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{{Infobox dot-com company
| name = Pinterest

| logo = [[File:Pinterest Logo.svg|200px]]
| company_type =
| screenshot = [[File:Pinterest Homescreen (Apr. 2013).png|300px]][[File:Pinterest on Android.png|300px]]
| caption = Pinterest on Android
|screenshot alt = Pinterest on Android
|collapsible = yes
| url = {{URL|www.pinterest.com}}
| foundation =
| launch_date = {{Start date and age|2010|03}}
| founder = Paul Sciarra, Evan Sharp, and [[Ben Silbermann]]
| num_employees = 500 employees<ref>http://fortune.com/2015/07/13/pinterest-ceo-ben-silbermann/</ref>
| company_slogan =
| language = English, Bokmål, Norwegian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Bemba
| alexa = {{IncreaseNegative}} 37 ({{as of|2015|04|13|alt=April 2015}})<ref name="alexa">{{cite web|url= http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/Pinterest.com |title= Pinterest.com Site Info | publisher= [[Alexa Internet]] |accessdate= April 13, 2015}}</ref>
| current_status = Active
| website_type = Visual discovery, collection, and storage tool
| advertising = no advertisements are displayed, however, companies have pinboards displaying their product(s)
| registration = Required
}}

'''Pinterest''' is a web and [[mobile application]] company, which operates an eponymous photo sharing website. Registration is required for use.<ref name="Terms of Service">{{cite web|url=https://about.pinterest.com/en/terms-service|title=Terms of Service|work=About Pinterest}}</ref> The site was founded by [[Ben Silbermann]], Paul Sciarra and Evan Sharp. It is managed by Cold Brew Labs and funded by a small group of entrepreneurs and investors.<ref name=bi>{{cite web |last=Carlson |first=Nicholas |title=Inside Pinterest: An Overnight Success Four Years In The Making HI |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/inside-pinterest-an-overnight-success-four-years-in-the-making-2012-4 |publisher=Business Insider |date=May 1, 2012}}</ref>

Pinterest CEO Ben Silbermann summarized the company as a "catalog of ideas," rather than as a social network, that inspires users to "go out and do that thing."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Nusca|first1=Andrew|title=Pinterest CEO Ben Silbermann: We're not a social network|url=http://fortune.com/2015/07/13/pinterest-ceo-ben-silbermann/|accessdate=14 July 2015|publisher=Fortune Magazine|date=13 July 2015}}</ref>

== Use ==
[[File:Pinterest home page.png|thumb|Design as of May 2012.]]{{Original research |section |date=February 2015}}
Pinterest is a free website that requires registration to use.<ref name="Terms of Service"/> Users can upload, save, sort, and manage images—known as pins—and other media content (e.g., videos and images) through collections known as pinboards.<ref name="Hearst overview"/> Pinterest acts as a personalized media platform. Users can browse the content of others on the main page. Users can then save individual pins to one of their own boards using the "Pin It" button, with Pinboards typically organized by a central topic or theme. Users can personalize their experience with Pinterest by pinning items, creating boards, and interacting with other members. By doing so, the users "pin feed" displays unique, personalized results.

Content can also be found outside of Pinterest and similarly uploaded to a board via the "Pin It" button, which can be downloaded to the [[Bookmark (World Wide Web)|bookmark]] bar on a web browser,<ref name="Pinterest / goodies">{{cite web|url=http://pinterest.com/about/goodies/ |title=Pinterest / goodies |publisher=Pinterest.com |date= |accessdate=March 26, 2012}}</ref> or be implemented by a webmaster directly on the website. They also have the option of sending a pin to other Pinterest users and email accounts through the "Send" button. Some websites include red and white "pin it" buttons on items, which allow Pinterest users to pin them directly.

Initially, there were several ways to register a new Pinterest account. Potential users could either receive an invitation from an already registered friend, or they could request an invitation directly from the Pinterest website that could take some time to receive. An account can also be created and accessed by linking Pinterest to a [[Facebook]] or [[Twitter]] profile. When a user re-posts or ''re-pins'' an image to their own board, they have the option of notifying their Facebook and Twitter followers; this feature can be managed on the settings page.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pinterest.com/about/settings/ |title=Pinterest / Settings |publisher=Pinterest.com |date= |accessdate=2012-03-22}}</ref>

On the main Pinterest page, a "pin feed" appears, displaying the chronological activity from the Pinterest boards that a user follows.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pinterest.com/about/help/ |title=Pinterest / What is Following? |publisher=Pinterest.com |date= |accessdate=March 22, 2012}}</ref> When browsing for new boards and relevant pins, users can visit a "Tastemakers" page that recommend pinboards with content similar to previous pins saved by a user.<ref name="Hearst overview">{{cite web|url=http://www.mysanantonio.com/life/article/Pinning-These-are-a-few-of-my-favorite-things-1882964.php |title=Pinning: These are a few of my favorite things|first=Melanie |last=Warner Spencer |date=August 11, 2011 |publisher=Hearst Communications |accessdate=2011-08-21}}</ref> For both guests and Pinterest users, there are currently four main sections to browse: everything, videos, popular, and gifts.

