The Internet has evolved to become a vast place for people to socialize.

What started with chat rooms went to onto MySpace. Then people became addicted to Facebook. While users moved to Facebook for more social interaction, MySpace stayed strong because it had on thing Facebook didn’t. It allowed users to share things that they like or enjoy.

If you look at MySpace today, you’ll see it’s filled with musicians sharing their music, people sharing videos and you may find a few video games you’ll enjoy there too. It may not be the social mecca that it once was, but it still exists and proves helpful to a lot of people. Pinterest website owners picked up on this and created a new social networking platform that is currently taking the Internet by storm.

How Does Pinterest Work?

Pinterest bills itself as a “virtual bulletin board” that allows users to share things they like. Once you create your board, you can share recipes, decorating ideas, movies or anything else you come across on the Internet.

Your friends have the options of “following” your boards and when they do, they see all of the “pins” you’ve created and shared. Do you have a new recipe that you loved? Simply create a pin and all of your friends can try that recipe too. While Pinterest certainly won’t take over Facebook, it gives users the ability to interact in a way that Facebook doesn’t, making it a great addition to social networking as a whole.

How Pinterest Helps Online Business Owners

The “pins” that users create consist of images that come from different websites. Users have the option of installing a “Pin It” button to the bookmark tab on their browser that allows them to turn any content they want into a pin. When someone “pins” content from your website to their board, it includes a link to your website, so that people can see the original content.

Every one of their followers see these pins when they log into Pinterest and have the option to “repin” they pin to their own bulletin board. Every time someone repins content not only does a whole new set of users see the content, but the link crediting the original source follows the pin. Not only does this give you more exposure, but it gives your website more backlinks as well.

Pinterest Best Practices

Before you go off on a pinning spree and create pins for your entire catalog of content, you need to consider online social etiquette.

• Don’t spam users by constantly pinning your own content. Pinning your own content is kind of like tooting your own horn. It’s annoying and people hate it. That doesn’t mean you should never pin stuff that will benefit you though. Instead, create pins that provide your target audience with something of value numerous times throughout the day and occasionally pin something that’s relevant to your business.
• Engage in conversation with the people who are following you. If they repin one of your pins or “like” one of your pins comment on it to say “thanks.” If someone comments on one of your pins, comment back. The more involved with people you are the more likely they are to share your content.
• Use proper SEO on your pins. Instead of providing a caption like, “I love this,” use your keywords in the caption and make it interesting. Ask questions and try to get people commenting on your pins.
• Comment, like and repin other people’s pins. This puts you on their radar. They can see this activity on the sidebar of the screen and are more likely to interact with someone who is interacting with them first.

Conclusion

Social networking tools are a great way for online business owners to brand themselves or their products. If you use them correctly, it could create more traffic to your website and new customers. In this aspect Pinterest is just like every other social networking website. It can benefit your business when properly used.

Keep in mind though, the Internet is filled with home based business opportunities. People get overwhelmed with too many advertisements and product reviews. If you keep it simple and stay social Pinterest could easily become your favorite new marketing tool.