A 'Pinteresting' Development (Part V)

I had a terrible urge to name this post: "A 'Pinteresting' Development: The final (paper) Cut" but I resisted. Still, it has a bit of a ring to it, don't you think? 

Best Practices for Pinterest

• Content must be organized, applicable and relevant
• Focus on sharing and building relationships
• Keep boards and pins up to date with the season, holidays and current events.
• Re-pinning is good but originals are better
• Use eye-catching images and add links
• Be aware of copyright infringement and credit the original source
• Provide individual pin descriptions with key words and boards with clear file names
• Implement a social element: Allow users to pin to board(s) to allow an interactive feature with congregation members
• Add a Pinterest share tab to your church’s website (if you have one)

 New to Pinterest? Check out this post to learn a little more about it!

Glossary of Pinterest Terms

Pin: To post or publish an image or video

Repin: To repost or republish an image or video that someone else has already pinned on your own board under your own account

Like: Clicking ‘like’ will archive the pin under your Likes List but will not be republished on one of your boards. It is a means of showing interest but not actually adopting the idea.

Comment: Used to share ideas, give praise or criticism or create an opportunity for conversation. The pinned image or video that is commented on will not be repined to your boards or archived under your Likes List.

Board(s): A virtual pin board where pinned images and videos can be archived and organized according to category.

Follow: Unlike Twitter and Facebook, you can follow anyone you like without being pre-approved.

Hashtags: Attaching the symbol (#) to keywords to make it searchable on social media platforms.

Sources for Glossary Terms: Social Media at Work and Intelligent Design Media

Be sure to click on the Pinterest tab and check out what the Devout Librarian finds ‘pinterest-ing!’

A 'Pinteresting' Development (Part IV)

Potential Pinterest Problems

http://ow.ly/gvub2

New to Pinterest? Check out this post to learn a little more about it!

Now that’s I’ve peaked your interest, it’s time to give fair warning about the potential problems with Pinterest. They are issues that were discussed at length at the beginning of 2012 but have since quieted. Nevertheless, they are important to be aware of. 

Copyright Infringement

As is the case with many social media and content management platforms, copyright infringement is always a threat. Pinterest has created a notification system so that creators’ copyright that has been violated can submit an infringement claim to ask that their work be removed. 

The majority of websites offer a Pinterest button so that readers can automatically ‘pin’ a favourite picture to their collection. For websites who don’t wish to share their content, there is an HTML tag that allows them to opt out of their images being pinned.  Pinterest has also created an automatic attribution of authors for content stemming from popular content sharing sites such as Flickr, YouTube and Vimeo. 

In early 2012, there were a lot of articles discussing the confines of Pinterest’s Terms of Service. Two of the more prominent terms include that the user will only upload material that they have the right to upload and, once added, Pinterest has broad rights to re-use whatever the user has posted. Although these terms might be intimidating, they are actually similar to the terms of service of many other user-generated content websites, including Facebook. 

It is advised that your church library Pinterest account only collects pins from websites that allow and encourage pinning and give attribution where it is due as well as using royalty-free images from websites such as clipart.com. In terms of using book or DVD covers to promote new library materials, your Pinterest account should strive to use material directly from the author or publisher’s website and credit the source.

Other Issues

• Legal issues with copyright infringement. In any event of a copyright violation, the user is held solely responsible for hiring a defence lawyer. In order to avoid this issue, the precautionary measures outlined in the Copyright Infringement section should be mandatory and enforced. 
• Overshare: Even though Pinterest can be used on Facebook and Twitter does not necessarily mean that every status should be directing followers to the Pinterest site. An overabundance of Pinterest-pushed posts can be annoying and highlighting certain pins and/or boards every so often keeps it unique and interesting.

Be sure to click on the Pinterest tab and check out what the Devout Librarian finds ‘pinterest-ing!’

Next time: Best Practices for Pinterest and Pinterest Glossary

Thank You Volunteers!