Quick links to Pinterest include the "pin it" button that can be added to the bookmark bar of a web browser, "Follow me" and "Pin it" buttons added to personal website or blog page,<ref name="Pinterest / goodies"/> and the Pinterest [[Mobile apps|iPhone application]] available through the [[App Store (iOS)|App Store]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pinterest.com/about/ |title=What is Pinterest? |publisher=Pinterest.com |date= |accessdate=2012-01-07}}</ref>

Users should be aware of certain terms and functions when using Pinterest. A "board" is where the user's pins are located. Users can have several boards for various items such as quotes, travel or, most popularly, weddings. A "pin" is an image that has either been uploaded or linked from a website. Once users create boards and add pins, other users can now ''repin'', meaning they can ''pin'' one user's image to their board as well.<ref>{{cite web|last=Crook|first=Jordan|title=This Is Everything You Need To Know About Pinterest (Infographic)|url=http://techcrunch.com/2012/03/14/this-is-everything-you-need-to-know-about-pinterest-infographic/|accessdate=18 September 2012}}</ref> Once the user has set up their account and boards, they can browse, comment, and like other ''pins''. If a user wants to turn an image online into a "pin," there are a few simple steps to do so. First, the user must select the image to pin. Second, the user then clicks on the “Add +” button on Pinterest. Third, the user enters an image URL into the link box. Next, the user selects the exact image they want to pin, and place it on the designated board. Users can then describe the pin and share it via Twitter or Facebook. Other users can now click on the pin to see which board the image is pinned in, who pinned the image previously, where the original pin is from, and who has liked, commented, or repinned the image. Pinterest has also added the option of making boards "secret" so that the user can pin to and view boards that only the user can see when logged into their own account.
People normally post "selfies" and things they have made. A user can find friends by using his or her Facebook and Twitter accounts. This allows for an easy flow of information through varying infrastructure.{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}

The website has proven especially popular among women.<ref name="fox">{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/02/13/pin-your-interests-online-with-pinterest/?intcmp=features|title=Pinterest: Facebook for women?|author=Clayton Morris|date=February 13, 2012|accessdate=2012-02-13 |publisher=Fox News}}</ref> According to [[Nielsen Holdings|Nielsen]], in 2012 the U.S. female audience of Pinterest accessing the website through the computer was 70%.<ref>[http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/reports/2012/state-of-the-media-the-social-media-report-2012.html Reports and Insights | The Social Media Report 2012]. Nielsen. Retrieved on 2014-02-25.</ref> The average Pinterest user spent about 90 minutes per month on the website in 2012.<ref name="forbes2012">{{cite web|url=http://www.forbes.com/sites/thestreet/2012/04/16/pinterest-is-a-7-7-billion-company/|title=Pinterest Is a $7.7 Billion Company|date=2012-04-16|accessdate=2013-10-17|publisher=Forbes|last=Ciaccia|first=Chris}}</ref> The most popular categories on Pinterest are food & drink, DIY & crafts, women's apparel, home decor, and travel.<ref name="Repinly">{{cite web|title=Pinterest Directory & Stats|url=http://www.repinly.com/stats.aspx|author=Repinly.com|date=April 10, 2012|accessdate=2012-04-10|publisher=Repinly}}</ref>

Users should also keep in mind that Pinterest stores actual copies (not just thumbnails and links) of the images being pinned. This has caused controversy with regard to copyright issues for photographers. The technical underpinnings of Pinterest are not unique: Pinterest uses [[Amazon S3]] cloud storage (running at large [[datacenter]]s) and [[data deduplication]].

Pinboards can be used by educators to plan lessons. Teachers can pin sites for later referral. Students can pin and organize sources and collaborate on projects.<ref name="in education">{{cite news|url=http://www.zdnet.com/blog/igeneration/pinterest-as-a-learning-tool-do-the-two-compute/16100 |title=Pinterest as a learning tool: Do the two compute?|author=Charlie Osborne |date=February 13, 2012|accessdate=May 3, 2012|publisher=CBS Interactive}}</ref>

Pinterest has played a role in the run-up to the [[2012 US presidential election]]. The wives of both candidates created accounts. Ann Romney debuted her Pinterest account in March and First Lady Michelle Obama announced hers in June.<ref>{{cite news|title=Michelle Obama Debuts on Pinterest 3 Months After Ann Romney|url=http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/06/michelle-obama-debuts-on-pinterest-3-months-after-ann-romney/|accessdate=2012-06-13}}</ref>

Pinterest does not generate its own content; rather, it draws from many resources around the web and compiles them in one convenient location for users. By transferring information from restricted access to a more open public sphere, information transaction costs have decreased drastically.{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}

The items users pin define their identities and boards they view. Pinterest then modifies a user's homepage to reflect toward his or her interests. However, similar to other online algorithms (e.g. YouTube and Google), this effort to personalize has its drawbacks. By only being shown items users are comfortable with, users are unexposed to foreign ideas. Many users are unaware of the personalization.{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}

=== Business pages ===
Pinterest also allows businesses to create pages aimed at promoting their companies online.<ref>{{cite web |title=How Pinterest Drives Online Sales / Pinterest Ecommerce Infographic |publisher=Shopify |accessdate=12 February 2013 |url=http://www.shopify.com/infographics/pinterest }}</ref> Such pages can serve as a "virtual storefront". In one case study of a fashion website, users visiting from Pinterest spent $180 compared to $85 spent from users coming from Facebook. These users spent less time on the company's website, choosing instead to browse from the company's pinboard.<ref>{{cite news |title=Pinterest users spend way more money than Facebook users, Boticca finds |author=Laura Hazard Owen |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/pinterest-vs-facebook-whose-users-spend-more/2012/05/09/gIQATXkoCU_story.html |newspaper=GigOm |date=9 May 2012 |accessdate=12 May 2012}}</ref> Further brand studies have continued to show Pinterest is more effective at driving sales than other forms of social media.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pinterest vs. Facebook: Which Social Sharing Site Wins at Shopping Engagement? |url=http://bizrateinsights.com/blog/2012/10/15/online-consumer-pulse-pinterest-vs-facebook-which-social-sharing-site-wins-at-shopping-engagement/ |publisher=bizrateinsights.com |date=15 October 2012 }}</ref>
In 2013, Pinterest introduced a new tool called 'Rich Pins', to enhance the customer experience when browsing through pins made by companies. Business pages can include various data, topics and information such as prices of products, ratings of movies or ingredients for recipes.<ref>[http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/20/pinterest-adds-more-data-to-your-boards-with-rich-pins/ Pinterest adds more data to your boards with rich pins]. Engadget.com. Retrieved on 2014-02-25.</ref>

