbie i didn’t even realize I could change the description. So cut people some slack. 🙂 happy pinning.
I totally agree with you, Michelle on the pin comments being irrelevant. If the comment is generic enough to work for me (e.g., “SO CUTE!”), I’ll leave it as is. Sometimes the original pinner’s comment sort of works for me, but it’s either semi-personal, or worded in such a way that I just don’t want to take credit for it, but still want to use it. So I might append the original comment with something like, “Michelle said: Blah, blah, blah.” But if it’s something really incompatible, like, “This would work great in my little one’s room,” then I know I need to wipe the slate clean and start over. No big deal. But plagiarism and lost blogger attributions (and thus, site traffic) – definitely a big deal. ~KarenS 🙂
Thanks for the tips. I was just thinking about some of those earlier today. I have to admit one of my favorite things is to check who has pinned what from my blog. (It is a nice ego boost when I don’t have any comments.)
Great post, well written, and very true! Sharing you on my facebook which has lots of pinners on it who are not bloggers. I think I have been generally following all these rules but now I will be more cautious of certain things to double check that the original source is credited. 🙂
Thank you for this great post. I have been “pinning” for a few weeks now and am definitely not internet savy so your tips (the ones I can understand!!) are very helpful. When I have pinned something from one of the many amazing and talented bloggers that I follow (yours included) I do mention them by saying “thanks to such and such blog….!”
Thank you!
excellent tips … thanks much!
In regards to #4, if you pin a NEW pin to Pinterest there’s now a 500 character limit. I think that will make copying and pasting an entire post or recipe a little less common.
Pinterest takes me so long because I click on the link to make sure it is a valid link before I repin.
Such great tips and thanks for sharing:)
Very good post. I follow many, many blogs, and always try to pin from original source. I have found some bloggers are not sourcing at all or are sourcing to dead links. This week a blogger’s daily post was about “spring inspiration and for more click here” it took me to her pinterest board! so I could follow her. I clicked back on the pins and they were tutorials from two other blogs, they also had their own boards. This was not mentioned in the post nor was credit given. I repinned from original source and left the other two up and commented “repinned for original source”. If you would like the name of the blog I will be glad to provide it. As for re-pinning, unless it is a product I want or a new blog I want to follow, I don’t bother sourcing. It is just something I want to look at again. Just one other point – I don’t use descriptions in my pins and if I am re-pinning I try to remember to remove descriptions, I don’t believe it is anyone’s concern why I pinned it and don’t want their comments on it. I already follow the blogs, via e-mail, but now it seems as if I am going to have to follow boards also. Just like I am going to have to sign in to google to post this comment.
very good much needed information, I just wish it was the first thing the people saw rather than it being pinned to just a specific board. like perhaps a home page?
I have come across a few that people copy & pasted from google, I don’t think I commented on the pin but on a few I did, that there wasn’t any directions/recipe.
its also a great idea that who ever first pins something that they would at least give a description as opposed to “cool idea”, there are a few things out there that I’m just not sure what its all about. ex: woman taping another one up in duc tape, not sure why and there are no directions or reason … lol
very good much needed information, I just wish it was the first thing the people saw rather than it being pinned to just a specific board. like perhaps a home page?
I have come across a few that people copy & pasted from google, I don’t think I commented on the pin but on a few I did, that there wasn’t any directions/recipe.
its also a great idea that who ever first pins something that they would at least give a description as opposed to “cool idea”, there are a few things out there that I’m just not sure what its all about. ex: woman taping another one up in duc tape, not sure why and there are no directions or reason … lol
This was awesome! I’ve been trying to figure out a way to get the word out there. I don’t ever repin something if I click on the link and it doesn’t take me directly to the siet to get the instructions or recipe or whatever it may be. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Thanks for posting this. I wish, like another person commented, that one of the rules would be no “for sale” stuff. It really, really ticks me off to see that. If I wanted to “shop”, I’d do it elsewhere. Really takes down the class of pinning when I see the stuff people are selling. Booo!
Thanks for posting this. I wish, like another person commented, that one of the rules would be no “for sale” stuff. It really, really ticks me off to see that. If I wanted to “shop”, I’d do it elsewhere. Really takes down the class of pinning when I see the stuff people are selling. Booo!
