Pinning Your Life Story

Social Media has a new darling in its midst and it is named Pinterest. If you have not yet heard of Pinterest, you are missing the latest online craze! Pinterest is based on the idea of expression through images and it quite simply can become addicting.

Imagine trying to define happiness, success, love or just about any other word or concept you can think of through snapshots, graphics, images or a few chosen words; that pretty much sums up Pinterest. What is so very interesting about this social tool though is that it is especially magnetic to women. An estimated 80% of the 10.4 million users (a stat from February 2012 that looks to be growing exponentially) are women!

Techcrunch.com gives all sorts of other interesting stats about this booming trendsetter of a site: Nordstrom, Etsy and Whole Foods have already gathered tens of thousands of followers and are just a few of the major retailers trying to find the key to this popular new space. Also interesting to note is that American users of this growing social network spend an average of 1 hour 17 minutes on Pinterest as compared to 36 minutes on Twitter or 17 minutes on LinkedIn.

So why am I telling you all of this? First of all, because it is fun to be in the know and secondly because this can be a highly creative way to express yourself. It is your vision board to share with the world. You can create multiple boards based on multiple themes so the possibilities really are endless. It is a wonderful way to sit down and ask yourself questions like: "What does beauty mean to me?", "What images could represent the life I want for myself in 5 years?" and "How can I show the message I want to share with the world?"

You will need to put in a request for an invite directly on the Pinterest home page before you can begin playing. The invitation usually only takes a few days to receive and then you can start pinning away (a term Pinterest uses to refer to putting an image on one of your boards). As soon as you officially join, you will be

given the option to connect with your other social media friends and then the addiction begins.  Well not quite addiction but it can be a time hole so be forewarned. It is a fantastic way to be creative and think outside the box though, so enjoy and let the Spirited Woman in you shine through!

- Dawn Z Bournand  www.fabulouslysuccessful.com
Click here to read more of Dawn's posts.

Oh la la, our American in Paris is back. A member of our original Spirited Woman Blogger Team, Dawn Z Bournand is passionate about empowering women worldwide to Live their Lives on Purpose. Founder and Director of Fabulously Successful she is an award-winning presenter, author and entrepreneur with a mission to help women live lives of inner and outer Fabulous Success. Dawn lives in the suburbs of Paris, France with her husband and three young boys (the lights of her life) and is currently creating a new group coaching program.

Comments

[Susan Ragsdale]

I love Pinterest! I find it helpful for communicating vision or sharing with others around a given topic. For example, I blog for ParentFurther.com and created a board for family traditions: crafts that parents can do with their families for holidays, seasonal transitions, etc.

It's a fun way to give creative, visual expression to meaning.

[andrea]

Hi Dawn, this is a great blog. I have recently joined Pinterest. I have had to restrain myself to stay away. I agree it's a good way to use it as a vision board but also to promote your business as well.