Thursday, March 08, 2012

Silicone Bitch: Shit Miami Social Media Say About Pinterest

News and notes about the South Florida social media and blogging scene, with a little tech thrown in for good measure. And maybe some other random events, too. Representing Silicon Beach since 2005.



Tuesday's Social Media Club South Florida meetup at The Stage in the Design District was a mixer in collaboration with @rbbPR to discuss SXSW. Rbb will be at SXSW representing South Florida with the hashtag #sxswsfl. Now, I'm not sure if much talk about SXSW actually happened -- I personally had 1.2 conversations about the mothership Austin conference -- but what did come up was the subject of the latest social network hot potato: Pinterest.

(Yeah, I'm missing SXSW yet again this year. Sorry, but I was busy starting a movement with HeartCamp, saving a local park from over-development and making short films about Hialeah.)

When I asked attendees what they thought of the platform, which is basically an online board where you can "pin" images of whatever you fancy, the responses were varied, pro and con. @mimi2point0 thought it wasn't good for law firms: "What are you going to do? Post a picture of OJ?" But @aubreyswanson loves it because she's a foodie and is into recipes. The recently betrothed @jeffzelaya -- who claims he is the only straight guy who uses Pinterest -- uses the platform as a vision board, mind you, not for girly stuff.

Karla from @giglogo thought it was good for bloggers to have pin buttons for SEO and @carlosmiller wants to post his most prized collectibles -- parking tickets. Clever guy @grantstern would use Pinterest to not post pictures of things he likes, which makes you wonder what's going on in that head of his ... and speaking of naughty things, @daniellaveras thought it was a pity Pinterest can't be used by couples to post their favorite sex positions. Well, heck, think about it: you're posting honeymoon ideas, right? Kama Sutra, meet Pinterest!

As for yours truly: "Pinterest is like a boob job. Just because it looks good doesn't mean everyone should have one." A couple of weeks ago, I tried posting photos of things I like, such as fishing tackle, and got frustrated after 2 minutes when Bass Pro Shops wasn't pin friendly. I think of Pinterest as I do of any social media platform: if the shoe fits, wear it. If not, stay where your tribe is, baby.

All in good fun, of course. See the video above for more. I hope to make this a regular series here in the Silicon Beach community.

STUFF YOU SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO

Knight Foundation is encouraging you artsy types out there to apply for this groovy grant called Arts Challenge. Here's the great news: you do NOT have to be a 501 (c) 3 to apply. Even better: the first round of the process simply requires a one-page proposal. Boy, I wish things had been that easy when I was writing grants for New World Symphony. If you've got a creative idea that can help the community through the arts, don't be shy about applying. Learn more at Knight Arts. The deadline is March 19, so start cranking.

Speaking of philanthropy, don't miss Philanthrofest in April.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Thank you very much Maria for allowing me to be part of your project, it came out great! Pinterest rocks <-Just saying : )

Grant Stern said...

How many other Pinterasts are out there?