Confessions of a pinner

Writing about Pinterest is not as easy as one may think. It's easy to have an opinion about the usefulness of digital pinboards as online outlets for latent desires to keep a scrapbook. It is, however, very difficult to focus on putting these thoughts into words when every time I open Pinterest (for research, of course) I get sucked into home d'ecor, fashion and food for at least an hour.

I think it's safe to say the average woman has a second social media stomach for Pinterest.

Kathryn McConnachie, digital media editor, ITWeb

In fact, I spent the past hour trying out an exercise routine suggested on one of the pinboards I follow.

So there it is, out in the open. I'm a pinner. I pin things and re-pin things. And I browse pinboards. And I like them. A lot. (The brevity encouraged by the platform is also clearly rubbing off on my sentence structure.)

So I am one of the users who accounts for the estimated 82% female user base (in the US, the site has 97% female users).

I'm guilty of pinning cute outfits, eggs cooked in peppers (you have to see it to understand), commiserating over the effectiveness of the sock-bun method of curling hair, and sharing multiple quotes (written in fancy fonts, superimposed over dramatic landscapes) about how terrible men are and how we don't need them, but ice-cream instead (and cake made with ice-cream as a core ingredient - there's a recipe for that).

Since it is my job to stay in touch with the new developments in the social media space, at the end of last year there was simply no ignoring Pinterest. I managed to observe it from a distance at first though. I was sceptical, just as most people I speak to about it are. As soon as the topic comes up, the standard response is: “Oh no! I couldn't possibly take on another social network! My hands are already full trying to keep up with Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.”

Indeed, signing up for Google+ was already a stretch of my online procrastination quota. (Luckily nothing really happens there though, so I don't feel compelled to check.)

When I requested an invite for Pinterest, I justified it by telling myself that it would probably be a similar scenario to Google+. There would be a certain novelty in being on a new network at first. But a lack of friends and stickiness would mean it would just be a matter of days before the URL started gathering cobwebs.

Oh, how wrong I was. If I may use an analogy - when it comes to social media and Pinterest, it's like being so full after a meal that you feel like you might explode, and yet, when the dessert arrives, you miraculously recover your appetite and dive right in.

So, just as women have a second stomach for pudding, I think it's safe to say the average woman has a second social media stomach for Pinterest.

Pinterest has already amassed an estimated 13 million users, despite still being in beta and invitation-only phase. More significant perhaps is the fact that the new site is generating more referral traffic than Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn combined, while also recently overtaking the likes of Twitter in terms of user engagement (figures now place Pinterest on an average of 89 minutes per month, which is on par with Tumblr, and beaten only by Facebook on 405 minutes).

User engagement is the new holy grail of social media. Facebook dominates it, Google+ longs for it, and Pinterest is gaining it rapidly.

But what is it that Pinterest is appealing to so strongly? What makes Pinterest different is that its user base is not the usual suspects of early adopters who crave the next big tech thing. Instead, Pinterest's growth is being driven by women. Especially those with a fondness for scrapbooking, wedding planning and crafts.

Of course, what one sees is defined by one's own predefined interests, but there is an unmistakably feminine feel to just about every theme. The pastels and cupcakes are unavoidable.

Perhaps that is why some developers felt it was necessary to build a male-oriented answer to Pinterest, Manteresting. The tagline itself speaks volumes: “Interesting. Man. Things.” Instead of delicately “pinning” content, users “nail” it. And they don't nail it to pinboards, but workbenches.

Did Pinterest get it wrong by letting itself evolve into a feminine, delicate and just plain pretty platform? Leaving men feeling sidelined, out of place and in need of a manlier alternative?

Time will tell. But all indications are pointing to Pinterest being one of the most significant players in social media and online retail for the foreseeable future. Women are pivotal when it comes to making purchasing decisions - in fact, data shows women account for 85% of all consumer purchases. Women also spend 30% more time on social networks than men.

Retailers have already had their fingers burnt as their stores failed on Facebook, and they will be looking for more workable solutions for cashing in on the social media revolution. And Pinterest's model may be able to cater for just that.

For example, I don't go to Pinterest to see what my friends are up to. I go to Facebook for that, and I get annoyed when my News Feed has anything other than updates from people that I'm actually interested in hearing from. On the other hand, I go to Pinterest with the express intention of finding clothes that I like, things I want to try, products I want and places I want to go.

While it's fun to see what some of my friends are sharing, when it comes down to it, I don't care who posted the recipe for ice-cream cake, I just care that the link is there and that it looks delicious.

The men can have their “Manteresting” man-caves. But it will be women, retailers and marketers who will continue to keep Pinterest sitting pretty as the rising star of the social space for the year ahead.