My Passionate Interest in PINTEREST

I'd never heard of Pinterest until GlitterbirdGlamour sent me an invitation to join. Just over a year old, there seems to be a lot of positive buzz out there about this site! You can sign up all on your own, but you'll have to wait several days before being accepted.

I adore Pinterest!!! And I PIN pretty much anything that I would normally bookmark or save to my desktop. I've got quite a few BOARDS going, each with a different sort of theme. 

Pinterest isn't complicated . . . it's kind of like the bulletin board I had in my room when I was in high school. I cut cool stuff out of magazines, kept ticket stubs from a rock concert and pressed a lovely flower I'd gotten from a special guy ... and ALL of them got pinned to that bulletin board!

Sound familiar? Maybe you had a board like mine, and maybe it was full of all the things you found interesting or just plain loved.
 

 Well, that's what Pinterest is - a place to catalog the things you love. You could compare it to hearting items and shops or creating a Treasury on Etsy.  But it's not just about one venue, it's about the entire Internet! Think of it as  a virtual bulletin board — a place where you pin almost anything you find on the Internet to that board. You can create collections of things you love and 'follow' collections created by people whose great taste you admireღ 

Here's an example of how your Boards might look ...

Jill Q ~ Pinterest BOARDS

And your PINS page . . .

Jill Q ~ Pinterest PINS

Can you PROMOTE your Etsy shop with Pinterest?

~ Pin Etiquette says to "Avoid Self Promotion. Pinterest is designed to curate and share things you love. If there is a photo or project you’re proud of, pin away! However, try not to use Pinterest purely as a tool for self-promotion."

Don’t think for one second that I’m suggesting you go on there and add every item in your shop…no way!  That kind of in-your-face self promotion turns people off big time. But it's certainly fine to have your Etsy shop in your profile and sprinkle a few photos of your handcrafted goodness on your Boards (collections). And who knows how many times they could be re-pinned after that!!! Pinterest is blazin Hot right now, and getting hotter♨

If YOU have an Interest in Pinterest, these links may be useful ...

                          About   http://pinterest.com/about
 

                          FAQs   http://pinterest.com/about/faq

                          Getting Started    http://pinterest.com/about/help


We all know the pitfalls that come with enjoying time on the Social Networks - often, we enjoy it too much . . .

Maybe William Penn saw it coming way back in 1700 when he said, "Time is what we want most, but what we use worst." 

Is YOUR time spiraling out of control?

I love  Urban Dictionary and can spend too much time on it. I tell myself ... it's NOT a time suck, it's an education!

BLOG BUTTONS ... and Other Free Stuff for Your Blog!




Felted Wool Button Brooch by Nimblejacks on Etsy

 

Looking for ways to make your Blog more efficient and user-friendly?  Or just want to get it looking a bit more spiffy?  Having spent a lot of time on the internet hunting for various buttons, badgets and widgets to add to my own blog, I've put together this list hoping that it will make your quest to improve your blog just a little sweeter ...

#1  Provide blog button code for your readers to use

      See the little 'jQ jewelry designs' button near the bottom on the right side of the page?

      It's for my blog readers or featured sellers to use. The code to add the buttons is

      underneath, and people can easily copy the code and paste it into an html blogger widget

      for their sidebar so that they can share your blog with a link to your site.  Learn how to

      set up your own blog button code here.

#2  Share this blog post on twitter, facebook, stumbleupon etc

       This button is available  at addthis and easily allows your readers to share blog blog

        posts they like.  You can see examples at the bottom of this blog post.

#3  Free 'Follow Me' Twitter Buttons

      You will find choices of Twitter buttons available to add to your blog at TwitterButtons.

      There are additional choices available here.

#4  Etsy Buttons and Badges
      You can get Etsy buttons and badges on the Community pages. There is also a good
      selection on the site of pre-made avatars and banners for you to choose from.

     Adding  a graphic to your blog showing a selection of the items you're selling on Etsy is
     simple.  Make sure you're logged in and go to 'your etsy'.  Click on the 'promote' section
     on your left side panel, and there are intructions for adding an etsy mini. 

     You can also add a scrolling etsy gallery that allows people to add your items to their cart
     directly from your blog. The directions are available on craftcult, and another version at
     cr8tivity - type in your Etsy username. Then go to 'helpers' then 'widgets'. Copy and paste
     the longer code into your blog side bar in an html widget.  There are examples of both at
     the top and bottom of the right sidebar on my blog.

#5  RSS feed buttons, subscription counters and email subscription forms
       These buttons can be found at feedburner.

#6 Add a Facebook 'Like'  Business Page Box to your blog
     It's simple to add a 'Like' button that allows your readers to add themselves to your FB
     business page without leaving your blog!  To get this button go here, and be sure to log in.

#7  Your readers might be interested in other blog posts you've written
      Be sure to take advantage of the traffic that your older posts can bring to your blog.
      LinkWithin suggests previous blog posts that readers might like by presenting thumbnail
      pictures at the bottom of each blog post. See examples at the end of each of my posts.


#8  Spiff up your blog by adding a likeness of your latest Etsy Treasury
       Show off your Treasury skills!  Use the Treasury Widget on Craftcult to post live, clickable
       versions of your Etsy Treasury lists on your blog or website. 

Moody Girl by jQ jewelry designs 

#9  Request suggestions for blog topics etc from your readers

      You can have a box on your blog that will allow people to post questions on your blog.

      To add this option, visit Skribit.



#10  Allow readers to submit their links - for social networking, giveaway lists etc

        You can add a widget through MrLinky so that readers can add a link and details.

#11  Add the Following feature to your blog

         Find out how here.

#12  Assorted free stuff for your blog - buttons, gadgets, widgets, etc

         Here are some of the zillion sites with lots of cool goodies for your blog ...

         Blogger Widgets - Gadgets

         April Showers

         WidgetsForFree

         Mashable



Vintage Czech Glass Button by Galla15 on Etsy