Social Media (network, technology, blog, community, virtual reality, etc...)

This piece was written by Dave Copeland for Readwriteweb. There have been many articles about Pinterest but if you do nothing else, read the white paper by Engauge and report they're referring to. It is absolutely the best one I've seen to date. (more details below)

 

The most important thing in this piece is the report, here's what you'll see:

 

A new Engauge white paper breaks down:

 

**the make-up of the average Pinterest user 

 

**shows that the end result of less reading is more of a focus on content curation than creation.

 

**The timing of that trend, combined with a stunning design when Internet users are focusing more on visual than text, has allowed Pinterest to explode in popularity.

 

This is what caught my attention - a quote from a user:

 

"When I'm looking for new trends on specific topics like fashion or birthday party themes, I now search Pinterest first -- not Google." - Karah Street

 

Curated by Jan Gordon covering "Content Curation, Social Business and Beyond"

 

If you're in making Pinterest work for you, you might want to visit my other topic: Pinterest Watch. 

 

Read full article here: [http://rww.to/yQtDNQ]

Via janlgordon

This piece (user chart included) was written and posted by Matt Silverman, contributing editor for Mashable, .

 

My commentary (I'm personally experiencing amazing results after being on Pinterest for about 4 months).

 

****Even with all the hooplah surrounding Pinterest, it's important to remember, that Pinterest is only a side dish in your business, paying attention to your main course and how Pinterest supports that is what is key. See article here: http://bit.ly/yXET4P by John Jantsch.

 

Having said that...........

 

This user engagement chart is astounding, as you see the rise in Pinterest users in a very short time.

 

**In my opinion, Pinterest gives you the opportunity to showcase your work without a lot of text anything that gives us a breather in that way is a blessing.

 

**Images speak a thousand words if you know how to use them properly.

 

**Showing other sides of you that are consistent with your brand message gives people a chance to see you beyond the text you post on other sites.

 

**Pinboards like favorite books, homes and spaces, etc. give people points of entry, a connection with you because they identify and like the same things, a great way to start a conversation, have them look to see what you do and who you are.

 

**Everything we do online tells a story about us, it's our digital identity, Pinterest is a place where you can tell your story in a whole different way.

 

**Pinterest is also a place where you can relax, fantasize about the wardrope you'd love to have, or the amazing car or cars you want to have. Let's face it, we're all plugged in 24/7, this is a place where you can lighten up and/or market your business all on the same site.

 

**Pinterest is not only gaining a ton of users, but those users are spending an average of 89 minutes on the site

 

** Facebook is still leading by 405 minutes along with Tumblr also 89 minutes but it's obvious Pinterest is moving up quickly.

 

**It's important to know how to use Pinterest to showcase what you do in a subtle but engaging way

 

Feel free to visit my topic "Pinterest Watch"  a collection of articles from branding, case studies, metrics all in one place.

 

Selected by Jan Gordon covering "Content Curation, Social Business and Beyond"

 

Read article here: [http://on.mash.to/xNZoVj]

Via janlgordon