How many Pinterests does the world need?



Contributing Writer
Photo Inside Leans Credit Mihai Tamasila


Everybody wants to be Pinterest these days.  Even Facebook.

From the way that start-up social networks position their companies lately, you’d think that Pinterest was a hotbed of dissatisfaction with users demanding visual sites for every niche topic they can think of.  While it may sound trendy the extent that people compare their companies to Pinterest borders on the absurd.  on’t believe me?  Consider this modest list:

The long tail of niche Pinterests

That’s crazy

A couple of things I’d like to point out:

First, developing a network predicated on the assumption that men would embrace pinning if the topics were more relevant to their gender doesn’t seem particularly sound to me.  For the same reason they don’t have ladies night on Google Plus, I wouldn’t invest a lot of resources into getting guys to pin more.

Secondly, there is a place where all potential users can go for a Pinterest-type experience with a wide audience that explores long tail topics.  It’s a site you may have heard of by the name of Pinterest.   Most of these derivative sites will probably fail because they overestimate the appeal of a community dedicated to niche content.  Users can get all the same content (and much more) in a larger community on Pinterest.

The next big thing in social

So will the next big thing in social be a derivation of Pinterest?  By the number of clones you might think so,  but I have a suspicion that the Pinterest-like site most likely to endure will be Pinterest.  I also suspect that the next big thing in social will be something completely unrelated, that can’t be described as the Pinterest of anything.

Photo Credit

Jim Dougherty

Jim Dougherty

Writer and chief of miscellany at leaderswest.com

I aspire to give people something to think about rather than tell them what to do. My favorite Google Alert is “social media research,” I am increasingly compelled by Gen Z, and I appreciate good writers agnostic of where they write. At one time I was Kred’s 12th most influential social media blogger and Klout’s most influential person on the topic of David Hasselhoff. Transplant from Seattle living in Cincinnati. Haven’t entirely adopted the local sports teams yet.

Jim Dougherty

@jimdougherty

Jim Dougherty

Jim Dougherty

  • Sara

    I don’t think it’s such a bad idea to have that many pinteres-like websites. Afterall, the good thing, in my opinion, about pinterest, is it’s ability to showcase and organize, and having so many websites like it is like having several “folders” and in each folder i organize a certain type of information (video, images..) and/or a certain kind of projects (wedding, learning,..), and hey! as long as they’re being beneficial for the crowds, then why not? :)

  • http://leaderswest.com Jim Dougherty

    Thanks Sara for reading and commenting. Your insight is spot-on about the value of the format – the concern for any of these sites isn’t the content (each having appeal to a niche audience) but it’s to get habitual visitors. Since we only frequent a small number (between 5 and 10 on average) of websites habitually, I think it’s less likely that anyone will stick with those versus just using Pinterest. When a site like Facebook adopts a Pinterest format (which they are in the process of doing), it enhances the user experience – a very positive thing.

  • jimdougherty

    Great points, Sara.  I just wonder how many derivative sites can sustain.  I suspect that Pinterest probably is most attractive for most users because of its topical diversity and size.  Thank you so much for reading and commenting!

  • Sara

     I agree with your point, that Pinterest is the most attractive one, even for me (the one defending Pinterest clones :D yes :D ), I do think it’s ok to have that many Pinterest-like sites as long as they try to be original in one way or another, I know that cloning something isn’t that original, but I think that at the very least these websites should be able to have a unique design of their own, because creating a logo which is almost the exact same shape/color/font of Pinterest’s is just ugly in my opinion, and people would probably think “ok I’d rather use the original not the copy/clone”, and this is probably why people still prefer Pinterest over all of its clones, that and, of course, its topical diversity and size as u mentioned.

    But I guess that today, almost any website that uses the masonry script will in the end remind people of pinterest and be seen as one of its clones, which in my opinion as a developer, is NOT fair :)

    Thank you for writing this article and for replying :)

  • jimdougherty

    Thanks, Sara!  I think it’s fine to borrow the visual idea so long as there’s audience for it – I just know from my experience how difficult it is to habitually visit a social site and participate.  I think it requires a really special idea to be able to be that sticky for people.  I really appreciate all of your insight and comments – I hope you’re having a great weekend!

  • Sara

    I hope u have a great weekend too, thank you, Jim! :)

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