For the past two years I’ve been giving my wonderful church library volunteers little treats to thank them for their help during the year. Two years ago I made them sugar cookies and last year I made them almond bark. This year, I thought I’d try something a little more artsy. Thanks (again) to Pinterest, I was able to put together something that was appropriately themed and a little tasty! 

The thank-you / Christmas gift for this year consisted of a small pair of winter gloves, scented hand sanitizer, hand lotion and, of course, some chocolate to sweeten the deal! 

Now the only question is – what am I going to do next year?

Crafty for Christmas

I made a conscious effort this year to decorate the church library for the holiday season. Nothing extremely festive, of course, but distinctly Christmas-y. Last year I just didn't have the energy, thanks to my three-month-old son (at the time) who discovered within the first two second of life that crying was his favourite past time. As his moods have somewhat improved since then, I found that I have had the time to employ the right side of my brain.

Here is what I was able to accomplish: (Pinterest must receive much of the credit for this first one)

This is what I set up two years ago. It has now been relegated to a side show - but still passes on the message of Christmas! 

Although my church library decor this year falls a little short of potential pinned possibilities, it's a good start.  

A 'Pinteresting' Development (Part III)

Pinterest on Facebook and Twitter

New to Pinterest? Check out this post to learn a little more about it!


If you’re social network savvy, you may have already developed a presence for your church library on popular networks such as Facebook or Twitter. Adding a new profile on Pinterest might seem like a whole lot of work, especially if your church library is of the smaller variety (like mine!) Participating in Pinterest, however, doesn’t have to take up a lot of your time! There are ways to integrate Pinterest with Facebook and Twitter so that posting on one is reflected on two, or even three, social networks! 

Facebook

Although there is a way to link a Pinterest account to a personal Facebook page, there is no way (yet) to link Pinterest with a Fan Page on Facebook. If you have developed a fan page for your church library, simply create a Pinterest tab for the Fan Page. This site enables this quickly and easily: http://www.woobox.com/pinterest. This tab also allows for the collection of statistics, such as views, visits and likes. Once the Pinterest tab is added, users on Facebook will be able to connect and explore the additions to your church library’s Pinterest categories. 
Ideas for Integration:

• Use status updates to bring attention to items on Pinterest: “Follow us on Pinterest to see a list of the new DVDs in our collection.” 
• Draw attention to specific boards in a Facebook status: “Trying to keep the kids busy during the Christmas holidays? Follow our Christmas crafts board here”
• Highlight a specific pin: “Click here to find out what Karen Kingsbury is working on” This status update would include an image of the pin, the name of the board the pin is on (ie. Christian authors) and the caption added to the pin  

Twitter

Posting Pinterest-focused Tweets is similar to Facebook status updates except that they should be short, concise and always accompanied by a link to the pin or board being tweeted about. Remember to keep your links and comments short an concise as Twitter only allows 140 characters/post! Using bitly.com or tinyurl.com will help if your links are too long. 
Examples:
• Christy award finalists announced! Find the shortlist here…
• Book club meeting this Thursday. Here’s the book we’re reading  
• Great Books for vacation
• Meet the volunteers at your church library
• [author] speaking at Women’s Coffee Break this Tuesday
• Keep the kids entertained during March Break!
• New in Christian teen fiction
• Top 10 book club ideas

Be sure to click on the Pinterest tab and check out what the Devout Librarian finds ‘pinterest-ing!’

Next time: Potential Pinterest Problems

A 'Pinteresting' Development (Part II)

Top 10 Ways to use Pinterest for Your Church Library

New to Pinterest? Check out this post to learn a little more about it!

1. Displaying covers of new books, ebooks or popular collections
2. Showcasing your church’s history through photos or articles
3. Announcing upcoming programs or events in your church
4. Present current displays or bulletin boards in the church.
5. Create reading lists or read-alike lists
6. Tips and Advice for library-related matters (tech tips or teaching children to read)
7. Promoting library volunteers in action!
8. Highlighting local events or attractions (museums, fundraisers, festivals, productions)
9. Posting pictures of the church (meeting rooms, nursery, sanctuary in order to create a familiar atmosphere)
10. Creating a collaborative social pin board for members of your congregation who are on Pinterest. It gives the opportunity to submit ideas for book clubs, programs and collection development. This way, the church library is able to interact with members of the congregation who have never used the church library before. 

