The Dirty Little Secrets (no one talks about) On Pinterest

In Jen's Nailed It Challenge, Motherhood, Parenting, Pinterestby Jen52 Comments

How about we start this post off with a little introduction. Hi my name is Jen and I am addicted to Pinterest.

Feel free to join my sharing circle if you are also a Pinterest junkie.

Pinterest is like a smorgasbord of the best and brightest ideas the internet has to offer. Within Pinterest one can find inspiration for almost any party, any theme, any holiday and even inspiration for things you didn’t know you needed before you saw it on Pinterest! Remember those pot holders you tried to make out of socks last month…..

Seriously, they are a thing. Check it:

But there are a few dirty little secrets about Pinterest that you may not be aware of and really should keep in mind as you peruse those pin-worthy pics.

What You See May Not Be What You Get

As a blogger who has worked very hard to create those elusive pin-worthy pics, I know first hand that those fabulous pictures you see are usually staged, edited and doctored. No one wants to see the 10 cookies I burned trying to get a good one. So bloggers in general will take the best of the batch, take a picture of that and completely omit any mention of the previous ten failures. Except this is bad for you, when you get 10 burnt cookies while following the recipe exactly which leaves you feeling like a failure, because the recipe looked so easy on Pinterest……

Most recently, this happened to me with some dinosaur Rice Krispie treats I tried to re-create from a pinned recipe that I had pinned over 3 years ago and has been re-pinned now hundreds and hundreds of times. The recipe looked so easy, but what was omitted was the fact you had to press the cookie cutters so hard you almost left the palms of your hands scarred for life with little dinosaur shapes.  Because I posses the hand strength equal to two gym sock-manufactured pot holders and a rubber band, my treats turned out looking more like other various animals than dinosaurs!

 

There Is A Science Behind The Images You See

There are entire courses available to bloggers that teach how to create images that draw people in like a junkie looking for their next fix. Images that are vertical rather than horizontal do better, taller images do better than short ones, and images with colors like yellow, brown or tan draw people in. There are even reasons for why specific font sizes and placements will lure and draw the eye. Feeling like a part of science experiment now?

It is rumored that once you master Pinterest, you can transition into a lucrative career as a tattoo artist.

A Blogger’s Child(ren) Hate Pin-worthy Picture Taking

Nowadays, whenever I cook something my children ALWAYS  ask, “Can we eat it or do you have to take a picture of it”? If you are a Pinterest picture phenomenon I am 99.9 percent sure that there are children complaining somewhere about how long it is taking you to take pictures of the food so that they can just go ahead and eat it! So think about this the next time you are about to pin that fabulous banana bread recipe you just saw, off to the side and not seen, are children drooling and ready to pounce on that loaf the second Mom says she is done taking pictures for her blog and thinking that they will NEVER get to eat it!

Get Ready To Fork The Big Bucks Out

I recently read an article about a bride to be who used Pinterest to help her formulate some ideas for her wedding. The bride said,”All of the do-it-yourself wedding projects she attempted added almost 30 percent to her wedding budget and an additional 300 hours of work”.

“I would recommend any bride to not go on there,” Klingebiel said, laughing. “You’re looking at all these beautiful images, they look like dream, a perfect dream wedding … [but] you have to remove yourself from the site and say, ‘This is what in my budget is, this is what I can do and it is going to be OK if it doesn’t look like these pictures.”

The same could be said for all of those ideas you just gleaned from Pinterest for little Suzie’s upcoming 4th birthday. Because by the end of the party you may realize that you have spent so much time and money, you could have instead taken Suzie and all of the kids to Disneyland and back for far cheaper. Or if you were me to the local McDonald’s and call it good!

Now I am not advocating a boycott of Pinterest, because truthfully, Pinterest is a happy place to be.

Just make sure you realize that what you see on Pinterest is not always what you get. Kind of like the time I thought I had found the world’s best DIY foot soak and instead turned my feet blue.

The dirty little secrets no one talks about on #Pinterest @queenmomjen

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Stay Happy! Stay Informed!

Love,

Jen




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Comments

  3. Reply

    I don’t have a crafty bone in my body, so I didn’t even join Pinterest. I know better.

    You’re one funny lady. I’m just saying.

