Top Tips: Getting the most out of Pinterest

I love Pinterest. It is so my favourite social media tool. Lots of lovely style inspiration and an ability to curate all the things I'm interested in at the moment. If you haven't caught the Pinterest bug yet, why not try these top tips to help you pinning journey?

Install the Pinterest bookmarklet

Pinterest want to make it as easy as possible for you to pin great content to your account. The best way of doing this is to install the bookmarklet. You can get the Pinterest bookmarklet here. Good ole Pinterest shows you how to install this bit of technology and once you have, you won’t stop pinning. As Pinterest is still in beta (the testing) stage, you might find this bookmarklet a bit buggy but it’s an easy way to add things to your mood boards and when things are easy, you’re more likely to update them.

Add another pinner

Did you know you let another pinner have access to certain boards? This is a great thing to do if you’re preparing a wedding mood board (add your groom) or perhaps part of a craft group (add your fellow crafters). It makes it feel even more of a community thing when you’re actually pinning with a real friend or colleague.

Hashtag it!

Who used the humble hashtag before the birth of social media? Just like Twitter, adding a hashtag to your pin categorises it and by clicking on the hashtag, you can discover similar pins. It’s a great way for people to find something of niche interest for them. Never underestimate the power of the #!

Follow Pinterest etiquette

Each social media medium has it’s own house rules. It’s a bit like being a guest at a friend’s house. Follow the rules and no-one will kick you out!

1. Give credit where credit is due
Do you know who the photographer is? Or the name of the website/blog were you found the image? If so, quote them in your text.

2. Be original
Make sure you pin the original source image. Don’t use images from Google as Google don’t own them.

3. Keep it short, sweet and original

Don’t copy all the text associated with the image. It’s a bit naughty, but more than I find it boring. I want to know why the pinners I follow like something – not what the original website said.

Space them out
Some people don’t visit Pinterest for a while and then do about 50 pins in one go. Stop right there! You’re overloading your followers. Space your pins out and add things on a regular basis, encouraging people to come back and see your new pins.

Retro geek chic

Hi, my name is Jayne and I'm a retro geek. Yes, it may be a total oxymoron that I'm a lover of high-technology, yet I hyearn for the past. However, it seems that I'm not the only one out there with this paradox.

Maybe it's the recession but everything geek seems to be going a little bit retro. Headphones are supersize once again. Radios look like something my nan had. And classic arcade games such as Paperboy and Space Invaders are being downloaded in their thousands on phones and tablets.

Retro geek: Headphones, Munchman, BBC Micro and a retro radio

For me, it's hardly a surprise I have one foot in the past and one in the digital future. My first experience of anything technical was a Speak and Spell, with its funny Americanims, followed by Simon. At the time those games were groundbreaking - they made noises, they were interactive, they were from the future.

My first real foray into technology though was at the age of 11 when my parents bought me a BBC Micro Computer. That Christmas, my inner geek finally broke free. For the first three months, I merely produced programmes on it that flashed up my name or did simple calculations, but then I got into games. In those days, you had to load games via a cassette machine and a tape - hilarious! - but the games were addictive and my sister and I were soon addicted to Chuckie Egg (I'm waiting for that app any day now).

This love of old technology has stayed with me all this time and I love the fact that technology creators are realising we hanker for the old days when things were simpler, creating products that are more streamlined, look nice but do everything you need in this modern day and age. Long live retro geek chic!

The app that will calm you down

Hello blogging world! It's been a while since I've blogged - life's events took over - but I'm back now with a renewed passion. Unfortunately I was recently involved in a very horrible car crash but instead of letting it get me down, I'm choosing to see that silver lining and am embracing all my passions in life. I may be a geek but the digital world and blogging is definitely one of those so I'll be back posting here with a vengeance!

Due to my nasty accident, I've recently come across an app, which I swear has saved my sanity. Anyone who has been through a traumatic event will tell you that the mental scars as just as bad, if not worse, as the physical scars. Flashbacks knock you sideways and appear at any moment and things fall apart just like that.

My problem at the moment is not being able to sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I see the crash happening in slow motion. I've tried sleeping tables, I've tried watching crap films (yes, even Eyes Wide Shut didn't send me into a coma) but nothing really worked. Until I found this fabulous app.

A must-download if you seek inner calm

The Simply Being app guides you through the meditation process and helps you try and block out the inner and outer noise, while you try and find peace. Even if you're a total meditation novice, this app will definitely calm you down and help silence whatever is shouting out loudest. After using it four or five times, I felt much calmer and able to sleep without the help of tablets or bad Tom Cruise movies.

Verdict: It's meditation by numbers and although it may not turn you into Dalai Lama overnight, I guarantee it will help you find some peace in this busy and hectic world!