You’re most welcome Lynne. The rules of Pinterest keep evolving so you need to keep upto date with it although etiquette never goes out of style.

Thanks, Delia. I’ve only just started creating optimized pins since January and even then for those images that can be converted and still look pleasing to the pinner’s eye. I’m not sure about whether commenting is a new feature. I joined Pinterest later but would not be surprised. Pinterest keeps adding new features to improve the user’s experience so we are benefiting from their new and improved initiatives.

I know I haven’t tried enough the optimization tips so it’s something I’m working on. Also commenting on other pins (I believe this feature was not originally part of Pinterest so many people are not using it too much).

You are right, Roslyn, very few of the Pinterest experts ever mention the ‘legal minefield’ aspect of Pinterest or even refer fans to the sections of Pinterest where they keep the fine print on Copyright, Trademarks or User Policy.

One way of checking on copyright infringement is to review the site before repinning and check if there is anything there that can raise a doubt, in which case bookmark the site for future reference but don’t repin. Thanks for the feedback on your applying the more cumbersome part of Pintiquette.

The very nature of Pinterest requires certain rules to be followed Beverley and when one sees them in action, the user’s confidence in the social platform is established. It is always easy to crop an image which the creator has marked as (c) and one of the suggestions that I had read sometime back was to watermark images on websites.

When it comes to artworks, unless the creator or third party platform allows pinning, it is prudent to refrain from pinning. Even when an image is used in art publications, it is always clear in the Terms and Conditions that the copyright rests with the artist, somewhat similar to that of authors and their works. Glad the article was helpful.

Personally I haven’t spent much time there either, so everything I hear is second-hand from people who say “pinning to my inspiration board” etc. Sounds like before one begins, it is important to read the etiquette and guidelines of the site, so you start and “do” Pinterest properly from the onset. Thanks for the great article, as I wasn’t aware of any of this previously.

Pinterest is a wonderful platform for a visually engaging business, Lynne, but as with other social media platforms, there are some written and unwritten rules of etiquette. Most pinners don’t realize that they may be violating ownership of what they are pinning. They like something on the internet and pin it. Pinterest has been described as a legal minefield in this respect and the best way to stay out of harm’s way is to check if there is a Pin It button for the image or post where the image is located. If not, don’t pin. Also, when it comes to artists and photographers, take it as a given that if the Pinterest icons are not there, then they may not want their images to be appear on Pinterest. One can always ask for permission but it may not be forthcoming. I’m glad you found the post useful, Lynne.