Hello 🙂 All your dos and donts sound good to me EXCEPT for the not posting the directions or recipe along with the pictures. Bloggers or original posters break posts or delete and then your pic can become a broken link to nothing so I always post my recipe or craft directions with my pin in the comments. just like this one i found today http://pinterest.com/pin/1477812347692063/ FOR COOKIES clicked on the picture went to the site NOT THERE 🙁 booo so had this person listed the recipe along with the pin everyone would be able to enjoy it guess we could post the directions along with persons name to make sure they do get credit.
These tips are very helpful, especially the one letting you know how to check what has been pinned from your page. One thing I would mention in the “Dont’s” is the nudity. It is supposed to be a family friendly website, but you have to be really careful with your kids around with all the nudity that comes across the screen.
Gen (comment #52), with all due respect, I feel your pain re broken links, and thus the temptation to post the full recipes or tutorials right there with the pin. But even acknowledging the original blogger’s name (and even a link) does not absolve you from plagiarism, because you should not be posting full recipes or tutorials that are another person’s original creations without their permission – even with full credit, it’s plagiarism, which is illegal and unethical. It’s no different than you finding a recipe from Rachael Ray or Martha Stewart and posting it to your blog and giving them credit, without their permission. In a blog posting, that could qualify in getting your whole blog canned by your ISP host, if a complaint is filed (with no regard to whether your content is backed up). It’s just as illegal/unethical on Pinterest, but unfortunately, the popularity of the site has eclipsed their ability to address these issues. This is just another version of Napster, and no matter what the rational or frequency, it doesn’t make it right. Sooner or later, we are all going to suffer if the practice doesn’t stop. Not trying to be a nagging witch here – just trying to educate people as to what is right, legally and ethically.
When I want to repin, but the pin does not link to the original source, I go ahead and repin, but then edit the pin to replace the broken/indirect/wrong link with the correct permalink (direct link to the original source). That way I’m attributing my source (the previous pinner) with a repin, but I’m also directing my pin to the proper original source.
Now that Pinterest is popular, I see a lot of people who are confusing it with Facebook/Twitter and pinning their personal pictures up of randomness. Just checked the people I follow and there are about 15 pins of pictures from this one person at an event… UGH!
i have noticed that people that i follow have gotten into the habit of finding a subject and then pinning lots of the same things…. like if you are into “the beatles” then you pin everything you find. makes for a little boredom on the followers. you go through and you see the same person with page after page of beatle……you just have to skip it all!
I really appreciate you laying out these guidelines! I honestly never thought about this from the blogger/author’s perspective. I know that’s horrible, but I know I am not alone. I do want to make sure that the person that comes up with these genius ideas gets the credit they deserve. Thank you for the enlightenment 🙂
My peeve is that people seem to make very little effort to classify pins in any sensible way. It makes searching useless. People class just about everything as art or design even though nail polish designs fit nicely under hair and beauty and decor fits under home decor.
It is very annoying.
I hate when people pin something and do not label what it is. Example – someone will pin a tutorial for making something and call it “I love this” or “I want this”… that doesn’t help if someone is searching for that thing! Call it what it is!
Another idea to give recognition to the pinner you got the pin from is to like the pin, then go to the original site to pin it yourself. That way the pinner knows you found it through their pin and anyone who clicks on your pin is still directed to the original source.
People worried about copyrights should check to see if the person gives a creative commons license. This means it is okay to share… Some have rules such as must give attribution, and share for non-commercial purposes only, etc.
Blatant self-promotion is quite annoying, too. I should hope that you like the products you are making and selling. So filling your “Products I Love” board with your etsy shop is just a good way to get un-followed by me.
Blatant self-promotion is a good way to get un-followed by me. I should hope that you like the products you make and sell. So pinning every item in your etsy is just spam in my opinion. Same for cooking blogs or any other: you are the creator of the page, you don’t need pinterest to help you find yourself again.
Well said! Thank you!!