=== User data ===

Like [[Facebook]] and [[Twitter]], Pinterest now lets marketers access the data collected on its users. Technology providers including [[Salesforce.com]], [[Hootsuite]], Spredfast, Percolate, Piqora, Curalate, and Tailwind are presently the only companies granted access to the data. By granting access to users data, Pinterest lets marketers investigate how people respond to products.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.wsj.com/cmo/2014/05/20/pinterest-opens-up-data-firehose-for-marketers/|title=Pinterest Opens Up Data Firehose for Marketers|work=WSJ}}</ref> If a product has a high number of ''repins'', this generally tells the producer of the product that it is well liked by many members of the Pinterest community. Now that Pinterest lets marketers access the data, companies can view user comments on the product to learn how people like or dislike it. A 2013 study on Pinterest practices found that "repinning" was the most popular action by users, followed by ''likes'', and lastly, commenting.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/meet.14504901189/full|title=Social curation on the website Pinterest.com|work=wiley.com}}</ref> According to [[Salesforce.com]], Pinterest has become a key part of corporate digital marketing strategies. Before 2013, Pinterest only accounted for about 2 percent of global social-mediated sales, however it has recently substantially increased to about 23 percent.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businesscloudnews.com/2014/05/21/pinterest-links-up-with-salesforce-others-to-monetise-data/|title=Pinterest links up with Salesforce, others to monetise data - Business Cloud News|work=businesscloudnews.com}}</ref> People use social media sites like Pinterest to direct or guide their choices in products. However, at this time, the data collected from Pinterest is predominantly from female users. A recent study found that 80% of Pinterest users are women.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/pinterest-stats/#.U5E-wpRdWzd|title=140 Amazing Pinterest Statistics|work=DMR - Digital Marketing Ramblings}}</ref> Many businesses use Pinterest Analytics to investigate whether the time spent on the social networking site is actually producing results or not. Through the access of Pinterest Analytics, companies receive insight to data via [[API]], which makes it easier for the businesses using this method to closely engage with the consumer population on Pinterest.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://techcrunch.com/2014/05/20/pinterest-rolls-out-a-new-business-insights-api-to-select-marketing-technology-companies/|title=Pinterest Rolls Out A New "Business Insights" API To Select Marketing Technology Companies|publisher=AOL|work=TechCrunch}}</ref> Pinterest Analytics is much like [[Google Analytics]]. It is a created service that generates comprehensive statistics on a specific website's traffic, commonly used by marketers. ''Pins'', ''pinners'', ''repins'', and ''repinners'' are some aspects of user data that Pinterest Analytics provides. It also collects data that depicts the percentage of change within a specific time, to determine if a product is more popular on a specific day during the week, or slowly becoming unpopular. This data helps marketing agencies alter their strategies to gain more popularity, often changing the visual content to appeal to the Pinterest community. The "Most Clicked" tab in Pinterest Analytics demonstrates products that are more likely to sell. According to a study by [[Converto]], in April 2012, Pinterest drove more social media-originated e-commerce sales than [[Facebook]] or [[Twitter]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://venturebeat.com/2012/04/09/pinterest-drives-more-revenue-per-click-than-twitter-or-facebook/|title=Pinterest drives more revenue per click than Twitter or Facebook|work=VentureBeat}}</ref> Companies also can add their own ideas features to explore how consumers respond to a product, like the ''Pinterest Trends'' product, Piqora. Piquora is a visual analytics and marketing provider for specifically visual social networking sites including [[Tumblr]], [[Instagram]], and Pinterest. Marketers use Piqora's ''Pinterest Trends'' to analyze a brand's performance against competitors on Pinterest.<ref>http://www.intercooleronline.com/2014/05/21/piqora-announces-participation-in-pinterests-business-insights-api-launches-pinterest-trends/</ref>

==== Demographics ====

Globally, the site is most popular with women. In 2012, a report found that 83% of the global users were women.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.engauge.com/assets/pdf/Engauge-Pinterest.pdf | title=Pinterest: A Review of Social Media's Newest Sweetheart | accessdate=2013-01-02}}</ref> Britain, however, is an exception. {{As of|2012|03}}, 56% of the users were male and their age profile was different too, being about 10 years younger than in the U.S., where the predominant age range was typically 35-44.<ref name=DT>{{Cite journal| url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/social-media/9170718/Barack-Obama-signs-up-to-Pinterest.html | title=Barack Obama signs up to Pinterest | date=28 March 2012 | journal=[[Daily Telegraph]] | location=London | first=Emma | last=Barnett| postscript=<!-- Bot inserted parameter. Either remove it; or change its value to "." for the cite to end in a "." as necessary. -->&#123;&#123;inconsistent citations&#125;&#125; }}</ref> In terms of age distribution, the Pinterest demographic closely resembles the U.S. Internet population.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://blog.compete.com/2012/09/04/pinterest-vs-tumblr-not-even-a-contest/ | publisher=[[Compete.com]] | author=Ryan LaSala | title=Pinterest vs. Tumblr: Not Even a Contest | date=2012-09-04 | accessdate=2012-10-18 }}</ref>