Additional ideas would be: Popular authors, Holiday crafts, New DVDs, Book-ish crafts for kids, Staff picks, [Church name] photo of the week, Photo contests, Creative bookmarks, Books you faked reading, What to do with old books etc.

Currently, the Devout Librarian’s Pinterest page has these boards:

• Church Library Décor
• Profound Quotes
• Inspiring Scripture
• Operation Christmas Child
• Laughter, the Spark of the Soul
• Teen Christian Fiction
• Christmas Décor
• Kids’ Crafts and Programs
• Wishlist
• Promotion Ideas
• New Christian Fiction
• Bulletin Boards
• Bookmarks
• Volunteers
• Remembrance Day 

Be sure to click on the Pinterest tab and check out what the Devout Librarian finds ‘pinterest-ing!’

Next time: Integrating Pinterest with other social networks

A Pinteresting Development (Part I)

As you can see by the red tab on the top-right of this page, the Devout Librarian has joined the ranks of Pinterest! By now, there are a precious few who haven’t heard about this latest technological phenomenon. But if you haven’t tapped in to the Pinterest hotline, here’s a little bit of background info. 

Pinterest is a combination of a social network and content sharing platform. It is, essentially, a virtual pinboard where users can organize and share just about anything they find on the Internet. Whether it’s redecorating a house or creating an online recipe box, Pinterest is an excellent tool that will allow the user to not only create and build their own collection of information, but be inspired by other users’ ‘pins’.

Pinterest was launched in December 2009 with an initial 9,000 users. Nine months later the numbers had increased to 10,000. After some excellent publicity and the development of an app for Apple’s iPhone, visits to the website average 11 million per week in December 2011, two years after its creation. When the site began, it was invite only and those with an interest in joining sometimes had to wait until an invitation was extended for them to join. In August of this year, however, that exclusivity was discarded and the site opened up to anyone interested in creating an account. 

The statistics breakdown:
11.7 million users on Pinterest
68% are women and 32% are men
1.36 million visitors/day
The average user spends 89 minutes/day browsing on Pinterest
(statistics from Mashable and Social Media Delivered)

Pinterest is also an excellent tool for online advocacy and one that, if done well, takes little effort for the initial party. This is because Pinterest is an exceptional resource for link building. Once something is pinned to a virtual board on Pinterest, it is easy for anyone to re-pin it to their board and someone else may repin it again, creating an excellent set of backlinks. Since Pinterest differs from Facebook in the way that anyone can see and re-pin your content (in Facebook you must be ‘friends’ to share any added content) there is much more opportunity for one’s pins to be viewed and shared. In order to find out if content from one’s boards are being re-pinned, just replace “yoursitename.com” in this link with one’s URL: http://pinterest.com/source/yoursitename.com/

Those who are not signed up for a Pinterest account can still explore pins and boards online but they cannot participate (liking a pin, repining, creating personal boards) until signed up for an account.

Pinterest in Libraries

As expected, many libraries were able to find a way to use this new social media platform to their advantage. Used the right way, Pinterest gives a library the opportunity to present a visual display of its collection and events to the public. This display is never static but is in a constant cycle of change and additions so that there’s always something new to discover. A few of the libraries that have made good use of Pinterest are:

• Coffee County Public Library
• Bloomingdale Public Library
• Indian Prairie Public Library
• LaGrange Public Library
• Windsor Public Library
• O’Fallon Public Library
• New York Public Library
• North Bay Public Library

Be sure to click on the Pinterest tab and check out what the Devout Librarian finds ‘pinterest-ing!’

Next time: 10 ways to use Pinterest for your church library