Can you hear that loud buzzzzzzzzzzz? That’s the hype Pinterest has been getting.

Living in San Francisco makes it difficult for me to tell which websites and technologies are really being used outside of Silicon Valley. With Pinterest, there’s no question. This one is going to be big.

Once I see my non-techie friends using a new service, I know it’s time to take notice. That time has come with Pinterest.

What is Pinterest?

Pinterest is an online pinboard that lets you “organize and share things you love.”

Here’s a helpful analogy: remember those old-school corkboards that you could pin stuff to with thumbtacks? Maybe you had one in your room as a kid, like I did. They were a great way to express yourself through collections of pages from magazines, handwritten notes, and photographs.

Pinterest is just like those boards. Except online.

On Pinterest, you create themed “boards” that act as collections. You could create boards of “Places I Want to Visit,” “My Favorite Travel Gear,” or “Cat Pictures” (hey, it’s the internet). Each board is a collection of images you’ve uploaded yourself, “pinned” from the web, or “repinned” from other users’ boards.

Your old corkboard is now online. And it’s fun and social.

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