Oh, How Pinteresting!

Monday, November 3, 2014

More goodies for the iOS app

Good news: The iOS app has a sleek new look! We de-cluttered and simplified navigation so it’s easier to get around the app. The new, cleaner design also lets you focus more on your Pins. Next time you see a product, place or article Pin, take a look close up—the Pin’s info and image have much more room on the screen to shine.

Looking to search through your Pins or upload a new one? Those options now live at the top of your profile.

In this update, we also improved start up times so when you open the app, you can get to Pinning faster than ever.

We’re rolling out this new design to iPhone users first. You’ll also start to see similar updates on iPad, Android and the web over the next weeks and months—so keep an eye out.

Update your app to take a look at what’s new. And don’t forget, you can Pin from your mobile browser now too—it just takes a minute to set up .

Steven Ramkumar, currently pinning to Motion.

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Sunday, October 5, 2014

Make it a Handmade Halloween

Remember the mom and dad-crafted Halloween costumes from back in the day? Even if they didn’t always turn out quite like they were supposed to (is that a monster or a muppet?), they were always masks-off the most memorable. We miss those days, so this year we’re rolling up our sleeves, grabbing the glue gun and the duct tape, and tackling DIY costumes that are as fun to make as they are to wear.

Today kicks off a whole month of Handmade Halloween on Pinterest, so stay tuned for fresh costume inspiration each week of October on Pin Picks. First up, we’ll show you creepy costume how-tos with help from masters of horror Michelle Phan, Jessica Harlow, and eHow. After the creep show, stay tuned for how-tos on heroes and villains, costumes for comic relief and some clever last-minute hacks if you run out of time.

Here’s a look at what one of our very own Pinterest designers whipped up (translation: spent a weekend on) for his son Luca. It took a trip to the recycling bin for boxes, 3 cans of paint and a replacement pair of PJs, but the end result was worth every minute for both dad and his trick-or-treater in training.

Ready to play? Share a snapshot of your handmade costume on Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #costumepinspiration and we’ll pick a few to show off. Let the games begin!

David Rubin, currently pinning to halloween.

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Friday, October 3, 2014

A mid-year update to our 2014 Transparency Report

Last March we published our first transparency report, covering the six months from July to December 2013. Now we’re ready to provide a mid-year quarterly update on the the first six months of January to June 2014. After the end of this year, we’ll provide a 2014 summary with graphs and insights. You can see the new report and our previous reports here.

- Adam Barton, legal guy, currently Pinning home decor ideas to a group secret board with my girlfriend.

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Monday, September 29, 2014

Bob Vila: Home improvement hero

You may know him from the popular TV show This Old House, or as Tim Taylor’s rival on Home Improvement. Perhaps you’ve picked up one of his twelve books, or bought his exclusive line of tools from HSN. With a career spanning more than three decades, Bob Vila is the most well known and trusted authorities in home improvement, and has spent his career helping people improve their homes and their lives. Here, he talks about his first job, inspirations and lessons learned. Plus, find out how he preps for winter, his favorite home hack and the tool he can’t live without.

In one sentence, I am…

Crazy about my granddaughters, but still in love with my career.

When I’m not working, I love to…

Travel, garden and be on or in the ocean.

My biggest vice is…

French Cabernet wine.

When I was a kid, I loved…

The beach and dessert.

My first job was…

At a book bindery.

And before my career in broadcasting, I spent time building houses in Panama as a Peace Corps volunteer.

The reason I started doing what I do is…

It’s in the blood—my dad built houses, his mom did too and so does my son!

The biggest lesson I’ve learned (so far)…

Don’t stop, but look back every once in a while.

My motto is…

You can’t always get what you want, but if you try, you’ll find you get what you need.

Five things I’ll do to prepare for winter…

1-2. Go through an energy saving checklist from thermostats and furnace filters to insulation. Then book flights south.

3. Fill the new Victory Garden composter and make plans for next year’s gardens.

4. Spray foam any cellar cracks, and check weatherstripping and caulk to prevent chilly mice from coming in.

5. Find rotted wood house parts and fix them or get them fixed for you.

Two easy home upgrades that take five minutes…

Change your switchplate cover.

