Local Voices: I'm Officially an Addict

So my title might have you concerned, but no worries, I'm not addicted to any dangerous substance or any detrimental behavior.  No... I'm a pinner.  There I said it.  I visit the website "Pinterest" daily, sometimes multiple times a day, to see what great new idea needs to be pinned to one of my online boards.  I even use my smartphone app to pin in the car when I'm waiting to pick up my kids.  And this addiction is spreading across our community.  

It started out quietly.  My friend Lisa was the first "user." She told me how I'd love it.  How great it would make me feel, and I tried it.  I don't usually cave under peer pressure, but I couldn't resist her claims of how it would change my life.  I have to admit, I could've walked away after that first time.  Actually I did; however, she kept pushing the site on me and I caved again.  I went back for more and then I was hooked!

Now, almost all of my mom friends are "using" Pinterest, and the scary thing is; now our daughters are trying it.  Middle schoolers, high schoolers... even some guys I know.  It's taking over the internet.  I see rumblings about Pinterest all over Facebook.  My husband read in the Wall Street Journal that it has one of the highest rates of growth of any website right now, and truth be told... it makes me a little sad.

You see, when I first started "using" Pinterest, everything on the site was amazing.  Now, the quality of "pins" is mixed.  You have to request an invitation or be invited by a member, and I fear that their standards for membership may be a little lax.  They're letting the "riff raff" in, and thus pinners are pinning some mixed quality pins.  I go to this site for inspiring design ideas, recipes, quotes—you name it.  I don't want to start seeing people pinning outfits from discount stores.  I may not intend to buy high fashion outfits and all the accessories to go with them, but that's what I want to see and be inspired by!

For those who still are not sure what I'm even talking about, Pinterest is an online website for categorizing things you love.  I compare it to the file folders that used to fill up an entire drawer in my desk with magazine clippings of recipes, party ideas, gardening tips, etc.  I've now eliminated that entire drawer (which I rarely visited once I put the clippings in) and I do it all online.  It's so much easier to refer back to my boards, not to mention, add to them daily.  Hence the addiction!

You can "follow" your friends, their boards, and the boards of complete strangers.  You can pin items from other websites and online catalogs using the thumbtack you position on your toolbar.  You can literally get hundreds of ideas for anything you might need anytime of the day.  Valentine party boxes, bridal shower ideas, delectable desserts... you name it, you can find it.  My daughter loves the hairstyles and make up tricks she finds.  You can follow the pins back to their original sources, which are often blogs that are extremely useful.

I'm warning you now—don't accept that first invitation!  You might just find yourself as addicted as I am.  It might suck your life away if you let it!  However, if you do decide to try pinning yourself, don't worry.  After your initial drunken stupor, you'll learn how to manage your time and make productive use of the site.  That's all I can blog right now, I've got some pinning to do!