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"What the hell is going on with Pinterest? It\u2019s suddenly on the tip of everyone\u2019s tongue, influencing countless web designs, and has infiltrated most of my other social networks. Even I have fallen under its spell, and I am not necessarily happier for it.\nThe site, which is ostensibly still in closed beta (you need an invite, but current users have unlimited invites to give out), has actually be around for three years, but it didn\u2019t really take off until 2011. Last year it secured $37 million in funding and earned rave reviews from much of the media, including a spot on Time\u2019s 50 best Websites of 2011.\nIf you haven\u2019t tried it out yet, Pinterest is an exceedingly simple site. You just use the site's browser bookmarklet, website buttons or iPhone app to \u201CPin\u201D sites and content that interest you to your topic-organized boards. Pins appear on those boards as images culled from the content you Pin. \nYour Pinterest followers can Like, Re-Pin and Comment on anything you\u2019ve pinned. Pinboards are especially interesting since you can use them for collaborating on ideas and events. Some people even use Pinterest to Pin Wedding Planning ideas. \nMashable started seriously covering Pinterest late last year. I\u2019d previously taken a look at the site and even joined, but wasn\u2019t quite getting it. As with other social networks I\u2019m on, people started following me on Pinterest. This raised my guilt level to a point where I felt compelled to more actively participate on the platform. To do so, however, I needed to spend time on Pinterest, getting to know how the site is organized, what people Pin and why.\nHere\u2019s the first thing I noticed: Pinterest has a decidedly feminine slant. There are tons of fashion items, crafts, hairstyles, shoes and ideas targeting women (moisturizers, print-covered luggage, home decorating tips). Obviously, there are men who would be interested in some of this stuff, but it is telling that there is at least one Pinterest competitor, Gentlemint, that is dedicated to men\u2019s interests.\n\nSEE ALSO: 7 Pinterest Clones: Can You Tell the Difference?\nThings started to appeal to me more when I focused on who I'm following or, better yet, chose one of the Pinterest subcategories under \u201CEverything.\u201D  I often end up on photography and then can\u2019t stop scrolling. The People category is like that too, though it's primarily filled with great images of celebrities: If you like Ryan Gosling, you\u2019ve come to the right place. Geeks is a fun category, but not all that geeky. The pins are still a lot of drawings, quotes, pictures of people, fashions and some movie posters (oh, and Ryan Gosling).  If you promise me Geek, I expect to see a lot more gadgets. \nThe gifts category is much like the other main boards, but with the added benefit of price ranges right on top of the pics. Apparently Pinterest and partners may be making some money from this page thanks to affiliate deals.\nThe weird thing about Pinterest is that it\u2019s so magnetic. I guess we all just love looking at images, especially when they\u2019re as interesting and varied as those found in Pinterest. Yet, what\u2019s stranger still is Pinterest's quick growth.\nI\u2019m seeing more and more Pinterest links on Twitter. That's good news for Pinterest, but kind of a bummer for me. By using the Pinterest Pin, Tweeters have essentially added another social layer to dig through before reaching the real content. The Pinterest Pin is somewhat constraining. You can\u2019t always tell what the Pin is all about just by looking at Pinterest. In other words, you click on the link in the Tweet, are taken to Pinterest and then click another link on Pinterest to find out what the original Tweet was all about. It's kind of a pain, but not one that seems to be slowing the startup down.\n\nSEE ALSO: How Pinterest Is Changing Website Design Forever\nIf I were ask my wife, who wouldn't describe herself as a tech enthusiast, about Google+, she would just stare at me. On the other hand, she asked me about Pinterest (she\u2019d seen links to and posts about it on Facebook) and told me she wanted to join.\nThis is a rather remarkable turn of events. Pinterest is effortlessly bleeding right into the social Zeitgeist. News of its existence is traveling on an invisible network of feminine social interest. Meanwhile Google+ is growing, but only because it is part of a vast network of online services (Gmail, YouTube, Google Search). Join any of them and I think, though I don\u2019t know for sure, Google puts you on the Google+ list \u2014 even if you're not actively using the network. Google+ is a pretty active network, but it\u2019s super geeky and fairly niche. Meanwhile, Pinterest is a broad-based phenomenon that reminds consumers of their refrigerator doors and poster boards. This social network is winning, effortlessly. \n\n\n15 of the Most Popular Pictures on Pinterest\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n1. Hands\nPicture by photographer Jorge Rimblas, posted via Edris Kim on Pinterest.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n2. Homemade Photobooth\nPinterest via Gemma Ganni.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n3. Bookshelf Wall\nPinterest via Krystyna Salvetta.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n4. Apple... Pie.\nPinterest via Brianna Bauen.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n5. Wise Words\nPinterest via cynk.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n6. Chocolate Chip Bacon Cookies\nPinterest via Joy Cho/OhJoy!.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n7. Metallic Nails\nPinterest via FeeFee, RN.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n8. Words on Love\nPinterest via Ashe.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n9. Nature\nPinterest via Carolyn Van Lang.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n10. Beautiful Hair\nPinterest via Kulson F. Dorego.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n11. Walk-In Closet\nPinterest via Christine Martinez.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n12. Drawing on Walls\nPinterest via Geninne D Zlatkis.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n13. Melting Snowman Cookie\nPinterest via Jennifer Lindsay.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n14. Cozy Scarf\nPinterest via Alex B&amp;S.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n15. Bed Nook\nPinterest via Leah Dent.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2012/02/10/curse-you-pinterest-i%E2%80%99m-hooked/>