Pinterest is just a sign of a more visual web

+ Pinterest is the hottest social network right in terms of buzz right now.  I had signed up ages ago and when I first played with it, I didn't really get it, to be honest. Then around the end of the year, I poked around a bit more. I'm one of those types that signs up for the beta of anything, only because I want to see what's coming and be aware--even if I don't want to use it myself.  I'm always curious to see if there are cool ways for my clients to engage using the platform.

What's interesting about Pinterest is more the trend toward the type of network setup more than anything else. There's also The Fancy and minglewing. The Fancy seems to be more higher-end, big dream kind of stuff that describes itself as "a place to express yourself around things you see that you find interesting". Minglewing calls itself a "public discussion board" with loads of social reposting options.

All of these new platforms have some similarities that point to a more visual representation of things we want. In the past, it was just link farms and less imagery. Now the format of these sites, along with flickr's recent redesign, tumblr and other similar visual sites, are putting the photography on center stage. One might say that this is due to the proliferation of tablet and mobile device browsing. And it is much more conducive to that kind of web surfing than trying to read tiny type on a phone. It's an evolution of the way content is being displayed, that's all.

Here's some related links and further reading I've bookmarked over the last month or so:
+ Yup, there's PinClout and PinPuff to see how you rank on Pinterest. My rank was nearly twice as high on PinPuff than PinClout which is odd if they are using similar metrics (PinClout: 40/ PinPuff: 70).
+ Pinterest Infographic: US vs UK Users. Some interesting data, and it's pretty much the reverse demographics.
+ You think Pinterest is big? Here comes The Fancy, with a brand spanking new e-commerce platform.
+ How brands are using pinterest (download PDF)
+ Threadless and Pinterest Valentine's Day promotion
+ Pinterest from a "bros" point of view
+ Pinterest Drives More Traffic Than Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn Combined
+ Pinterest a traffic driver for online retailers + 21 Must Follow Pinterest Users
+ Pinterest Data Analysis: An Inside Look