Do I have time for a new social media site?
No, not really. But I was fascinated when a friend told me about Pinterest, the online bulletin board site. Even before I signed up I could see it was a dangerous place. I could spend hours looking at peoples' pins of crafting ideas, recipes, flowers, colors...
It took me a few days to sign up, and then even longer to feel comfortable with it. I was suspicious. How is this site ever going to make money? What kind of information is the "pinmarklet" in my toolbar (the device that allows me to grab the pictures and pin them) gathering? What about copyright?
I searched the web for negative information about the site but couldn't find any. I am still unsure about a few things, but once started, it's hard to stop. I've found lots of new recipes and tons of craft ideas for Eleanor.
Ah, Eleanor. She fell in love when she saw it too, and immediately wanted her own account. But, you've got to be 13, baby. She's got half a year to go. Sigh. Online life begins at 13.
But when she's browsing craft sites and finds something she loves, she pins it to my board. I don't let her browse all of Pinterest herself. I'm not sure I'll want to even once she is 13. Sandy noticed this problem too: there is so much that is beautiful and useful there, but there's the ugliness too. The fashions that - really, you'd wear that? In public? The "cute" sayings in pretty script but with vulgar or profane language. (Why are women all of a sudden so vulgar and profane, anyway?) Pictures of and links to products I don't want my child to know exist.
I'll be looking for boards to follow that my daughter can look at and enjoy with me. So if you have a Pinterest account, and it's family-friendly, please let me know. Or come find me there. You can see the red button on the left. It rather stands out in my blues, doesn't it?
You might find things you don't like in my boards, but you won't find anything your daughter shouldn't see.
1 comment:
I've found that I actually enjoy looking at other people's boards more than I enjoy just browsing around the whole site. There's a lot you don't see that way; the boards are way more interesting. Also, you're less likely to run into the vulgar, ugly, etc. if you're choosing the boards.
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