Last week, we posted the top five ways we use social media. But today I want to chat about Pinterest. A lot of you are already fans but some of you might still be curious about how to use it. Pinterest is a handy online tool we use at Braid Creative to capture and curate all that inspires us when we’re surfing design blogs and websites.

Prior to Pinterest, I was doing a lot “right-click saving” of images that would pique my interest while surfing some of my favorite design blogs. These images would then go into an unorganized folder on my desktop labelled “Inspiration” - never to be seen again. Sound familiar? I joined Pinterest about a year ago when they rolled out their new social media tool with a big launch supported by bloggers like myself. I was really excited to be an early adopter of Pinterest and at the time, had no idea that it would not only get me so organized but that it would also serve as a way to connect with other likeminded tastemakers.

So to break it down:
Pinterest is used as a place to gather and organize inspiration you come across online. It’s a collection of visual bookmarks.
1. Set up an account with Pinterest (or request an invite).
2. Establish your pin boards. Here are some staff favorites.
3. Start pinning! We recommend using the Pin Bookmarklet.
4. Make friends and browse other pins.
5. Install Pinterest on your iPhone!

For more FAQs on Pinterest go here.

In the meantime, start your own Pinterest account and follow our boards & pins here. Let us know in the comments below what kinds of boards you’re creating for you own curated collections of pins. Read more on using Pinterest as an idea vault here.