Great post, Amy! Shared on my FB page. http://www.facebook.com/studio1404
Is it weird that I only use Pinterest for saving cute ideas that I want to reference to later? Number 5 sounds like a great idea for Pinterest users who use it for the social aspect or bringing traffic/money to their blog (like this). If I gain a follower because they like what I’ve found, cool 🙂 But I don’t purposely find things I think they will like.
Probably one thing that bugs me the most is that when people pin food or recipe items the pin comment is generally something like YUM or I’m going to make this… PLEASE include the recipe name so we can see immediately if we are interested in pinning the item too.
I disagree with having to pin from original source whenever possible. Why would pinterest have a repin button? It sends us to the original source.
OK. There are too many rules. I love Pinterest. I always check the source before I pin. But now I am stressed out now because I can’t just pin things, onto MY boards, that make ME feel good. Now I have to come up with interesting and informative and original descriptions. I never like to upset other people and it is very difficult for me to come up with my own words. So a lot of times I just repin someone else’s words (that are fantastic), or I just type a period. I am not creative or interesting. lol. It just makes me feel good to pin things I like. But not anymore. Ugh. I guess I misunderstood the point of pinterest. 🙁
I love this list. It is very helpful, especially for those starting out. You’ve inspired me to come up with 5 tips of my own to post. Mine are a little more of the snarky variety to stop annoying pins. The whole thing is on my blog, but the short of it is mind your themes -ie only post food to the food catagory (and really don’t post pictures of skinny people who don’t eat anything on the food boards), self promote with restraint, no underwear on the apparel page, never nude, and don’t repost everything to facebook and twitter
Thanks for the great post, which I found via pinterest 🙂
I’d like to leave a comment that notes an exception to the “rules” suggested that I think is a pinners decision… for example I know two sisters who live accross the coast from one another and are sharing ideas on a board to decorate a family vacation home they are building but can’t always be together to share ideas. I don’t think there is anything wrong with searching for an idea on google describing something your looking for and pinning it “for your purposes” to share about say… what color/size chair would look good in the guest room… The pinterest rules you post I basically agree with but I think a lot of people were expecting this from the users…Pinterest should make and change the rules based on suggestions made to them not to other pinners. If the rules noted haven’t been set up there may be a reason why – such as the one I noted above (no imparticular URL). If I can’t recall something I have seen a few years ago, can’t find a website showing it, but see a photo on flickr or google, I think, that is absolutely acceptable. So even though I think of your commen sense rules should be considered by Pinterest – I am sure they had thought of the exceptions to the “pinners” overall opinions and are weighing them.
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I get that the person who created these “rules” would like to educate the pinners that don’t seem to have it down.. however – I think some of the things you note are rules of personal taste or Type A personality “itches”. For example I saw a great interview where two sisters who live bi-coastal are working on a board where they each contribute ideas for their “collective family beach house” their father is buying. They post decor idea, flooring options, etc. Some of those ideas were not found on a website but instead they knew what they wanted to “express” would look good and found a picture on google or flick and the size & color of say, a chair for the guest room, was a good way to show what they suggested. Then family contributed and so on… your “rules” would mean that posting a picture of something that is “what they are looking for” isn’t up to par without a URL noting the source. The boards are supposed to be for the pinner – like a vision board. Followers can choose to review pin’s they want to see and “unpin” the board that annoys them. I actually agree with most of the “rules” you list but I do not think it is our place to advise the “pinners”. If Pinterest hasn’t implemented a rule there may be a reason why. I am sure they have focus groups and think about the pro’s and con’s to these suggestions and may be taking to long to make them… however it is something you should submit to Pinterest, not for a new pinner to read and be embarassed that they aren’t “doing it the RIGHT way”… I would hate for them them to stop because they feel intimidated. That would be sad.
Thank you for this! I hope it goes around Pinterest and people learn from it!
I immediately repined this and then went back after following my own new personal rule of reading first and deleted the pin intending to pin it to original source, and then.. thought on it a bit more and decided not to pin at all.
Your rules are all well intended, and I agree, if I were a blogger, I would certainly want credit for my ideas. Unfortunately, Pinterest is set-up to be purely self-serving and often content is used in ways the original image was not always devised to illustrate.