==== Growth ====

For January 2012, [[comScore]] reported the site had 11.7 million unique U.S. visitors, making it the fastest site ever to break through the 10 million unique visitor mark.<ref name="11.7 million"/> comScore recorded a unique users [[moving average]] growth of 85% from mid-January to mid-February and a 17% growth from mid-February to mid-March.<ref name="Modest growth">{{cite news |title=Pinterest's growth comes back to earth |author=Julia Boorstin |url=http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2012-03-30/cnbc-pinterest-growth/53893824/1 |newspaper=USA Today |date=30 March 2012 |accessdate=2012-03-31}}</ref>

Much of the service's [[Early adopter|early user base]] consisted of infrequent contributors. The site's user growth, which slowed in March 2012, could pick up as the site's user base solidifies around dedicated users according to a comScore representative.<ref name="user solidification">{{cite news |title=Pinterest growth curve levels off |author=Jon Swartz |url=http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2012-04-25/pinterest-growth/54560126/1 |newspaper=USA Today |date=25 April 2012 |accessdate=2012-05-02}}</ref> In August 2012, Pinterest overtook competing micro-blogging site Tumblr for the first time in terms of unique monthly visitors, clocking in at just under 25 million.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://blog.compete.com/2012/10/10/pinterest-surpasses-tumblr-in-unique-visitors/ | title=Pinterest Surpasses Tumblr In Unique Visitors | publisher=[[Compete.com]] | author=Ryan LaSala | date=2012-10-10 | accessdate=2012-10-18}}</ref>

In February 2013, Reuters and ComScore stated that Pinterest had 48.7 million users globally.<ref>{{cite web
|title=Start-up Pinterest wins new funding, $2.5 billion valuation
|publisher=reuters
|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/21/net-us-funding-pinterest-idUSBRE91K01R20130221 }}
</ref> A study released in July 2013 by French social media agency Semiocast revealed the website had 70 million users worldwide.<ref>Horwitz, Josh. (2013-07-10) [http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2013/07/10/semiocast-pinterest-now-has-70-million-users-and-is-steadily-gaining-momentum-outside-the-us/ Semiocast: Pinterest now has 70 million users and is steadily gaining momentum outside the US]. The Next Web. Retrieved on 2014-02-25.</ref>

In 2014, Pinterest generated its first revenue, when it begins charging advertisers to promote their wares to the site's millions of hobbyists, vacation planners, and do-it-yourselfers. Ads on the site could generate as much as $500 million in 2016, estimates Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Securities.<ref>{{cite web|author=Douglas MacMillan |url=http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304027204579334651169493632 |title=Pinterest CEO Lays Out Growth Plan, Sees Revenue in 2014 - WSJ.com |publisher=Online.wsj.com |date=2014-01-21 |accessdate=2014-03-07}}</ref>

== Business ==

Pinterest was first conceptualized in December 2009 by cofounders [[Ben Silbermann]], Evan Sharp and Paul Sciarra. The first prototype was launched in March 2010 and made available to a small group of colleagues and family members. Since its inception, it has developed into a well-funded site financially supported by a group of successful entrepreneurs and investors including [[FirstMark Capital]], Jack Abraham (Milo), Michael Birch (Bebo), [[Scott Belsky]] ([[Behance]]), Shana Fisher (Highline Venture Partners), Ron Conway (SV Angel), Kevin Hartz (EventBrite), Jeremy Stoppelman (Yelp), Hank Vigil, Fritz Lanman, and Brian S. Cohen.

Although the founders of Pinterest have not cited any specific influences, a number of companies preceded Pinterest in the development of visual bookmarking, including Yelp co-founder David Galbraith's invention of Wists in 2005, and later sites such as ThisNext and Stylehive.

In early 2011, the company secured a $10 million USD [[Series A round|Series A]] financing led by Jeremy Levine and Sarah Tavel of [[Bessemer Venture Partners]]. In October 2011, after an introduction from Kevin Hartz and Jeremy Stoppelman, the company secured $27 million USD in funding from Andreessen Horowitz, which valued the company at $200 million USD.

Retail companies use Pinterest for advertising and [[style trending]]. Pinterest intends the web design to support "style conscious retailers," where customers can visualize products within a consumer context. Companies like The Gap, Chobani, Nordstrom, and West Elm use Pinterest to gather online referrals that link users with similar interests to a company. The Gap has arguably taken the biggest initiative in their use of Pinterest, employing their own themed pinboards such as "[http://pinterest.com/gap/denim-icons/ Denim Icons]" and "Everybody in Gap."

[[Baynote]] founder Scott Brave sees Pinterest as an ideal environment to collect [[Affinity analysis|affinity data]]; a resource that holds the potential for substantial demand and income. This data "reveals valuable relationships between consumer behaviours, products and content," where it can be collected and sold as marketing analysis.

