23 Mobile Things - Thing 7 - Content Saving & Sharing

Hi, my name is Zoma, and I'm a Pinoholic.

My Pinterest Stats...and counting!

I confess, while waiting for Steve, my husband, to come home for supper, I check Facebook, play a couple of games of Bejeweled Blitz or Sudoku, and then settle in to find treasures on Pinterest.

You may be wondering why Pinterest is a good library app.  Let me explain!

Pinterest is an "invite only" site, which simply means you need to request access or be invited by a friend.  You will also need a Facebook or Twitter account.  I learned early on to change my settings so that my Pinterest activity does not show up on my Facebook wall and Twitter page.  My friends do not need to see all of my pinning activity!

Once you have joined Pinterest, you will be able to create "Boards."  Basically, a Board is like the old-fashioned cork board where you used a push pin to display your favorite photos, phone numbers, latest crush, etc.  Some of my Boards are: "Favorite Recipes," "Photography I Love," and "Places I'd Like to Go."  I use Pinterest for inspiration and to organize ideas that I want to remember.  Again, you may be wondering what this has to do with libraries.  Well, I also have set up these Boards: "ERHS Media Center," "Cook Book Stuff," and "Tech Stuff."

My "Cool Book Stuff" Board

My "ERHS Media Center" Board with new pins via 23 Mobile Things

When I find "stuff" (pictures, display ideas, quotes, book lists, cool technology) that I could use in the Elk River High School Media Center, where I work, I pin it to the appropriate board. Check out my "ERHS Media Center" Board here.

Pinterest allows you to "Follow" other people.  The site will automatically give you a list of your Facebook or Twitter friends that are using Pinterest and you can invite friends using their email address.  You can also "Follow" any Pinterest user.  So, if someone pins something that interests you, you can choose to follow that person.  This is a great way to build up your various boards. It is fun to see what your friends are pinning, explore the most popular pins, or do a subject search.

One of My Followers Repinned My Pin

I also enjoy sharing and recreating displays for the Media Center that I have pinned.   Thing 7's Pinterest page shared a link to School Libraries to follow on Pinterest.  This is a great resource and I am now following several more library folks!

Thanks to Thing 7, I Found More Boards to Follow

When Pinterest gives my an idea or inspiration, I love trying the pin out in real life.  Here are some examples of Pinterest inspired projects I have completed for Elk River High School's Media Center.  My pins in action!

Block Out Poetry is a great way to utilize discarded books.  This would be a fun student activity in the Media Center or an English classroom.

A New Pin from Thing 7

My Attempt at Recreating the Pin

April is Poetry Month.  I created this "Poet-Tree" for Christmas this year, but it will reappear during April.

My ERHS Poet-Tree

There are two sides to every story.  I found this graphic on Pinterest, printed it out and now we use it to spotlight books.

There are Two Sides to Every Story

My new sign for the ERHS Classics section. Watercolor on canvas with quote

As for the other topic for Thing 7, Bitly, I already use this app as a URL shortener for Twitter and a newsletter I publish, but I probably will not use it as a content sharing/storage tool.  I already have Pinterest and Feedly, and don't have the time or desire to add yet another app to keep current.