Join Pinterest Now, Thank Me Later!

My love of Pinterest makes me think of the opening lines to Ke$ha's song "Your Love is My Drug".

Maybe I need some rehab, Or maybe just need some sleep I've got a sick obsession, I'm seeing it in my dreams

I'm looking down every alley, I'm making those desperate calls Im staying up all night hoping, Hit my head against the walls

Because, truly, I am addicted to and obsessed with Pinterest.  I joined over the weekend and haven't stopped browsing its pages since then.  I'd heard about it through sites like Techcrunch and Mashable, and then I started hearing friends on Twitter talk about it.  But the tipping point for me was when a friend on Facebook, wrote the status update to the right.

And that sealed the deal for me. I had to see what all the fuss was about. And am I ever happy I did!

So what exactly is Pinterest and why am I so into it?

It's like browsing an endless supply of magazines and catalogues that have been flagged and marked so you only see the best stuff inside.  And it's all grouped together in categories for the easiest browsing possible.  

To start off, check out the TasteMakers section. Here you can browse through a variety of people and categories (boards as they are referred to in Pinterest), to get a feel for what's going on. Once you get comfortable with it, you can then start to pin things yourself.

Pinning something is simply adding a visual link to a website. For example, I've pinned these DIY hanging baskets in my DIY category. If you view this image in Pinterest, you could click on it and be taken to the website that offers the tutorial on how to make these. These, by the way, were the inspiration for my next house project—hanging baskets in my kitchen to hold my cooking magazines!  I started a whole DIY board full of projects I would like to undertake, some for the home, some crafty fashion stuff, and some gardening goodies.

There is something for everyone on here and each picture will lead your mind in a whole other direction of browsing and searching.  Not to mention that it is a great way to categorize your own stuff too!  And of course there's an iPhone app for it!

I'm so into this site that I've sent requests to friends that aren't technically inclined and to many of my clients because I think this could be useful to pretty much everyone.  For my friends that enjoy shopping and fashion, this is a great way to find the latest trends.  For my clients, this is a useful tool to showcase their products.  For my friends who cook, there is endless food porn and inspiration.  For crafty people, this is a gold mine of inspiration! Whatever your interest is, there's something on Pinterest for you.