Why did Pinterest suddenly become the "hot new thing"?

RomanZ13 weeks ago

I certainly don't consider myself a neo-luddite. After all, I have Facebook, Twitter and Google+ presences, and have for quite a long time (except for Google+). Suddenly, I'm seeing articles about Pinterest, along with claims that it is the fastest growing Web destination in history. What the heck am I missing about it that is pushing all this publicity? I just looked at pinterest, and basically I saw thumbnail pics of kittens, puppies, flowers and food with people posting comments like cute, awwww, lovely and yum. What am I missing? Isn't this somewhat like Flickr, but less focused on a specific topic? I don't really see a use for businesses like there is in the aforementioned Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc. What am I missing here?

Tags: internet, pinterest, trends, website

Topic: Internet

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pwarren 13 weeks ago

I suspect one reason Pinterest has flown under your radar is that, judging from your avatar, you are male. Pinterest has a heavy gender bias among its users. I say this both from my own observations and comScore data. According to a recent TechCrunch article, Pinterest's growth is driven by the 18-34 upper income female demographic. Which makes me feel very young and financially successful, if only by association! :-)

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jimlynch 13 weeks ago

Well, you know there's always going to be the next thing for people to gravitate toward. Perhaps this is it for right now. While I might not have much use for it, no doubt there are people out there that will.

So if it works for them, great. I can't see myself bothering with it though. As long as people get something out of it and have fun, then I can't see it as a really bad thing. Your mileage may vary, however.

Here's a link for those who aren't familiar with it:

http://pinterest.com/about/

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