I think as a blogger, if you are really concerned about owning your image/idea you will need to weave your watermark into your pictures. For example, there is a blogger who does the whole project in a single picture and announces her Mercedes Benz sponsor right in the picture and she does it in a very classy way.
While I do agree pinners need to check out the original source – I once sent a friend on a goose chase to Germany to find a recipe she couldn’t read for a photo of a cookie she really wanted to try. BUT… Pinterest is not about pleasing others or getting followers or promoting bloggers- it’s about expressing yourself or creating a space to inspire your creativity or form a reference point for information.
If you want to sell your Etsy shop great or pin a 1000 pictures of the Beatles knock yourself out, because no one is forced to follow.
Amen, Sarah.
Thank you so much for posting this. I’m finding Pinterest to be an amazing tool to promote my blog and am just beginning to explore it’s potential. A savvy friend posted a link to this page on my FB wall and I found it very helpful. Please check me out in your travels: http://theobsessedchef.blogspot.com
I found your post on pinterest and was interested to see what you would recommend. I do already follow the practises you suggest and recommend others to follow them. I will recommend they read your points as they are very well put.
I found out about the theft of Betz White’s design from her blog and then came across the pin with the Asian site attached. I reported this to Betz although she already knew about it. I still see it on Pinterest and leave a comment to say what the correct link should be. I’m surprised that the offending pin is still on there, I would have thought pinterest could remove it. It’s very unfair when someone spends time and effort designing something only for someone else to take the credit.
Thank you so much for posting how to track your pins. I just put it in my address bar, and then went through and thanked most, if not all, the people who have pinned from my blog. Thank you!
Repinning is actually great to do, all you need to do is make sure that you click the website first to see if it is legit.
Sooooooooo agree with number four! Although I’m all for giving credit where credit’s due; that’s not my reason for agreeing. I hate so much text on a pin. If I want the whole tutorial, I’ll click the link! As for rules: http://pinterest.com/about/etiquette/
🙂
I agree with most of these and do try to follow the rules. #4 I disagree with though. As far as I know and from what I have read, Pinterest was not designed to be a vehicle to help bloggers, it was designed as a virtual pin board and that is how I use it. My personal inspiration bulletin board. Sometimes I want the directions there to speed up the process. It isn’t meant to help direct traffic to blogs. While I think credit should be given when possible, it is not the responsibility of the pinner to spend time researching the origins of every pin.
Thank you for this post. I have been frustrated more than once with pins that are not linked back to the specific post…which meant searching a blog for the photo that interested me. I think all Pinners should read your post first!! 🙂
The only thing I would suggest for “pinners,” DO NOT pin nasty, tasteless, pornographic material. I found some the other day, notified Pinterest, and all subject matter was immediately removed. Unfortunately, I can’t get rid of the images just a fast. When someone repins something of mine, I check out their pins to see if there is something I might want to follow, and that is how I found the offensive material. Thank you. I will be following your blog from now on.
I almost always track something before I repin it. However, it’s a bit confusing as to how to be sure you have the original source. If that blogger took it as their own and didn’t provide a link, how would you know?
Thanks so much for the tips! I was so surprised when I found out someone (whom I don’t know in real life!) pinned something from my blog when I checked your principle #5. So cool!
Great tips!
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Great info!
I have clicked on pictures before and it was from Google images, and my heart sunk because I didn’t know where it was from.
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Pintiquette don’ts? Challenge accepted.
j/k, I’ve always done the things you mentioned. http://pinterest.com/clynelle/ I just don’t think it’s a big deal when people don’t.
I just don’t like the people who treat Pinterest like Tumblr…
Great post… well organized & well said!… Love pinterest & going there next to follow your pins! I try to navigate my way around the social media front… very overwhelming…. so I really appreciate information like this explained so thoroughly… yes.. I NEED visuals!! 😉 Thank you!
Thanks for sharing this. I hope everyone listens! 🙂
Thanks! Terrific tips and I now pledge to be better about clicking through before I repin!
