You can't go anywhere lately without hearing about my online lovah Pinterest.
The only thing more popular than Pinterest is the cacophony of voices from social media gurus telling you about how popular Pinterest is. I'm just as addicted to reading all of this poor excuse for info that I thought I'd take a break from my regularly scheduled fabulosity, anoint myself a social media guru for a day (it's pretty easy, I found the instructions on Pinterest) and talk to these people - guru y guru.
Generic Pinterest Article #1: "So what IS this Pinterest thingy? It's the new social media!" says social media guru whose only Twitter followers that are all other social media gurus. Um no. It appears that you write for a social media company but welcome to 2010, asshat. Because I'm a design blogger I'm obviously more evolutionarily awesome than all other bloggers because have you seen my banner? Saucy.
I dreamed about a service like this for a long time and I remember when SF Girl by Bay was beta-testing it because that's how much I needed something to organize my life - a life whose value is solely built upon the shaky house of cards of hoarding images of pretty interiors. My Google Reader literally cried with relief. Frankly, I just want to gloat for being an early adopter for once in my life. LET ME HAVE THIS!!
But seriously, don't bogart Pinterest like it was invented solely for your own nefarious Social Media (with capital letters) ways. I would use it without any kind of social media component so don't bother sending me your 'Top 10 Ways to Master Pinterest Like the Shaolin Monk of Social Media You'll Never Become' because I'm already on this like a mommy blogger on a crock pot recipe.
Or like a saucy madame on a crock pot recipe because that shit is delicious.
Generic Pinterest Article #2: "Pinterest is blowing up, yo. Why is it so popular?" says social media guru who has only used Pinterest for a day. Is it really that hard to figure out? It combines everything we like about the internet into one place: the speed and brevity of Twitter, the bookmarking of Evernote with an easier interface, the connection of social media because humans generally like other humans and we especially want other humans to like OUR brand of human without all that stupid obligation of Facebook AND it's fun. Done. We don't really need to analyze fun although I think I've read a few articles about it.
It's probably exploding now because of the 'Theory of Compound Interest for the Internet' that I just made up. Or probably the tipping point. Malcolm 's Gladwell wrote a book about it. Maybe you should check it out. In Malcolm's terms - we're all connectors now, grasshopper.
Generic Pinterest Article #3: "Hey let's use Pinterest to "build content" for your brand" says the marketing asshole who wants to suck all the spontaneous joy from the internet. Why you hate teh kittehs so much, marketing dude? Sometimes the worlds of marketing and spam overlap in a Venn diagram of Terrible Things to Avoid So People Don't Hate You and Curse Your Very Existence. Filling your boards with your own junk and then leaving lame comments on my pins so I will come back and find you is so transparent and ruins my day.
Six months ago Pinterest was all young, sweet and unsullied by marketers and free business schmucks posting their lame attempts at self-promotion. But now that social media gurus have sniffed out this new barely legal site they're trying to pop her fun cherry by fingerbanging her in a dark corner of the internet. KEEP YOUR FILTHY HANDS TO YOURSELF! You're the #TeamFollowback of Pinterest and a disgusting pervert who preys on young girls. WHAT KIND OF MONSTER ARE YOU??!!
I just read an article suggesting that businesses pin pictures of their employees on a board so people will put a "face" with their company. That is some serious kind of fucked up. No one wants to see Greg from Accounts Payable at last year's Christmas party. And I'm sure as hell not going to repin Greg unless Greg looks like Ryan Gosling and says funny things that make my heart melt. But you should still keep your hands where I can see them Greg. Also, maybe find a new job. I bet Pinterest will have classifieds next month.
But not everyone is in love with Pinterest. Haters gonna hate:
Generic Pinterest Haticle #1: "Don't bother with Pinterest because it's nothing but crafts and bible quotes" says newb who's scared of new things but hides it as condescending judgment. I can tell that you've never actually used Pinterest before because - and this might blow your mind - you choose who you follow. Take a minute... I know, right?! What a novel concept that's exactly like Twitter and tons of other social media avenues that have come before this.
If you looked at the general Twitter stream and saw a bunch of women saying they wished Chris Brown would beat them in the face you wouldn't say "Golly, this Twitter thang is terrible!" you would bemoan the decline of human intelligence like the rest of us. Your Pinterest/Twitter feed/Google reader is only as good as who you follow so if hate what you see, you need to have a serious convo with the man in the mirror.
Besides, if someone pins lame stuff then you get to flex your God muscles (it's like doing a Kegel) and hit that unfollow button. You like playing the divine Almighty of the Interwebz right?! So be compassionate like Sir Axl Rose, the Jeezus of the Beatles, about someone else's possibly horrible taste and live and let live.