In May 2012, Pinterest was valued at $1.5 billion. In February 2013, it was valued at $2.5 billion. In October 2013, it was valued at $3.8 billion. In May 2014, it was valued at $5 billion. In June 2015, it was valued at $11 billion.<ref name="Guynn">{{cite web|last=Guynn|first=Jessica|url=http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/06/02/pinterest-buy-button-buyable-pins/28359997/|title=Pinterest to launch 'buy' buttons|date=2015-06-02 |accessdate=2014-07-02}}</ref> In May 2015, Fortune Magazine listed Pinterest in the 8th position on its Unicorn List, which ranks startups that have a valuation exceeding $1 billion.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Griffith|first1=Erin|title=The Unicorn List|url=http://fortune.com/unicorns/xiaomi-1/|website=Fortune.com|accessdate=14 July 2015}}</ref>

In June 2015, Pinterest added the "Buy" button to its mobile app.<ref name="Guynn"/>

=== Copyrighted content ===

Pinterest has a notification system that copyright holders can use to request that content be removed from the site. The [[Digital Millennium Copyright Act]] (DMCA) [[safe harbor (law)|safe harbor]] status of Pinterest has been questioned given that it actively promotes its users to copy to Pinterest, for their perpetual use, any image on the Internet. Pinterest users cannot claim safe harbor status and as such are exposed to possible legal action for pinning copyrighted material. Because Pinterest allows user to transfer information, [[intellectual property rights]] come to play. Pinterest's system is in line with Nicolas de Condorcet's view that the public’s interest in knowledge trumps the author’s property rights.{{citation needed|date=April 2015}}

A "nopin" HTML [[meta tag]] was released by Pinterest on 20 February 2012 to allow websites to opt out of their images being pinned. On 24 February 2012, [[Flickr]] implemented the code to allow users to opt out their photos.

Pinterest released a statement in March 2012 saying it believed it was protected by the DMCA's safe harbor provisions. No major copyright lawsuits have emerged as of March 2012.

In early May 2012, the site added automatic [[attribution (copyright)|attribution]] of authors on images originating from Flickr, [[Behance]], [[YouTube]] and [[Vimeo]]. Automatic attribution was also added for Pins from sites mirroring content on Flickr. At the same time Flickr added a Pin shortcut to its share option menu to users who have not opted out of sharing their images.

== History ==
[[File:Silbermann at SXSW.jpg|thumb|Founder [[Ben Silbermann]] (left) at the [[South by Southwest]] Interactive conference in March 2012.]]
{{further|Timeline of Pinterest}}

Pinterest allows users to save images and categorize them on different boards. They can follow other users' boards if they have similar tastes. The evolution of Pinterest is based on the shared interest of its users and relies on its members to produce the content. The most popular categories, as of March 2012, were home, arts and crafts, style/fashion, and food.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.rjmetrics.com/2012/03/12/new-pinterest-data-whats-everyone-pinning-about/#.UoUmDpRgZYg | title=New Pinterest Data: What's Everyone Pinning About}}</ref>

Development of Pinterest began in December 2009, and the site launched as a [[closed beta]] in March 2010. The site proceeded to operate in invitation-only [[open beta]].

Silbermann said he personally wrote to the site's first 5,000 users offering his personal phone number and even meeting with some of its users.<ref name="iPad soon">{{cite news |title=Pinterest: Revamped profile pages, iPad app coming soon |author= Brandon Griggs |url= http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/13/tech/web/pinterest-sxsw/index.html |newspaper=CNN |date=14 March 2012 |accessdate=14 March 2012}}</ref>

Nine months after the launch the website had 10,000 users. Silbermann and a few programmers operated the site out of a small apartment until the summer of 2011.<ref name="iPad soon"/>

Early in 2010, the company's investors and co-founder [[Ben Silbermann]] tried to encourage a New York-based magazine publishing company to buy Pinterest but the publisher declined to meet with the founders.<ref name="overnight"/>

The launch of an iPhone app in early March 2011, brought in a more than expected number of downloads.<ref name="overnight">{{cite news|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/inside-pinterest-an-overnight-success-four-years-in-the-making-2012-4?page=2 |title=Inside Pinterest: An Overnight Success Four Years In The Making|first=Nicholas |last=Carlson |date=May 1, 2011 |publisher=Business Insider |accessdate=May 7, 2011}}</ref>

On 16 August 2011, [[Time (magazine)|''Time'' magazine]] listed Pinterest in its "50 Best Websites of 2011" article.<ref name="50 best">{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2087815_2088159_2088155,00.html |title=The 50 Best Websites of 2011|first=Harry |last=McCracken |date=August 16, 2011 |publisher=Time |accessdate=August 21, 2011}}</ref>

The Pinterest app for [[iPhone]] was last updated in March 2013,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pinterest/id429047995?mt=8 |title=Pinterest|work=Pinterest|publisher=iTunes App Store|accessdate=November 2, 2011}}</ref> and the iPad app was launched August 2011.<ref>{{cite web|last=Price|first=Emily|title=Pinterest Updates iOS App to Make Editing Pins Easier|url=http://mashable.com/2013/02/04/pinterest-ios-update/|work=Mashable|publisher=Mashable|accessdate=8 February 2013}}</ref> Pinterest Mobile, launched September 2011, is a version of the website for non-iPhone users.<ref name="Mobile site">{{cite news |title=Pinterest Mobile |author=Pinterest |url=http://blog.pinterest.com/post/10144144538/pinterest-mobile |newspaper=Pinterest Blog |date=13 September 2011 |accessdate=31 March 2012}}</ref>