Joy’s Book Blog
Thank you for posting these tips. I so agree with tips 2, 3 and 4. I was interested to see that some people disagree, but then it appears that it comes down to the reason why you are using Pinterest in the first place. As a crafter it’s important that I find the original post with all the instructions, etc., so I never repin anything for which I can’t find the original source. Similarly I generally include the artist’s name if I pin an art work, since most people just repin things without ever changing the words and I think it’s important to give credit where credit’s due. However, having said that, I can see why some people aren’t interested in following your tips. If you are looking for ideas to re-do your kitchen then maybe you just want to be reminded about the style, or idea and don’t really care who produces or sells that item. Still, for the reasons I use Pinterest I’ll stick to your do’s and don’ts. Thanks so much for sharing your ideas.
Great tips!! Thanks!!
DO: Change the caption! I have had people repin photos with the names of my dog and husband in them! I doubt everyone who repinned that has a dog named Gunner and husband named Jacob.
DON’T: Categorize someone else’s boards. I will categorize them when and how I see fit. Please don’t do it for me.
Thank you for sharing your tips! I have been going through all of my pins to make sure I am following the “rules” and am finding a lot of links to nowhere. It is nice to know that I am making sure proper credit is being given to those who deserve it.
Erin
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I was one of the people who had no clue about how much harm we were doing to others. I was introduced to the wonders of Pintrest and took some of the ideas for granted, UNTIL I read an article about the things not to do and the liability issues. I have been going through my pins and editing them back to the original sources, and I have to say the most wonderful thing that has come from this is the fact that I have found so many other things to pin as a result and have even found improvements or added suggestions as a result. At first I was discouraged, because I too had repinned a LOT of Google pictures, but I am trying to locate the originals to them and learn more.
I found an unrelated article that said the same things, only it was much longer in version. I love that this Pintrest is helpful and informative, but I too made the mistake of repinning and not checking anything. After reading the original article, I started editing my pins, hence I found Positively Splendid as well as many others. I have to say that when I originally started, I was dreading the whole ordeal of verifying and authenticating everything I had found. I have since changed my mind and have to say that I have found tons of information, blogs, ideas and much needed sources as a end result. It may seem to some a burden they are not willing to bear, but I look forward everyday to the next ADVENTURE and lesson with PINTRESt. So I thank you for your information and ability to share.
Tami
Hello & Thank you for the helpful Information! I wonder if you or anyone can help me with another question? I have sent this question to Pinterest several times over months and have Never had a response! I am at a loss and confused and hope someone can help me! When i first started Pinterest, every time I Uploaded a Pin or Posted a new Pin it would be seen by everyone on the Main boards. However for several months now, I do the exact same thing every day and my Pins ONLY go to MY Follower Wall Boards! What am I doing wrong? I can’t get any answers, I haven’t done anything different? I would like my Pins to be seen by more people than just my followers? PLease Help!!! I used to be able to get so many more repins and followers and now I can only reach my followers, I hope you can Help me? Toni
Very good advice and tips. I do use some pictures from Pinterest sometimes on my blog, but I try to use my own whenever possible. But I always say where it’s from. Sometimes I write STORY LINE STARTERS from a pretty pinterest picture. I’ve got to learn to supply a link to their blog also. Still learning.
I really appreciate the great tips, although I must admit I’ll need to talk to my daughter regarding some of them ;P
I was also hoping to find out if it’s rude to repin too many pins from someone’s boards. If I find lots to repin – I try to leave comments as a thank you. I wish there was a way to leave a message straight to the person to share my excitement or love of what they have collected.
I have gathered a couple 1000 pins so far and I’ve only been on for just over a month – it IS quite addicting! Thank you so much for giving me some guidelines to follow.
