When you’re thinking about Pinterest etiquette, there are a lot of intricacies. However, the best place to start is to follow this simply adage: give credit when credit is due!
Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.
Just as I wouldn’t steal pictures from Google Images to use on a blog post of mine — I would instead buy stock photography and/or give proper attribution – I would hope that a Pinterest user would be sure to note where the original image came from.
Give credit. It’s free.
Before pinning something, make sure you are giving credit to the original source! A quick Google search will help you ensure you’re giving credit to the person who originally developed the content, not just the person who helped you find it.
Just because you can pin it, doesn’t mean you should.
It is unacceptable for users to Pin without giving credit or linking back to the source. There are, of course, other sources that you should never pin from, including confidential or highly proprietary information. As a rule, if pinning someone’s content has a near 0% chance of getting the original content developer any residual traffic, do not pin it. For example, awhile back, I saw someone pin another user’s Slideshare presentation, slide by slide. As a result, the original content developer basically was ensured that no one would ever go to the original slideshare presentation to get additional information.
Effort’s more important than style.
Don’t worry about the exact format of how credit is given – just make sure you make an effort! If someone has enriched your life by providing great content, take the 10-15 seconds to run a quick Google search to link back to their Twitter ID, blog url, and so forth. It’s a great way to encourage they keep providing great content for you to pin!
Let me know if you agree with my thoughts above. Plus, what are your biggest Pinterest etiquette suggestions? I’d love to hear via Twitter or Facebook.
Interesting article on Pinterest. I tried to Buffer it, but the application hung and the link didn’t load…just thought I would mention it in case it is a systemic problem.
Jeremy, thanks for sharing this post. You offer some great advice!
I’m totally on the same page in terms of buying images as opposed to grabbing stuff off the web.
I feel the issue of crediting things properly affect Facebook and Googleplus as well. I think there are some who are just too lazy to copy and paste salient information. Giving credit is free, but taking the time to GIVE it is more than many want to do.
Cheers/Terri