8 Steps to Safety on Pinterest

There’s been a lot of on-again-off-again movements of concern about the use of the popular networking site, Pinterest. I admit that I deleted all my boards at one time and stuck only to ‘liking’ things to avoid getting into any trouble over my pin boards. I recently went back to Pinterest to create boards again, but this time I decided to do some more research to make sure I was following the best possible ethics to avoid any potential lawsuits.

Blogger, Kirsten (at DDK Portraits), posted about why she tearfully deleted her Pinterest boards, then an update after the founder of Pinterest contacted her directly. After studying her posts, I decided to take the safest route possible with my boards and I began editing all my pins. I wanted to be sure I was pinning as safely as possible and now that I’ve edited my entire Everything Autumn pin board, I feel more confident than ever using Pinterest. It’s relieving to know I don’t have to look over my shoulder!

Here are the safety steps I’m taking in using the powerful network, Pinterest.

Know the laws. Pinterest has their terms clearly spelled out on their site and Kirsten did an excellent job breaking it down into relatable terms for bloggers and photogs.

Respectfully follow Pinterest Eiquette: They have an etiquette page listed and you can catch up with Darcy’s in depth analysis of Pinterest Ethics here.

Only pin content from sites that allow pinning. The best way to figure this out is to look for a “pin” sharing button in the posts. Even the popular ‘Share This‘ option has Pinterest included. If the post has a pin function available, you have permission to pin it.

Use caution when Re-Pinning: If you re-pin an image of an owner who never gave permission to post their images away from their original source, then you’re just as liable. So before re-pinning;

• Be sure to click through the image to find the original source.
• See if they have a ‘pin it’ button on the post.
• If so, then happily re-pin. If not, don’t re-pin. Instead you can LIKE the image and not get in trouble.

What if the blog is right, but the link is wrong and they do allow pinning? Try using their search bar to find the original post. Then you can EDIT the pin (after re-pinning) and add the original link.

You can help others be safe in pinning your posts. You can create a pinnable graphic and place it in the top of your post. You can also specify in your Pinterest Plug In (WordPress users) which graphic the pinner MUST use. You can simply assign the graphic you choose to allow to be pinned.

Concerned about your images? Simply add your own watermark to your images and add your URL to the image as seen below;

(when you host your images in the Pix-O-Sphere network, you can use the automated watermark built into our system).

What if I see that someone has pinned my stuff without permission? You can report the violation to Pinterest.

It might be a pain to go through all your boards, especially if you have a lot of them, but it’s worth it to be sure you’re pinning safely. Besides that, wouldn’t you love to be able to say all your pins are re-pinnable because you follow the rules and etiquette of pinning?

What a great way to build your influence through Pinterest than to be a reputable pinner! 

   <<pin this post to help your friends be safe on Pinterest!

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer and following these steps are still not a guarantee that someone might go after you for pinning their stuff. But it gives you the best chance possible to avoid getting in trouble.
Lisa blogs at The HomeSpun Life and is a contributor at The Homeschool Post. She enjoys blogging, photography, and cooking. Her homeschooling family is active in their community and enjoys traveling with friends and family.