    Have a fabulous day. :)
    Comedy Plus recently posted…Awww MondaysMy Profile

  4. Reply

    I like Pinterest for what it started out to be: an online pin board. I pin stuff I want to see later, but I don’t often repin things other people have pinned. I mostly keep it for the stuff I like and want to save. That way I don’t get sucked in very often…
    Rabia @TheLiebers recently posted…Beware of Flat Surfaces #MommyRealityMy Profile

  5. Reply

    That’s so interesting! I took a Pinterest course in person, but it was part of a larger blog conference. It was awesome! I’ve had friends take the online paid version and while I’ve been tempted, I have nearly 7,000 Pinterest followers (not that big of a deal but..) and my friends who took the course have a lot less. What gives?
    And I’m SO non-competitive on Pinterest. I was only curious for research purposes – to see if the course was worth it.
    Also, I’m a photographer and if people won’t hire me because of Pinterest.. well that’s weird! I see that it can help blogs but I’m probably not one of those blogs.
    Tamara recently posted…My Writing Process – The Sequel!My Profile

    1. Author
      Reply

      Seven thousand followers?? All hail Tamara! You are the Pinterest Queen :) I love that place, but I feel bad when I hear my friends say they tried something they saw on Pinterest and it didn’t turn out the same as the pictures. I am always trying to explain to them that nothing can turn out exactly like the pictures on there, but if it tastes good or is fun, then count it as a success!

      P.S. I think your blog does so well, because it’s you that people come back for :)
      Jen recently posted…The Dirty Little Secrets (no one talks about) On PinterestMy Profile

  6. Reply

    Can I be frank for a second…I HATE PINTEREST. There I said it. It’s so fake. It’s like you have to have a $1000 dollar lens and perfect lighting, and who knows how to stage food? I mean we’re trying to potty train and raise decent human beings! I can’t stand going on Pinterest…even if it will help traffic. Who cares?! Thanks for exposing the secrets! lol!
    Kristen recently posted…The Best Guacamole Recipe EverMy Profile

  8. Reply

    This really made me smile. Pinterest intimidates me. I want to have all this time to organize my boards, my pins and then figure out my momentum, so that I can make it work for me. For some reason, I haven’t been able to do it mathematically correct. I’m not crafty, so I don’t really use it to make a perfect party. I’m really trying to make it a goal to use it more regularly, but glad to hear that it’s not a perfect platform.
    Caryn recently posted…Health & Wellness News & Info Recap, 5/4My Profile

    1. Author
      Reply

      Thanks Caryn! My boards are a mess! I have heard having organized boards is important, but I just can’t seem to get around to doing it. If you figure out a way to do it, puh-leeze let me in on the secret!! Because right now just sitting here and munching on an apple and repeatedly hitting “pin” is not doing a whole lot to help :)
      Jen recently posted…The Dirty Little Secrets (no one talks about) On PinterestMy Profile

  11. Reply

    I am addicted to Pinterest, and it’s probably time for an intervention. Everything looks so pretty and perfect… Sigh. If only every pin could actually deliver on the picture perfect recipe/diy/whatever it promised.
    Akaleistar recently posted…Pack A Hat and Enjoy the SunMy Profile

  12. Reply

    Oh no…that foot picture is hilarious! I agree that Pinterest is both wonderful and horrible. The worst is when you find out that some of the pictures are complete falsehoods (like those adorable bunny rolls every pins at Easter which were actually stolen from a cookie recipe). But if you can use a little restraint, it’s a great party resource!
    Leslie recently posted…{Roundup} Free Mother’s Day PrintablesMy Profile

  14. Reply

    You know I’m addicted to Pinterest too, but I have so many epic fails. I tried to make a maxi dress once and definitely ripped it when I tried it on, oh well. I love when people show the fails, because that’s what’s real for most people. I actually do try a fair amount of pinterest projects, for me and for my kids. No matter how many end in fails, I still enjoy it. Maybe I’m a glutton for pinterest punishment ;-)
    Janine Halloran recently posted…Resources to Teach Mindfulness to ChildrenMy Profile

  16. Reply

    Man, you nailed it girl! I have a pinterest page but I don’t use it probably like most bloggers. AND, I don’t believe everything I read or see either. AND one must be careful what they are reading from people who claim to know what they are talking about. Especially when it comes to matters of our health. AND, pictures, let’s be honest, not all of us are photographers and I’m lucky I can get a shot from my ipad to take a picture for the blog. So, most pictures have to be photo “everything” to make it look like they do. Okay for some who are more experts in that department great, but not all of us are good at it. So, no more ANDs. I liked your straight forwardness on the subject. Thanks for making the rest of us ordinary folks feel better. Good read.

