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5 Reasons to Catch Pinterest Fever!

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Red Pinterest logo

Just in case you’re one of the last few people who hasn’t heard of Pinterest yet, you just may want to check it out. It’s been described as everything from “On-line crack for women” to on-line inspirations boards. I’ve spent a bit of time there, and some time reading about what people are saying. While I’m reluctant to jump on the bandwagon of the latest-greatest-everyone-is-doing-it trend, I have to agree that this could really change things for both social media and marketing. Oh yea, and it’s fun too.

So here are 5 reasons why I think you should be on Pinterest:

  1. It’s visual! I am a visual person. I like to have pictures or videos showing me things, and I’m not alone. People in general are becoming more visual which makes Pinterest the perfect social media tool because it’s all about the pictures. There’s are place for descriptions, but there’s rarely much information attached. The images take center stage and are like candy for the visual person.
  2. Instant gratification! There are always more things to see. Hit the button for more pins and you get MORE PINS!
  3. It opens your mind! Even if you never really thought about your sense of style before, you will now. You’ll quickly find yourself gravitating to some things and not others. You’ll see a lamp that you just have to buy right beside a dress you wouldn’t be caught dead in. And it is all awesome. I’ve found myself looking at things I thought I liked differently because I’m seeing them beside something I never thought of before. It can be a challenge and exciting at the same time. Word of advice: Don’t judge other people’s tastes, just enjoy the ride.
  4. Crowd sourcing your marketing! There are some organizations doing great things on Pinterest, and a lot of them are colleges and universities. The easiest way is to set up an account for your organization and create some boards. Add & pin just a few of your own images to start with, then search for what other people are pinning about you and add them to your boards. Other people are searching for and pinning the pictures, so it’s like they’re doing the hard work for you.
  5. Make it make sense to you! There’s so much information out there and it’s constantly coming at us while we’re left trying to make sense of it all. Most social media gives you one view, maybe two, and that’s how you see everything. At Pinterest, you can make different boards and pin whatever you want to them. They don’t have to make sense to anyone but you. Tell your visuals story the way you want and in a way that works for you.

There are some concerns with the privacy and copyright permissions at Pinterest, and they have made some changes to policies recently. Do a little Google digging to get different opinions on the subject.

Have you tried out Pinterest? What are your thoughts?

Miss Communication – Did You Really Just Tweet That?!?

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A family with the faces blacked out

Protecting your on-line image is a family affair.

It comes back around every few months. Someone is surprised that they got in trouble at work for tweeting something negative about the company. Or they posted on Facebook about how they called in sick to work to get drunk with their friends, forgetting that they “friended” their boss and are shocked that they lost their jobs. There are the students who get freaked out when the school or professor comments on a post.

But why? When you post something on the world-wide web there is a very good chance that someone in the world will see it. There really is no such thing as private on the internet. There are glitches and hacks all the time. Nothing you post anywhere is really private.

And it lives forever. Once you hit send the picture, joke or rant is out of your hands and out there for others to use and consume the way they see fit. Sure you can recall an email, but it doesn’t get it unseen. And if you don’t recall it fast enough it could be tucked away in a folder somewhere waiting for a chance to surprise you.

The ability to share thoughts and feelings as we have them is addicting. Having followers and friends who will listen and comment on life’s ups and downs provides a certain feeling of power. But what people forget is those thoughts and feelings don’t just go out to the people who follow you, they can go to anyone who’s looking for them. Those pictures from the weekend if Vegas with college friends are not going to stay in Vegas.

More and more people are getting haunted while looking for a job. Rachel Gogos discusses how social media can hurt your job hunt and keep you from landing the job of your dreams. What seems like a harmless tweet today could be found by a recruiter or hiring manager and keep you from being considered for a job. Put yourself in their place. Would you hire a woman for a teaching position when googling her name brings up pictures of keg stands and wardrobe malfunctions? Or a man for a diversity program who has a drunken rant against ethnic groups on YouTube?

And while there are companies that can excise your on-line demons, you can save some time and money by being smart. Don’t put pictures, videos, tweets or status updates or blog posts that can and will come back to bite you. I know, easier said than done. It’s harder today than it was when you only had to worry about your reputation for as long as someone had the photographs. You could only be embarrassed by them in front of the people someone was able to show them too. Today it takes seconds for your reputation to change.

The moral of the story is this, think before you send. Take a moment to pause before a picture gets taken or cameras start to roll or you send that post. Is this really what you want to be known for? Is this what you want people world-wide to know or think about you? Once that button gets clicked it’s too late to take it back.

Miss Communication – It’s not what you said, it’s how you said it.

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Communication is a wonderful thing, it keeps us informed, allows us to share and bond along life’s weary road, and in many ways is under-appreciated. Everything we do, every move we make, every word we speak communicates volumes about us. How often do you take time to think about how you communicate?

There’s verbal and nonverbal communications. There’s written communication, and electronic communication. New forms of communication like Twitter and Facebook and texting have changed the way we communicate. All of these things are great. I’m sure you would agree that these are important. But do you stop and think about how you’re using it?

We’ve all been there. You write an email (or a text, or tweet) and is totally not received in the way it you thought it would. Email (and texts and tweets) can’t duplicate sarcasm or teasing in the way the human voice can. Or you’ve been following someone’s blog and finally get to hear them speak, only to learn that you can’t really connect with them when you hear them speak because their voice sounds so different from the way you imaged.

We all tend to get so busy and focused on what we want to say that we forget to think about who will be hearing the message. In my opinion, this is the most important part. It doesn’t matter how well crafted our message is if your audience isn’t able to understand the message, or interprets it incorrectly. Think about what you want them to hear, understand and remember – not what you want to say. There is power in every word you choose, so choose wisely.

Take a few minutes today and think about how you are communicating. Are you using video the right way? Are you sending emails when I phone call would be faster and save confusion? Are the words or action you’re choosing the right ones for the medium and the audience? A moment listening to your communication may just help you find a better way to say what you have to say.

Remember it’s not always what you say, it’s how you say it that can get you into trouble.

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