Update to “The Pinterest Obsession”

This is a humble update to my previous post called “The Pinterest Obsession”. With the help of Deb from Deb’s Answers I have been able to join Pinterest with Deb’s gracious invite. She also explained in a comment to my earlier post that Pinterest is still in beta and they are trying to control the amount of members because their site is exploding in popularity. This is something I can wrap my head around so I feel a follow-up post is needed. I had previously stated in a sort of rant how I didn’t understand why you have to request an invite to the Pinterest site. I felt like I was trying to join an elite club and only some users would be picked. So with humbleness I retract my earlier statements and I am now a happy member of the site thanks to Deb’s comment and invite. My Pinterest board link is located at the top of this page under “My Pinterest” if you would like to take a look. As a member, I can invite four friends to join. If you are interested, leave me a comment and then I can send you an invite. I can only send four invites so the first four commenters requesting an invite will “win”. You do not have to list your email address in the posted comment if you do not wish to share this on the web. I will be able to access it from my WordPress dashboard since the “comment author must fill out name and e-mail” in the comment form for it to post. This means that only the site’s admin (me) will see your email address.

**UPDATE: Please note that to join Pinterest, you must have either a Twitter or Facebook account. Some people may not be comfortable with either social media program and I definitely understand. Personally, I wish Pinterest would fix this requirement. I recently created a Twitter account so that I could join the Pinterest site and I must admit I am still a bit leery. I apologize for not including this requirement during the original posting and hope that it can help future readers make a determination on if they would like an invite to Pinterest. If it helps, the Twitter account I created does not use my real name. I created an account using my blog name as my name (Southern Cricut Lady) and @IcedSweetT as my user name, for internet safety reasons.

The Pinterest Obsession

I have known about Pinterest for a while now. I actually requested an invite a couple of days ago but I still haven’t received a reply. From what I’ve read on other blogs, it can take days, weeks, or months. I am not sure what Pinterest evaluates in their decision-making to grant an invitation to join their site. The only thing I was asked to submit was my email address. How can they evaluate who you are or that you’re worthy to join their “esteemed” club. The site does give you an alternative way of joining – by receiving an invite from a current member who has already been honored to enter the golden halls of this website. I know I may sound a bit snotty in this post now but I am sure I will be singing their praises when I… no… if I receive admission to this fun, addictive site.

For those who do not know what Pinterest is, it’s an online bulletin board where members post pictures of items they are inspired by and it can be repinned by others who feel the same joy over that item. It can be a cute pair of jeans, a trendy purse, a cute craft, a beautifully decorated room…

I guess I feel the need to vent here a bit because I have mixed emotions about something that happened today – three times to be in fact. I don’t know if I should say I am honored by what happened or be a little ill that I can’t be a part of a site where my personal photo of Rudy & Trudy reindeer was pinned and repinned for other Pinterest members to repin again and again. It seems a little unfair especially since I can’t join in the fun of having my own craft pinned on my personal bulletin board. I know that once you post on a blog (including photos you’re proud of because you took them) that it becomes a part of the entire blogosphere and the world-wide web. I have no problem with that because if I did, I would never have created this blog. I enjoy sharing my posts with others. I find great satisfaction from acknowledgement through a “like” button or a comment and I enjoy seeing the stats increase each day. That’s my own addiction I will honestly admit. But to feel excluded from a site that requires granted invitations while your work is spread on that social site without your involvement bothers me.

At least the credit is linked to the photo. If you click on the photo, it takes you to me. It also lists my blog name in the upper right hand corner which is also clickable. It’s great to see that credit for the original photo is listed. I now find my venting to prove therapeutic and I now realize that I am not upset with the people who were so inspired by the craft that they pinned it. They have no way of knowing that I am not a Pinterest member or that I am anxiously checking my email for the special invitation. I can’t blame them for stopping by my blog and liking what they saw enough to pin it on their Pinterest board. I am actually tickled it happened, not once but three times! I just don’t like Pinterest’s invitation-only policy. My views will most likely change as previously mentioned if I get the hall-pass to start my own bulletin board. I’m only human and I do want to participate. I can’t lie.

Honored to see that my craft was liked? Yes, definitely.

Miffed that I can’t be a part of the pinning madness? Yes, definitely.

That’s it, that is all I want to say on the matter. For those who aren’t a Pinterest member and want to see what a pinned item looks like (remember: you can look, but can’t touch – members only), here are the pinned sites of my reindeer pair.

http://pinterest.com/pin/82612974384203830/

http://pinterest.com/pin/253186810270853031/

http://pinterest.com/pin/222506037809402780/

Who knows, maybe a Pinterest member will read this and will grant me an invitation!

~Vanessa