In December 2011, the site became one of the top 10 largest [[social network service]]s, according to [[Hitwise]] data, with 11 million total visits per week.<ref>{{cite web|last=Sloan |first=Paul |url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57347187-93/pinterest-crazy-growth-lands-it-as-top-10-social-site/?tag=mncol;txt |title=Pinterest: Crazy growth lands it as top 10 social site |publisher=CNET News |date=December 22, 2011 |accessdate=February 2, 2012}}</ref> The next month, it drove more referral traffic to retailers than [[LinkedIn]], [[YouTube]], and [[Google+]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Zoe |last=Fox |url=http://mashable.com/2012/02/01/pinterest-traffic-study/ |title=Pinterest Drives More Traffic Than Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn |publisher=Mashable |date=February 1, 2012 |accessdate=February 7, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first=Lauren |last=Indvik |url=http://mashable.com/2012/01/29/pinterest-retail-infographic/ |title=Pinterest Becomes Top Traffic Driver for Retailers |publisher=Mashable |date=January 29, 2012 |accessdate=February 7, 2012}}</ref> The same month, the company was named the best new [[startup company|startup]] of 2011 by [[TechCrunch]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://techcrunch.com/2012/01/31/crunchies-dropbox/ |title=Congratulations Crunchies Winners! Dropbox Is The Best Overall Startup |publisher=TechCrunch |date=January 31, 2012 |author=Josh Constine|accessdate=February 7, 2012}}</ref> Noted entrepreneurs and investors include: Jack Abraham, [[Michael Birch (businessman)|Michael Birch]], [[Scott Belsky]], Brian Cohen, Shana Fisher, [[Ron Conway]], [[FirstMark Capital]], Kevin Hartz, Jeremy Stoppelman, Hank Vigil, and Fritz Lanman.<ref name="end of 2011">Pinterest finished out 2011 with $37 million raised and an unconfirmed valuation of $200 million.</ref>

In January 2012, [[comScore]] reported the site had 11.7 million unique users, making it the fastest site in history to break through the 10 million unique visitor mark.<ref name="11.7 million">{{cite web|author=Tuesday, February 7, 2012 |url=http://techcrunch.com/2012/02/07/pinterest-monthly-uniques/ |title=Pinterest Hits 10 Million U.S. Monthly Uniques Faster Than Any Standalone Site Ever -comScore |publisher=TechCrunch |date=February 7, 2012 |accessdate=February 15, 2012}}</ref> Pinterest's wide reach helped it to achieve an average of 11 million visits each week in December 2011. Most of the site's users are female.

At the [[South By Southwest]] Interactive conference in March 2012, Silbermann announced revamped profile pages were being developed and would be implemented soon.<ref name="iPad soon"/>

On 23 March 2012, Pinterest unveiled updated [[terms of service]] that eliminated the policy that gave it the right to sell its users' content.<ref name="terms update">{{cite news|title=Pinterest Responds to Concerns, Changes Terms of Service|url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/252515/pinterest_responds_to_concerns_changes_terms_of_service.html|accessdate=24 March 2012|newspaper=[[PCWorld (magazine)|PC World]]|date=24 March 2012|author=Christina DesMarais|quote=Among other things, Pinterest says it never intended to sell user content and has removed from its terms of service wording that granted the company the right to do so.}}</ref> The terms would go into effect April 6.<ref name="terms blog">{{cite news|title=Updated Pinterest Terms|url=http://blog.pinterest.com/post/19799177970/pinterest-updated-terms|accessdate=24 March 2012|newspaper=Pinterest Blog|date=23 March 2012|author=Pinterest}}</ref>

According to [[Experian]] [[Hitwise]], the site became the third largest social network in the United States in March 2012, behind Facebook and Twitter.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/06/pinterest-traffic-growth_n_1408088.html | work=Huffington Post | first=Courteney | last=Palis | title=Pinterest Popularity Soars To New Heights | date=6 April 2012}}</ref>

Co-founder Paul Sciarra left his position at Pinterest in April 2012 for a consulting job as [[entrepreneur in residence]] at [[Andreessen Horowitz]].<ref name="Sciarra leaves">{{cite news|title=Pinterest co-founder steps down|url=http://money.cnn.com/2012/04/03/technology/startups/pinterest-cofounder-steps-down/|accessdate=6 April 2012|newspaper=CNN Money|date=6 April 2012|author=Laurie Segal}}</ref>

On 17 May 2012, Japanese electronic commerce company [[Rakuten]] announced it was leading a $100 million investment in Pinterest, alongside investors including [[Andreessen Horowitz]], [[Bessemer Venture Partners]], and [[FirstMark Capital]], based on a [[Valuation (finance)|valuation]] of $1.5 billion.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pinterest Raises $100 Million With $1.5 Billion Valuation|url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303448404577409212961081738.html|publisher=The Wall Street Journal|accessdate=2 December 2012}}</ref><ref name="Confirmed: Pinterest Raises $100 Million to Fund International Expansion">{{cite news|title=Pinterest Raises $100 Million to Fund International Expansion|url=http://mashable.com/2012/05/17/pinterest-120-million/|accessdate=2012-05-18|date=18 May 2012|author=Lauren Indvik}}</ref>

On 10 August 2012, Pinterest no longer required a request or an invitation to join the site.<ref>{{cite web
|title=Bigger than ever, Pinterest opens up to all
|publisher=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]
|url=http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/bigger-than-ever-pinterest-opens-up-to-all-20120810-23yn8.html
|accessdate=2012-08-15}}</ref> In addition, the Pinterest app for [[Android OS|Android]] and [[iPad]] was also launched on August 14, 2012.<ref>{{cite web
|title=Pinterest debuts device-specific Android and iPad apps
|publisher=[[CNET]]
|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57493373-93/pinterest-debuts-device-specific-android-and-ipad-apps/
|accessdate=2012-08-15}}</ref>

