Pinterest Adds Value To Pins

10 Social Networks For Special Interests (click image for larger view and for slideshow)

If imitation is any indication, Pinterest is doing something right. In their recent updates, both Facebook and Google+ have gotten more Pinterest-like in their look and feel. While Pinterest's pin metaphor hasn't changed all that much since the platform's inception, that's now changing, with a new style of pins that provide more information front and center.

Until now, pins acted simply as a link to the original website. Now, Pinterest is working with dozens of popular brands to show more information -- such as recipes, movie reviews, product availability and pricing -- on pins. A small icon that appears below the picture in a pin will indicate when a pin includes more information.

This change will make it easier for users to get the information they need, and it will make branding more effective for organizations using Pinterest for marketing purposes. And with pricing and availability information included as part of some pins, participating vendors are also likely to see an increase in sales from Pinterest. Pinterest itself will also likely see a nice boost as keeping users on its site instead of directing them elsewhere will increase its stickiness.

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Participating retailers include -- but are not limited to, by a long shot -- eBay, Home Depot, Target and Walmart. Sources for recipes include Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart Living, Skinny Taste and Whole Foods Market. Movie sources include Flixster, Netflix and Rotten Tomatoes. (For a full list of participating vendors, see Pinterest's blog post on the new pins.)

Pinterest has also announced that it is making its Pin It button available in mobile apps.

What value do you think the new pins will bring? Please let us know in the comments section below.

Follow Deb Donston-Miller on Twitter at @debdonston.

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