Add a wall decal.

My favorite home improvement hacks are…

Vinegar can be used to clean just about anything, plus it’s affordable and non-toxic.

Use a Post-It note to make drilling into a wall cleaner.

A recent home improvement project I did was…

Turning the outgrown kids’ playhouse into a garden shed.

The tools I could never live without…

16-ounce claw hammer and 25-foot tape.

The one thing that will be definitely be in my 2014 Holiday Gift Guide…

New cordless tools.

…………..

For more home improvement how-to and room-by-room DIY projects, see Pin Picks from Bob, HGTV and DIY Network.

What’s your Pinterest story? Don’t be shy—we’d love to hear from you.

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Friday, September 19, 2014

Some ways we’ll be making Promoted Pins more relevant

Back in May, we started working with a small group of advertisers to test Promoted Pins in the U.S. Our plan now is to make Promoted Pins more relevant to Pinners, and help advertisers understand how their ads impact their business. On October 19, 2014, we’ll make a few updates to our Privacy Policy to explain those plans.

After these updates, there are a couple things we’ll do to improve Promoted Pins (we’re still only testing in the U.S.):

1. We want to help advertisers better understand how their Promoted Pins are doing. For example, an advertiser may want to know how often their ads are showing on Pinterest or how many people bought a product after clicking on a Promoted Pin. In the future, we’ll report that info to them.

2. We also want the Promoted Pins you see to be relevant to you and come from brands you’ve shown interest in. We hope to incorporate information advertisers share with us so that we can show you Promoted Pins that don’t feel random or distracting.

If you don’t want us to use info from advertisers to personalize the Promoted Pins you see, you can change your account settings. We’ll continue to support Do Not Track for personalization on Pinterest, as well.

If you’d like, you can get a preview of the Privacy Policy updates that’ll roll out on October 19. To learn more about the tools we’re building for advertisers and how we’ll tailor Promoted Pins, check out our Help Center.

Julie Park, Partnerships, currently Pinning to My Favorite Ads & Commercials

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Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Pin Tip: Pin on the go with iOS 8

Good news: Pinning from your iPhone just got easier! Now you can add the Pin It button to your phone and Pin right from your mobile browser.

Make sure you’ve downloaded the Pinterest app, then get your Pin It button set up:

1. Update your phone to iOS 8
2. From Safari or Chrome, tap the Share button
3. Swipe to the left and tap More
4. Tap to turn on Pinterest
5. Drag Pinterest up if you want to reorder your menu

Now the Pin It button is always just a tap away. Reading a must-save article? Found that desk chair you’ve been hunting for? Go back to the Share button, tap your new Pin It button, swipe to find the best image, and Pin it.

Then get right back to what you were doing—your new Pin will be waiting for you in the Pinterest app.

Steven Ramkumar, currently Pinning to Toronto Spots

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Friday, September 12, 2014

Fashion Week

Fashion Week season is here and the runways are lined with new styles and trends we’ll be seeing in the year ahead. To help take these looks from the catwalk to your closet, we asked style icon Olivia Palermo to share the best trends from shows around the world.

First up: New York! Olivia’s Best of NYFW board is all about the it looks of the moment. She’ll share the top designs and ideas on more ways to recreate the looks at home. It’s not just about who you’re wearing, but how you wear it. “Creating the boards gives me the ability to edit the best selection of runway looks. Pinterest is a great platform, for generating ideas on styling and it’s a great way to see what people are wearing on the streets around the world.”

Olivia will share even more inspiration from the runways of London and Paris with best-of boards for each city. Check back here for a fashion recap from each place throughout the month, with a final rendezvous in France.

For more of-the-moment trends and fresh looks for work, weekends and nights out, check out our Pin Picks fall style guide.

—Lauren Michaels, currently Pinning to Style Snaps.

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Thursday, September 11, 2014

Football fans share their favorite game-day grub and gear

The football season is in full effect, so we cornered a few power Pinners who know a thing or two about passing around the pigskin, Oyl Miller and Bryan Houston. Get to know these football fanatics and find out their top picks for game-day gear and grub.

