This post is really about the bad because Pinterest is by no means ugly and there is a lot of good.
We all know I’m a Pinterest fan. I have a bigillion boards and it’s the first place I go for new ideas when cooking or crafting. The sites concept is genius. However, I do have some complaints about Pinterest and since they never respond to their twitter handle, I thought a nice suggestion-filled blog post might give them some more inspiration for what is already an amazing site (you know – if they monitor their Google alerts better than they do their Twitter feed).
Pinterest Privacy
Doesn’t exist. Want to create a board where you save all of the amazing gift ideas you found for your friends and family? Yeah me too. But unfortunately I can’t because there’s no way to say “I want this board to be only for me”. Imagine a world where girls could crazily plan weddings pre-boyfriend without the fear of a potential date finding it. A world where you could pin all of the dorky things that you love but you know your friends would hate you for. A world where you could choose to have a private profile – where you store your ideas but they aren’t shared. I know – it’s a beautiful thing.
Multi-Select Functionality
Like Privacy – doesn’t exist. I have created a monstrosity of a board called in my perfect house. The thing has grown so large that I am now feeling the desire to push out all of the ideas into separate boards – you know – maybe one per room. However, If I were to do that I would have to individually click on every pin and then edit it and then go back and then do it all again. The thought process is exhausting – let alone the actual act.
But this thought extends further. Let’s say I’m sitting on the Kate Spade website lusting after a bag or three (who me?) and I want to pin all 12 of the bags that I want on Pinterest at the same time. I would love the opportunity to click my browser’s Pin it button and check all that apply. Perhaps even give them all the same generic description of “Kate Spade”. It’s a happy little dream.
Android App
I don’t understand why companies don’t read the stats that say more smart phone users are Android users than iPhone users. I understand that the iPhone is more slick and trendy and cool, but seriously? You took the time to develop an iPhone app but you can’t work on an Android version? It’s slacking. Get with it and make your customers happy.
Like I said before I love Pinterest – I love that this baby site has exploded overnight and I am thrilled for all of the people behind the project who probably never thought this day would come. I just wish they would take a moment to look around and at least say “hey we know this sucks – we’re working on it” rather than just ignoring the complaints. I mean after all – good customer service will always win people over in the end. Well – at least most people.
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I agree with you with regard to Pinterest functionality (or lack thereof) and the site owner’s apparent disinterest in feedback. I have written twice with no response.
Briefly, I requested an invitation (pretentious, don’t you think?), joined, checked off boxes for my interests, signed out, signed back in and every single “pin”…every one…was from the same person. “Unfollowing” the person and/or her boards does not work at all.The only way I can see pins from other people is to visit the site without signing in but then that prevents me from pinning to my wall. More importantly, I wondered how a user/member would deal with or block content that he/she found objectionable for whatever reason.
The concept is great. I hope that in short order the powers-that-be at Pinterest fix what is wrong and listen to their users or that someone else creates a similar site that will still aggregate ideas in the same way but deliver them with a lot more functionality.