Betabeat » Pinteresting

Here’s an Idea: Let’s Turn Pinterest Into a Massive Graphic Novel

Kelly Faircloth — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 14:21:07 -0400

Yup, sounds like a teenager to us. (Photo: Screencap)

We tend to think of Pinterest as being pretty straightforward: See pretty picture/thing we want, pin it, repeat ad infinitum. Hence the free-and-clear path to monetization.

But the Daily Dot reports that a particularly aggressive "transmedia" publisher, BeActive, wants to use the platform as a storytelling medium. The company is taking Beat Girl, a novel, and turning it into:

a Pinterest profile that tells the story of fictional DJ Heather Jennings in a method that’s not quite TV show, not quite in-person character sketch, and not quite graphic novel. With 160 pins and counting, viewers can catch new glimpses of Jennings’ life added daily. The interactive drama is presented as a prequel to an upcoming multi-platform video series.

So far, the imaginary Ms. Jennings has a respectable 3175 followers.

The results (including a board titled "My Big Dream," full of pics anticipating her hoped-for life in New York City) remind us of an on-the-up-and-up Lonelygirl15. It does feel a little like a webisode, though, in that it strikes us as more of a marketing technique than a fully-realized narrative. But the project does make us excited for the day someone uses Pinterest to pull an @MayorEmanuel. Fake Mitt Romney, we're looking at you.

The 100 Worst Pins On Pinterest

Kelly Faircloth — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:00:00 -0400

It's the ludicrously hot startup of the moment, with a hockey-stick adoption curve and a whole mess of clones. It's where you go to spend hours staring longingly at shoes you can't afford and dishes you're too lazy to cook. It's also the place where you discover that your Great Aunt Mildred has magnificently luxe taste in bathroom fixtures and your ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend is shopping for appallingly expensive wedding gowns.

Pinterest has a reputation for the aspirational and the inspirational, and that interface sure is pretty. But stratospheric social network membership comes with a price, and that's the inexorable drift to the lowest common denominator. And so we've seen the rise of sites like Pinterest You Are Drunk, documenting grave lapses in pin-related judgement.

Curious to see take the measure of the ecosystem ourselves, Betabeat ventured deep into the bowels of Pinterest, seeking the worst of the worst—pins that were tacky, vile, offensive, offensively dumb, and just plain distasteful.

Here's what we found.

Pinterest Adds Vimeo, Likely Attracts More Eyeballs

Kelly Faircloth — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:50:13 -0400

Pinterest In All Her Glory

What could possibly entice users of the famously sticky Pinterest to spend longer on the site? How about the addition of Vimeo pinning? Yup, that sounds about right. According to the company blog, the new functionality works just like YouTube pinning (available since last August) and, as an example, they’ve pinned that slightly heartbreaking short about the kid who built himself an arcade out of cardboard.

We’re interested to see how--or whether--the addition alters the tone of the site. YouTube videos are all well and good, but a quick perusal of the site’s “everything” feed suggests it’s not a huge part of the network. (Do you go to Pinterest for music videos? No, you go to stare longingly at erotically photographed sandwiches and manic pixie dream sundresses.)

That said, Vimeo is a slightly different beast. Favored by artistic types looking to demonstrate their chops, the site has a reputation for hosting high-quality content that dovetails a little more neatly with the Pinterest brand.

Now if you'll excuse us, we have some spinach dip recipes to repin.