Pinned To Pinterest: A Beginner's Guide To The New Social Network Craze

What do the US Army, The Backstreet Boys and Yoko Ono have in common? They're all part of the latest social network craze.

Welcome to Pinterest. As the name suggests, Pinterest.com is an online and social pinboard. The site allows users to share pictures of things they love; be it clothes, cars or cute, cuddly kittens.
 
At first glance, it may seem overwhelming, but Pinterest is actually quite simple.

To find out how it works, WFFT turned to Pinterest guru Jennifer Roherty of Fort Wayne for guidance.

"You get to look at just things that you're interested in looking at, so it's not like one of those TV shows where you just watch and hope that it's something that you like" says Roherty.

Ok so here's a crash course:
First off, for now at least, Pinterest is a member-only site. So, you'll have to be invited to join, but it's not hard to do. Either get a friend who's already a member to send you a request or simply ask Pinterest for a membership.

Once you get an invite, link your Facebook or Twitter account to Pinterest. This step is a must.

When you first log in, Pinterest will give you suggestions of categories to follow. Go ahead and select a few. Now go make some boards! This is where you will pin pictures you like.

"You can make as many as you want. They'll give you a generic setup of ideas and you can rename them" says Roherty. "I've used it (Pinterest) to help redecorate my house, collect things for upcoming weddings, sharing ideas with my sister and my mom."

Either sex can use Pinterest, but it's definitely geared more towards woman.

"It's been really interesting to just try different things and kind of refresh, more so then just going to a craft store and looking around and seeing what you can do. You're seeing the finished product and then going back and seeing how you could do that" says Roherty.

Pinterst was created two years ago by a few Yale University students, has just over a dozen employees, and is valued at about $200 million. According to hitwise.com, the site also recently became one of the top five social networks, beating out LinkedIn and Google+.

"It's kind of fun to translate it from an idea to something you've actually done" Roherty says.

Ok now that you've gotten the beginner's guide, get pinning! But just one bit of personal advice to leave you with, don't Pinterest on an empty stomach.