In all fairness, I've mocked the bible crafters aplenty (ohmigawd self-realization... I'm a scared newb in LIFE!) but we're all blog sisters. Also, I write a blog about unicorns, vaginas, unicorn vaginas and wall paint colors so no one should listen to what I say. Except for now, obviously. [MS sidebar: don't.]
But seriously - I don't care if your pins look like Game of Thrones had a sexy and totally possible menage a trois with Kelly Wearstler and nutella, I will unfollow you if you clog my pretty pretty Pinterest stream with cascades of inspirational quotes. Ok I'll probably just unfollow that board and keep the interiors porn...
Generic Pinterest Haticle #2: "Pinterest is nothing but crafts and bible quotes and only for LAAAADIES and eww people with boobs are silly."
......flames on the side of my face....
I will fuck you with this bedazzled pencil holder I just made from a discarded coffee can for your backhanded sexist trope. Didn't we work through our feelings of shock and terror about 'stereotypical lady interests are important and worthwhile endeavors' a few years ago after Etsy began going bananas with knitting and soaps? It's damaging and ignorant for businesses to consistently be surprised when things that cater towards women or include typically female interests do well or drive trends. Chattanooga has more cupcake stores than mustache waxing boutiques which I think proves my point exactly.
My vagina and stomach says "you're welcome, economy."
Apparently the threat of possibly seeing one girly fashion post float across their dash is too much for some dudes to handle so they have retreated to the safe world of Gentlemint. Or as I call it - Peenterest (not to be confused with Pornterest which is a real site). Gentlemint is the clunky cousin that ripped off Pinterest and only allows guns and helicopters to be put in a mint. Also, it's for fifth grade boys.
Because when you stereotype women's interest as lame then stereotyping men's interest MUST be good!
Generic Pinterest Haticle #3: "I don't like this *air quote* Pinterest *end air quote* because I value the written word more than your silly pictures" says guy with a beard smoking a pipe at the patio outside of Starbucks who is sad no one commented on his one pin. I think we've already established that I as a Design Blogger of Amazing Interiors and Dildo Jokes am more evolutionarily advanced so I feel comfortable saying simmer down, Hemingway. I don't have to write a haiku about why every pin touches my soul. I have 3000 pins and that's a lot of fucking haikus. Pretty soon people will be judging the quality of my poetry. Will you never stop with your judging??!!
Oh wait, they (ahem... me) already judge the quality of your captions anyway because yes, people's captions are stupid. That's why I erase most of them and write my own stupid ones. Or use a secret pictograph system that no one can decipher but me including phrases like "---" "nice" and "lolz. dead." Now no one can figure out why I like this picture!
Because - and here's the real secret - I'm a selfish asshole and I don't give 2 flying fucks whether or not you "get" why I pinned something. I pinned it for me and don't have to explain anything to you unless you're the FBI of the internet in which case no I didn't steal that image from Flickr because I totes respect Creative Commons license to the best of my abilities in understanding it. If you want to repin that image and write your own haiku, that's fine. If not, you should unfollow my pinboard titled "Things that make me lolz then die."
Generic Pinterest Haticle #4: "You are going to go to jail for pinning copyrighted material and Pinterest will leave you to rot in your cinder block cell and rats will eat your fingers and poop in your mouth and then Pinterest will sell your photography and make millions off of you. Mwahahahahaha! And you'll have dirty prison hair." says doomsday theorist who is also stocking panic room because the Mayans told them so. Honestly, I have no clue about this type of thing but hasn't Tumblr been doing the exact same thing for years and we all seem to be okay?
I have much more of a problem with pinners not pinning correctly and losing the sources - that is wrong and it makes hipsters, bloggers and artists mad and we all run the world so that's not cool. If you can't understand how to pin from a permalink or include the name of the source then you need to give up your driver's license because I don't trust you to be on the road with me.
Considering I haven't heard about a single copyright infringement case involving any sites like this I think we can all rest easy for a bit. Is Pinterest tracking our paths, skimming money from our links and eventually going to sell our pinning profiles to Google so they can tailor ads specifically to us for things that will make us lolz and die? Prolly. Thus is the secret life of the interwebz. But the few times I've dealt with Pinterest personally (ironically because they had to take down some pins that Houzz did not want me to pin because it might infringe on their users rights) and their new anti-pin code makes me think they care a LOT more about lil ol' me than Mr. Google. But I guess I've drunk the Pinterest Kool-Aid willingly.
I think I'm done being a social media guru so I can go get drunk and pin more.
Brown explosion. 