Thank you for the article.Pinning at the source not only assures that there still IS a source,but also it is a rewarding way to find sooo much more than just the one pin you have your eye on at that moment.(As opposed to an endearing Terrier photo, to lure me to a diet pill selling site?)But I won’t delete the pin. I note(discon.site)& keep the photo.Selling goods is built in to Pinterest and always has been,having several categories from which to choose.Titled by Pinterest: Gifts-0-$20,etc., clearly it is a practice not only installed by Pinterest, but also encouraged by Pinterest.Take the “ick” out & move on.It saddens me to see something that ostensably was created as a place to share become a mess of personality piques and intimidation. Take it down to the Golden Rule.If you took the photo,crafted the beautiful ribbon rose, or was generous enough to share a recipe that took a generation of your familie’s cooks to perfect, wouldn’t you want it to be attributed properly? Of course. I personally don’t care if someone comes to my board and re-pins a boat load of pins. I don’t own them, the re-pin button is there for a reason.They must have enjoyed what I have collected, or they wouldn’t have gotten overwhelmed with the need to pin everything at once. What stings,however, even with the best intentions and in the spirit of sharing, is to find that while you were sleeping someone came in and took 560 pins, did not “like” a single one(I may be totally off-base, but I kind of thought that a non- follower who doesn’t intend to follow might leave a non-verbal “like” or a “thx,nice pins” or something, anything)I cried, I was so hurt.Then I awakened from Sunnybrook farm and realized, yes, it takes all kinds, and it is up to me,Hmm, just how bad will I feel about this. Not! I ate the entire top of my almondine buttercream wedding cake all by my self~one small bite at a time. Just one more…Gone! Too late, damage done,what to do? I was suppossed to share that with my husband! Yes, I did that, coincidentally,in the middle of the night.(!?)Early on, I got Pin-frenzied in a board of pretty cards of antique buttons. I took way too many. Cringe:( I left a note.”Your board is beautiful, I got carried away~It is just so very pretty here. Thank you.” I am 51 years old and I cried like a 5 year old. Two days later~she said she was happy that someone RECIEVED JOY from what she found joyous.I am never too old to learn. And if that wasn’t scrawled on a scrap & pinned to my lamp I’d forget it. The Golden Rule. Share. Try grace on for size. Hit that Unfollow button liberally. Hit the follow button liberally. Share. Spread Joy Liberally.Be proud of one another. For what it’s worth.
As a new Pinterest and sometimes strapped for time (one computer 3 kids) I sometimes just pin it (being creative I can use my imagination to create something similar and original when it’s just a picture) but if I come to a site that’s been BLOCKED I will copy and paste that in the comment box as an fyi to others. And sorry, I will post the Ingredients or supplies needed in My post on My board for quick reference when making a shopping list. I also bookmark all sites that have multiple ideals to trace back later for more information. I think for those who do go to actual sites and see it’s a bad link it would benefit everyone if they posted BLOCKED OR SPAM Pins as a courtesy to all. I do think you so much for this information not being very computer literate you have given me valuable incite on Pinning and intend to be a politically correct pinner from here on out. P.S. is there a search that lets us to search out specifics?
Great post!
I always tried from the beginning of my Pinterest usage to pin from original sources. I will also go as far as not pin something that I see does not have an original source, like “google” images, I would rather not have the pin or look for an original source.
But as to being invited, anyone can invite themselves. Though it is kind of you to say you would get an invitation to them.
First of all, it took me forever to find the “post a comment” link. With a busy page and a million comments, something a little easier to see than 12pt font at the end of a LOOOOOOONG page is super hard to find.
Anyway, good tips. I understand there should be etiquette everywhere, Pinterest included. I personally try to verify the source before repinning and one of my biggest pinterest pet-peeves is not pinning from the post and instead from the main blog page! ugh. So. Darn. Annoying.
On the flipside, I don’t see an issue in repinning from another Pinterest user rather than clicking through and pinning straight form the blog itself. I don’t understand how this is rude at all. Why is there a repin button?? I never understood Pinterest to be a traffic generator for bloggers; it’s a virtual PINboard. Yet again, Pinterst becomes a DRAMA HIVE like every other social media outlet. *sigh*
I’m trying to pin this to pinterest right now and the link doesn’t bring you back here! I copied and pasted the url from this page. :/
mimi~ repinning is not the problem. It’s fine to repin as long as the pin itself is from the original source. Pinning from the original source is about whether or not the website the photo was pinned from is the original source of that photo.
Just wanted to say THANKS for this article. I found it as a pin on another persons board and wanted to repin it, but when I went to read it I had to do a google search to find it because the original pins URL comes up with an error.