Game-day gear: Oyl Miller’s must-haves

Visit Andrew ‘Oyl’ Miller’s profile on Pinterest.

Tokyo-based Oyl Miller is a senior creative and copywriter at Wieden+Kennedy with campaigns for Nike, PlayStation and Google under his belt. At night, after his kids go to bed, he works on personal art, writes screenplays, short films and the occasional thing for McSweeney’s. He’s also a big sports fan (and former baseball player) with Pinterest boards on everything from football to the digital sports zine Art of Competition that he writes, illustrates and curates. Here, he talks football and the game-day gear he can’t wait to score this season.

If I could be any football player, I’d be…

Deion Sanders back in the day. He had two killer nicknames “Neon Deion” and “Primetime.” AND he played baseball as well. Superstar in two sports? Yes please.

My favorite football teams are…

Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers

On game day, I…

Need massive quantities of guacamole and cheese related products.

When my favorite team loses, I…

Usually hide in a closet. If they’re getting blown out, I go for a run.

The best way to watch the game is…

In the stadium with a group of superfans who take the result as a matter of life and death. It’s great when a football crowd crosses over into a deleted scene from Braveheart.

The coolest football gear this year is…

The tech gadget I can’t put down is…

My iPad. It’s at the center of everything I do.

The campaign I worked on that I’m most proud of is…

My favorite quote is…

Game-day grub: Bryan Houston’s favorite football food

Visit Bryan Houston’s profile on Pinterest.

Next up, Bryan Houston. This born and bred Southerner has been on the sidelines as a radio and TV news sportscaster for the past five decades … I repeat, five decades. Hank Aaron, Joe Namath and Mary Lou Retton are just a few of the many sports legends he’s interviewed in his career. He’s an LSU football fanatic and a big supporter of high school football. When his head isn’t in the game, he enjoys photography, food and music (ask him to do his Neil Young impression). Here, he talks football and game-day grub sooo good it’ll make the crowd go wild.

If I could be any football football player, I’d be…

Peyton Manning. He’s a classy hall-of-famer. After his playing days are done, he has a bright future in broadcasting or coaching.

My favorite football team is…

The Dallas Cowboys, for reasons that escape me since 1998.

When my favorite team loses, I…

Slam my fist on the arm of easy chair and yell at the TV.

My go-to game-day food is…

Cajun

I recently discovered and can’t get enough of…

Stanley’s Famous Pit Bar-B-Q ribs

The biggest crowd pleaser is…

Gumbo

I’d never think of skipping the…

Pecan pie

…………..

Want more football? We huddled up with ESPN to find a roster of ways to get you (and your whole team of family and friends) ready for the next big game—whether you’re tailgating or rooting from home. Check out these winning Pin Picks.

What’s your Pinterest story? Don’t be shy—we’d love to hear from you.

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Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Pin Picks: Top 5 ideas for emergency prep

When the next big natural disaster strikes (or the zombie apocalypse), will you be ready? Stockpile your supplies, prime your pantry and brush up on your wilderness skills with these top tips from well-prepped Pinners. For even more survival skills, visit Pin Picks.

Stock up your pantry

Prepare your survival kit

Make fire with a pencil sharpener

Hack your own water filter

Be ready to outrun the zombies (since you never know…)

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Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Get ready for a Fashion Week surprise…

What if you could get style advice from an international fashion icon? That’s exactly what we’ve got in store for later this week when the new collections are unveiled in New York. We’ve asked a prominent (and still top secret!) trendsetter to highlight the best from this season’s runway shows right on Pinterest. She’ll share the latest from the runway, along with tips on where to buy similar looks to add to your own everyday collection. After NYC, she’ll also make best-of boards for London and Paris to help you bring catwalk styles from around the world to your closet.

Ready for the big reveal? You’ll have to wait until we unveil our special guest, along with hand-picked boards on our Pin Picks style guide this Friday, September 12th. Stay tuned!

—Heather Dickinson, Head of International Communications, currently Pinning to Fashion Fling.

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