What is Pinterest? It’s virtual creative mania that sucks users in for days on end until they find themselves in a vortex of perpetual pinning and inspired hysteria. Okay, that may be a bit extreme; it is really an internet pinboard. Bloggers, retailers, cooks, wedding planners, decorators, designers and more unite on this social media platform where people all over the world explore and connect through their shared interests.

Registering for an account is easy. You can either accept an invitation from a friend that is already a “pinner” or request an invitation directly from the website. Accounts are free and the site is easy to access and figure out. Once you’ve created your account you can even start linking to your Facebook and Twitter profiles. The user demographic for this platform is dominated by women, especially between the ages of 18 and 34. However, more men and adults in their 40s and 50s are beginning to explore the scene as well.

Pinterest lets you organize all the beautiful things you find on the web as well as the beautiful things you create at home. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, organize their favorite recipes, group their DIY and craft ideas, organize their health and fitness plans, and decorate their homes. A pinboard is a virtual board that you label with your own creative heading, for example, “My Dream Wedding”, and within that space you pin or re-pin wedding dresses, flower arrangements, gift ideas, meal menus and basically anything to inspire your own wedding provisions. The site allows you to browse pinboards created by other people. Discovering boards you love is an exciting way to see new things and be inspired by people with similar interests, style, and taste. Pinterest users are able to “re-pin” images to their own pinboards or “like” photos. If you come across a photo of food that instantly makes your mouth water you simply click on the photo and it will direct you to the site or blog it was pinned from so you have the recipe and instructions you’ll need to make it for yourself.

Pinterest’s mission is to connect people around the world through interesting findings and likeminded interests. Their philosophy is that an exercise, recipe, or hairstyle can reveal a common link between two people. With millions of new pins added every week, Pinterest is connecting people all over the world based on shared tastes and interests.