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Tuesday, May 15, 2012

What People Like, According to the Internet

Or, My Most Popular Pins on Pinterest


Pinterest has been very eye-opening for me. Sometimes (most times) I pin something and am convinced it's going to get a lot of repins, and alas, most of the time, my pins aren't repinned at all. However, there are two things in particular that I have pinned that blew up right away (somewhat unexpectedly!), and one other pin that is like the gift that keeps on giving, for while it doesn't have a load of repins, at least one person repins it on a weekly basis. I'm not sure what makes pins attractive, or gives longevity to pins, allowing them to take on long-term lives of their own, but I'm sharing them with you below because a) if others loved them, you might, too, and b) maybe you can weigh in on what makes these pins so fabulous!

Date night in a jar.
This is really fun, no doubt about it. It's also such a simple idea, one of those ones that makes you ask 'why didn't I think about that?!'. Then again, I post lots of tips and tricks and other handmade goodies that you could say the same about. Maybe this picture has the additional benefit of being visually appealing. It also, unlike many DIYs on Pinterest, appeals to a relational side of us, as it's not simply something creative and easy to execute, it's also something that functions as a very personal gift and promises to bring us closer to someone who is important to us.

Asparagus and goat cheese tarts.
I love asparagus, but I did not expect others to love it this much! This recipe is simple, which may be one of its attractions, but I suspect most people repin based more on the picture than on the recipe, and many of them probably don't even click through to the recipe before repinning. I've seen some gorgeous food photography in my time, though, and those pins haven't necessarily taken Pinterest by storm, so I'm not quite sure what's going on here.

Hipster Evil Queen

Okay, obviously I see the attraction here. This is funny. But at the same time, I pinned a few more 'hipster Disney' pics on the same day, and none of them have received much attention. Is this about the villainous side of this character -- a change from the typical hipster Disney princesses? Or is it more about the food aspect -- that the joke about organic food resonates with a lot of people? My guess is as good as yours.


























Note: after all my speculation, I think that sometimes it's just random when things get repinned a lot. I think it depends a lot on the time of day, and who repins it (e.g. if someone influential repins your pin, all their followers will see it and voila! Lots of repins!).


P.S. If you want an invite for Pinterest, feel free to give me a shout!

5 comments:

  1. How did you make your top banner? I like the design a lot!

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  2. Thanks! Just flexing my web design muscles a little bit. I made it myself using a combo of Pages and Paintbrush on my Mac -- not the most sophisticated graphic design tools, but I'm working with what I've got!

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  3. I love the layout of your website! I need to learn some coding myself.

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  4. Thanks! Let me know if you want some pointers about where to find good tutorials on the web! Is this for your blog? Or just in general?

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  5. Yeah, I would love some pointers! For my blog, but also in general. I just think it's a really good skill to have.

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