We’ve long extolled the virtues of Pinterest, the social photo sharing website that has seemingly taken over the world in 2012. According to comScore, a digital analytics group, the social media giant had well over 30 million unique visitors from around the world in May of this year alone. This week, Pinterest has announced that it is beefing up on their efforts to control spam. With hopes of blocking out companies that are attempting to prey on its users, Pinterest has explained some of its moves and how you can create a Pinterest business model that won’t be marked as spam.
When creating a Pinterest business model it’s important to consider the new rules and stipulations that the site has set up to stop spam. The rules focus more on the text that will accompany the photo you will be sharing and less on the photo itself. Moving forward, when linking from web stores like Amazon, Overstock and Half, Pinterest will now mark these affiliate links as spam. Users can make a profit from posting items from other web sites onto Pinterest, and while the photo-sharing site once tried to do the same thing, they will no longer allow users to do this.
In addition to moneymaking schemes based around affiliate sites, Pinterest is also taking steps to block tools like the Google Analytics URL builders from being used on the site. Used for the purpose of monitoring the number of clicks a pin receives, the Google Analytics URL builder was a great tool for monitoring your Pinterest business model in the past. Now, Pinterest will simply be stripping away any extended link that appears in the description of a photo.
In a slightly different link-building instance, Pinterest will also be removing and marking pictures as spam if you use link-shortening sites like Bit.ly, Tin and Google URL Shortener. Adding links from other sites like these are a guaranteed stamp that your picture, and possibly, your account will be marked as spam. Pinterest will actually already shorten links for you when they are placed into the Description section while pinning a new picture to your wall. Be sure to use all of Pinterest’s convenient features like this as they make your life easier and insure that your account will be left unscathed by Pinterest administrators.
While you are developing your Pinterest business model, keep in mind that Pinterest wasn’t built as a platform for you to sell your products or services on. First and foremost, the site is meant for like-minded individuals to share photos that have a connection to a wide variety of interests. While it’s possible to use the site to brand your company with a certain images, Pinterest moderators will take notice if you are being to pushy when it comes to your business. Share wisely, write very little and post pictures that show your company in the way that you want to be perceived.
