Pinterest can be used for more than just planning your wedding or next meal

Photo: Joey Gale

Drake University is pinning. The university has joined the newest social media site, Pinterest. Students often use the site as a means of procrastination. They plan dream weddings, pick something new for dinner or find ideas for their next crafting project.

The site works by users “pinning” pictures of their interests to virtual pin boards. Categories range from weddings to geek and home décor to sports. The conversation on Pinterest happens a lot differently than on traditional social media sites.

“One could argue the culture of sharing on Pinterest makes it even more social than other platforms,” said Aaron Jaco, Drake’s digital media specialist, in an email interview. “In a noisy social media environment dominated by chatter of the written word, Pinterest is a relatively quiet and uncluttered refuge.”

Jaco monitors most of the university’s social media accounts.

“It is imperative that we be an active participant in relevant conversations taking place online to drive conversations about topics of interest to students, prospective students, alumni, faculty members and friends,” Jaco said.

Although we live in a time of sharing information, not everyone is ready to share everything. Erin Austin, a sophomore public relations major, said that she finds it awkward to pin pictures to a future wedding board when everyone, including her boyfriend’s cousins, follow her posts.

If students post wedding plans, what does the university pin? Among its boards you can find “Adorbs Bulldogs,” “Study Inspiration” and “Explore Des Moines.”

Maria Opatz, a sophomore public relations and English major, is an intern for Drake’s office of marketing and communication. She pins to the university’s Pinterest.

“Of all of our boards, my favorite to pin to features fun recipes that can be made in a dorm-room microwave,” Opatz said. “And searching for pictures of ridiculously cute puppies for the ‘Adorbs Bulldogs’ board isn’t half bad either.”

Jaco said that the university uses other platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to connect with alumni and to “build relationships with journalists, community members, prospective students and the public at large.”

The university isn’t the only group on campus connected to multiple media platforms. Check out Drake’s social media directory on the Drake website to find your school or program.