On September 20, 2012 Pinterest announced the hiring of its new head of engineering, Jon Jenkins. Jenkins came from [[Amazon.com|Amazon]], where he spent eight years as an engineering lead and was also a director of develop tools, platform analysis and website platform.<ref>{{cite web |last=Taylor |first=Colleen |date=20 September 2012 |title=Pinterest Nabs Amazon Vet Jon Jenkins To Be Its New Head Of Engineering |url=http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/20/pinterest-nabs-amazon-vet-jon-jenkins-to-be-its-new-head-of-engineering/ |publisher=Tech Crunch}}</ref>

In October 2012, Pinterest announced a new feature that would allow users to report others for negative and offensive activity or block other users if they do not want to view their content. Pinterest said they want to keep their community "positive and respectful."<ref>{{cite web |last=Taylor |first=Colleen |title=Pinterest Adds Ability To Block And Report Other Users To Keep Site 'Positive And Respectful' |url=http://techcrunch.com/2012/10/17/pinterest-adds-ability-to-block-and-report-other-users-to-keep-positive-and-respectful/ |publisher=Tech Crunch |date=17 October 2012}}</ref> Also in October, Pinterest launched business accounts allowing businesses to either convert their existing personal accounts into business accounts, or start from scratch.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web |url=http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/33839/pinterest-finally-rolls-out-business-accounts-how-to-set-yours-up-today? |publisher=HubSpot |title=Pinterest Finally Rolls Out Business Accounts |date=14 October 2012}}</ref>

In March 2013, Pinterest acquired Livestar. Terms were not disclosed.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://allthingsd.com/20130320/pinterest-acquires-mobile-startup-livestar/?refcat=news | title=Pinterest Acquires Mobile Startup Livestar | work=AllThingsD | date=March 20, 2013 | accessdate=March 21, 2013}}</ref>

In October 2013, Pinterest acquired Hackermeter. The company’s co-founders, Lucas Baker and Frost Li, joined Pinterest as engineers.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://techcrunch.com/2013/10/11/pinterest-acquires-hackermeter-right-out-of-the-gate-will-shut-it-down/ | title=Pinterest Acquires Coding Challenge Site Hackermeter Right Out Of The Gate, Will Shut It Down | work=TechCrunch | date=October 11, 2013 | accessdate=October 11, 2013}}</ref>

In October 2013, Pinterest won a $225 million round of equity funding that valued the website at $3.8 billion.<ref>{{cite web| title= Pinterest valued at $3.8 billion in hefty financing deal | author=Gerry Shih| publisher=Reuters| url= http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/23/us-pinterest-fundraise-idUSBRE99M1J520131023| date=23 October 2013}}</ref>

In April 2015, Pinterest acquired team from [[Hike Labs]], which had been developing a mobile publishing application called [[Drafty]].<ref>{{cite web| title= Pinterest Acquires Team From Hike Labs, Including Google Reader, Blogger Veteran Jason Shellen | author= Sarah Perez| publisher=TechCrunch| url= http://techcrunch.com/2015/04/03/pinterest-acquires-team-from-hike-labs-including-google-reader-blogger-veteran-jason-shellen/| date=3 April 2015}}</ref>

In June 2015, Pinterest unveiled "buyable pins". Rich Pins - pins which have more information than a normal link - will get a new button that allows users to purchase things directly from partners that it's working for. Users will see prices, be able to select specific types of a product (like the color), and then they can tap the button to buy the product. The item will arrive at the user's door.<ref>Matthew Lynley, TechCrunch. “[http://techcrunch.com/2015/06/02/pinterest-unveils-buyable-pins-a-way-to-purchase-things-directly-from-pinterest/#.mc8jwf:kqbz Pinterest Unveils Buyable Pins, A Way To Purchase Things Directly Within Pinterest].” June 2, 2015. June 3, 2015.</ref>

== Reception ==

=== Terms of service ===
Pinterest's earlier terms of service ambiguously asserted ownership of user content. A March 2012 article in ''[[Scientific American]]'' criticized Pinterest's self-imposed ownership of user content stating that "Pinterest's [[terms of service]] have been garnering a lot of criticism for stating in no uncertain terms that anything you 'pin' to their site belongs to them. Completely. Wholly. Forever and for always."<ref name="scientific american">{{cite news |title=Pinterest's Terms of Service, Word by Terrifying Word |author= Kalliopi Monoyios |url= http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/symbiartic/2012/03/19/pinterests-terms-of-service-word-by-terrifying-word/|newspaper= Scientific American|date=19 March 2012 |accessdate=2012-03-24}}</ref> At the time, Pinterest's terms of service stated that "By making available any Member Content through the Site, Application or Services, you hereby grant to Cold Brew Labs a worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, royalty-free license, with the right to sublicense, to use, copy, adapt, modify, distribute, license, sell, transfer, publicly display, publicly perform, transmit, stream, broadcast, access, view, and otherwise exploit such Member Content only on, through or by means of the Site, Application or Services."<ref name="scientific american" /> Under these terms all personal, creative and intellectual property posted to the site belonged to the website and could be sold. A ''Scientific American'' blogger pointed out that this contradicted another line in the terms of service, that, "Cold Brew Labs does not claim any ownership rights in any such Member Content."<ref name="confusing terms">{{cite news |title=The Promise and Perils of Pinterest |author=Glendon Mellow |url=http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/symbiartic/2012/03/16/the-promise-and-perils-of-pinterest/ |newspaper=Scientific American |date=16 March 2012 |accessdate=24 March 2012}}</ref>