  18. Reply

    Hi Jen, I love checking out recipes on Pinterest, but know that once I’m on there it’s a slippery slope. There is just too many tasty sounding recipes to check out to only be ten minutes and I am old enough and wise enough to realise that if it looks too good to be true/real then it probably is (1st attempt anyway!).

    You’ve also just backed up what I recently read about vertical pictures being better at attracting people.

    Thank you for the heads up.

    xx
    Debbie recently posted…The Feral Kittens Have Gone…My Profile

    1. Author
      Reply

      I concur, there is a lot of great stuff on Pinterest and I have some seriously fab pinning skills. It just doesn’t always turn out when I try to do the projects in real life.

      The vertical images really do better on Pinterest, but that isn’t the same for Facebook and Instagram. The rules could drive you crazy I tell you!!
      Jen recently posted…Top Ten Tip-Offs You Are A MotherMy Profile

  19. Reply

    Lol. SO true! Sometimes my Pinterest projects cost twice as much as not DIY’ing things too. My husband eye rolls me every time I have a photo session with food. So I try to do that while he is at work to minimize the eye rolls. Maybe that is why I rarely have any dinner recipes ;).

    1. Author
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      Hahaha!! Me too!! My husband’s eye should roll out of his head because he is working so hard to annoy me while I take pictures of food! Thus explaining the reason for why it has been a while since I have shared a recipe over here…..
      Jen recently posted…Top Ten Tip-Offs You Are A MotherMy Profile

  21. Reply

    Hahaha! I can’t believe you turned your feet blue and then with the socks you could no longer cover your feet with tried to make pot holders. Bah hah haaaahhh! I’m off to check out your Pinterest boards now just to see some of these pins you’ve been led astray by.
    Lisa recently posted…Get Better Blog PhotosMy Profile

    1. Author
      Reply

      Thanks Lisa! There really should be a disclaimer at the top of a Pinterest page that says “Beware- Some of these projects may not turn out as appeared oh and some might leave you dyed blue”!
      Jen recently posted…Top Ten Tip-Offs You Are A MotherMy Profile

  22. Reply

    So true. Also, beware of Pins that made lead to inappropriate content, which should be reported immediately. That type of behavior is very deceiving.

  23. Reply

    OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!!! I was so going to do that Blue foot scrub thingy!!!!! I am dying, your feet turned BLUE!!!!!!!!! FOR HOW LONG??????? What the heck….. Pinterest sucks HOURS out of my life, it is banned unless I put a timer on, so my life is not sucked away. Brilliant post mate :)
    BritishMumUSA recently posted…HATEMy Profile

    1. Author
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      Four years?! Oh boy, that sounds like my kind of project! I think you are not alone. I would guess there are many of us who also have bags of Pinterest inspired projects shoved in the back of our closets too!
      Jen recently posted…Top Ten Tip-Offs You Are A MotherMy Profile

  25. Reply

    Okay, so being out of the country has me a little backed up on my blog reading but I CAN’T BELIEVE I MISSED THIS POST!

    I’m wiping tears from my eyes, shaking my head in agreement! I actually don’t even Pin my blog’s stuff to Pinterest anymore – big blogging faux pas, right? The only stuff I pin is other bloggers’ and my link party – I’m just kind of ‘over’ Pinterest, to a certain extent.

    I’m that girl who’s waiting for the next big thing but I most likely won’t be finding it on Pinterest. :)
    Sarah Nenni Daher recently posted…Cruciferous and Avocado SaladMy Profile

    1. Author
      Reply

      You were out of the country! How did I miss this? Oh well, my brain these days can only hold limited info for short periods of time. I hope it was out doing something fun,somewhere lovely!

      Well thank you! Glad to have delivered some happy, mirthful tears! Yeah, Pinterest seems to be getting a little too extreme for me these days, maybe if there were an order button it would work for me, but having to actually make the stuff is not so exciting.
      Jen recently posted…The Secret To Successful BloggingMy Profile

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