If you haven’t heard of Pinterest yet, you will in 2012. Pinterest is a vision board-styled social photo sharing website and app where users can create and manage theme-based image collections. While I am a fairly new user of the social network, I have found to be quite simple and intuitive to use. After the initial setup, users are asked to create “boards” to which you can “pin” pictures of anything.
Where one can get “sucked in” is looking at all the beautiful pictures people share of a variety of things from crafts, furniture, and food. There are many categories for each board, so depending on your interests, you can meet and connect with a new group of online folks with some creative ideas for you.
This got me thinking: Could a student union leverage Pinterest to connect with other students, faculty, or staff who also are on Pinterest? By visually representing some of the content from our blog, design team, or video team, could we reach a broader audience? I also could see using it as a showcase for our furniture, supplies, gear, technology, etc. There are lots of possibilities!
The Rondileau Campus Center Staff and I have started our own Pinterest account at http://pinterest.com/BSUCampusCenter. Feel free to check it out as we grow our boards. If you need an invite to start trying Pinterest, send us an email at campuscenter@bridgew.edu, and we’ll connect you.
Do you think Pinterest has a role in the student union? How about event planning or other student affairs units?
Edmund Cabellon
is the Director, Rondileau Campus Center at Bridgewater State University.
Ed has spent the last 13 years working in higher education, specifically student affairs departments such as residence life, student activities, and currently as the Director of the Campus Center at Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts. Each day, he builds campus community (both in-person and online), develop current and future leaders, and actively participate in social media to professionally share and grow.