Several days later, Pinterest unveiled updated terms of service that, once implemented in April, ended the site's previous claims of ownership of posted images. "Selling content was never our intention," said the company in a blog post.<ref name="terms update"/><ref name="terms blog"/>

=== Legal status ===

In February 2012, photographer and lawyer Kirsten Kowalski wrote a blog post explaining how her interpretation of copyright law led her to delete all her infringing pins.<ref name="kowalski"/> The post contributed to scrutiny over Pinterest's legal status.<ref name="safe harbor update">{{cite news |title=Pinterest addresses copyright concerns |author= Hayley Tsukayama |url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/pinterest-addresses-copyright-concerns/2012/03/15/gIQAijAFES_story.html|newspaper= The Washington Post |date=15 March 2012 |accessdate=15 March 2012}}</ref> The post went [[Viral phenomenon|viral]] and reached founder Ben Silbermann who contacted Kowalski to discuss making the website more compliant with the law.<ref name="kowalski">{{cite news |title=Is Pinterest the Next Napster?|author=Therese Poletti |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304450004577279632967289676.html |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |date=14 March 2012 |accessdate=2012-03-15}}</ref>

Content creators on sites such as [[iStock]] have expressed concern over their work being reused on Pinterest without permission. [[Getty Images]] said that it was aware of Pinterest's copyright issues and was in discussion with them.

A [[meta tag]] was released by Pinterest in February 2012 to allow websites to opt out of their images being pinned.<ref name="opt out">{{cite news |title=Flickr vs. Pinterest: Flickr Users Can Now Implement Pinterest Opt-Out
|author=Joann Pan |url=http://mashable.com/2012/02/25/flickr-pinterest-opt-out/ |newspaper=Mashable |date=24 February 2012 |accessdate=24 February 2012}}</ref>

=== Awards ===
Pinterest won the Best New Startup of 2011 at the TechCrunch Crunchies Awards<ref>{{cite web|url=http://venturebeat.com/2012/02/01/pinterest-best-new-startup-2011-crunchie-referral-traffic-reddit//>|title=Pinterest wins Best New Startup of 2011 Crunchie, now driving more referrals than Reddit - VentureBeat - Social - by Sean Ludwig|work=venturebeat.com}}</ref>
At the 2012 [[Webby Awards]], Pinterest won best social media app and people's voice award for best functioning visual design.<ref name="kowalski">{{cite news |title=ILouis C.K., Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook win Webby Awards|author=Jake Coyle |url=http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_20522295/louis-c-k-instagram-pinterest-and-facebook-win?source=rss |newspaper=Nercury News.com |date=1 May 2012 |accessdate=2012-05-03}}</ref>

== Third-party developers and content ==
Many third-party developers have created web applications, browser extensions, and even podcasts devoted to Pinterest. These items range from analytics, to enlarging the images on Pinterest's website.

== Technical ==
Pinterest is written with [[Django (web framework)|Django]], a web application framework that uses the [[Python programming language|Python]] programming language.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.djangoproject.com/ |title=Meet Django |author=Django |date= |work= |publisher=Django Software Foundation |accessdate=2012-06-28}}</ref>

== Use by scammers ==

[[Social engineering (security)|Social engineering]] of Pinterest users by scammers to propagate surveys promising free products was noted by the computer security firm [[Symantec]] in March 2012. Scam images, often branded with a well-known company name like [[Starbucks]], offer incentives such as gift cards for completing a survey. Once the link in the description is clicked, users are taken to an external site and asked to re-pin the scam image. Victims are [[phishing|phished]] for their personal information and the promised free product is never delivered.<ref name="Social engineering">{{cite news |title= Pinterest Scams: Free Starbucks, Red Velvet Cake Photos, and More|author= Sara Yin |url=http://securitywatch.pcmag.com/security/295372-pinterest-scams-free-starbucks-red-velvet-cake-photos-and-more#disqus_thread |newspaper=PC Magazine |date=14 March 2012 |accessdate=15 March 2012}}</ref>

Other scammers capitalized on the lack of an official [[Google Play]] app. Low-quality Pinterest apps purporting to be official have appeared that generate ad revenue or monitor the downloader's activity.<ref name="fake">{{cite news |title= Pinterest Plagued by More Scams, Fake Android Apps|author= Fahmida Y. Rashid|url= http://securitywatch.pcmag.com/social-networking/297256-pinterest-plagued-by-more-scams-fake-android-apps|newspaper=PC Magazine |date=30 April 2012 |accessdate=2012-04-04}}</ref> There is now an official Pinterest app for Android devices.

== See also ==
* [[clipix]]
* [[List of photo-sharing websites]]
* [[Visual marketing]]

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{commons category}}

* {{official website|http://www.pinterest.com}}

{{Online social networking}}

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[[Category:IOS software]]
[[Category:Windows Phone software]]
[[Category:2010 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:Companies based in Palo Alto, California]]
[[Category:Image hosting]]
[[Category:Internet properties established in 2010]]
[[Category:Online companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Photo sharing]]
[[Category:Social networking services]]
[[Category:Webby Award winners]]

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