An inspiring quote, a new recipe, creative photography poses and the latest interior design trends—what do these things have in common? You can find them all—and lots more—on Pinterest. Pinterest is a fun tool for saving and organizing things you love, and, no matter what you’re interested in, you can find it on Pinterest.

Learn the Pinterest Lingo

There’s new terminology to learn with every social media site, and, with Pinterest, you’ll need to become familiar with boards and pins. We recommend thinking about Pinterest as a collection of virtual bulletin “boards” to which you can attach your favorite pictures and links with virtual push “pins.”

The pictures you pin might be inspirational or might just be something you like. You can also pin links to sites or information that you think will eventually come in handy (pinning is similar to bookmarking web pages, only it's more visual).

Most people organize their boards by topic, so that they can easily find the pins when they are looking for them in the future. For example, you might have one board for party ideas, one for exercises and one for remodeling projects you’d like to do around the house. Most pins link to a website that includes the picture featured in the pin.

You can follow other people’s boards on topics you like so that you can see what they pin. Their pins will then appear in your feed, which is the first thing you see when you log in to Pinterest. You can even repin items that you like and that you want to save on your own board. If people like what you pin, they’ll follow your boards in return.

Get Pinning

If you’re new to Pinterest, you’ll need to set up an account and create your boards before you start pinning. Pinterest has some helpful forums that can get you going:

• Joining Pinterest
• Pins, repins and likes
• Add, edit or delete a board
• Following boards and people
• And lots of other Pinterest basics

Start playing around. You’ll get the hang of it. In addition to re-pinning items you like, you can also install a “Pin It” button for your browser so that you can pin any image at any time while you are surfing the web.

If you have questions about Pinterest, post them on our Facebook page and we’ll try to help.

Find us on Pinterest

Find us at http://pinterest.com/AIPOnlineDiv/. Follow our boards to discover fun street art, eco-friendly designs, graduation party ideas and more. You can also create your own board titled “My Art Institute” where you can pin photos that inspire your creativity or represent your field of study, your dream job or anything else you associate with your experience at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh – Online Division. We look forward to seeing what pins you find!

The use of social media in networking has become widespread over the years. More and more companies are using social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter in their recruitment process. LinkedIn is ranked the most preferred, followed by Facebook and then Twitter. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that your social media presence does not reflect badly on your image and cost you an employment opportunity. In this post the Art Institute Of Pittsburgh -Online Division enlightens on six crucial things you should avoid while using social media:

• Confrontations, uncouthness and stubbornness- you should avoid attacking other people, being overly offensive and obnoxious. This reflects badly on your character, and it might put off an employer. In addition, it is essential that you maintain a certain level of discretion. You should avoid venting and airing your problems online. Particularly avoid venting about your prior job or internship publicly since there is a very high probability that the job recruiter will come across it. This will decrease your chances of getting employed since no employer wants their company to be bashed online. Some things are better off kept to yourself.
• Irrelevant content- you should ensure that what you post demonstrates your capability as a person and increases your chances of being hired. Ensure that the content depicts your talent, creativity, passion and intelligence. The content should exhibit prior internships, projects you have been involved in, your extracurricular activities, work experience and website information. This helps in ensuring that the job recruiter attains a favorable first impression of you. In addition, if you have a professional blog, you should link it to your Twitter bio, LinkedIn and Facebook profile. You should also add it to you cover letter.
• Inconsistency- it is crucial to ensure that your personal information on social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter is similar to the one you have provided on your curriculum vitae. This is because inconsistent information might spark suspicion in the employer. This suspicion might make him eliminate you as a viable candidate for the position.
• Misspelling words and use of improper grammar- you should avoid making spelling mistakes and using the wrong words. You should carefully go through your tweet or update before you post it. Double check your spelling and ensure that you are not confusing words. This is essential since the employer might be apprehensive of having to sort your work out constantly if he hires you.
• Negative and discriminatory opinions- you should avoid engaging in hate speech on social networks. Refrain from expressing outrageous, sexist, racist and other discriminatory views online. Employers will not regard these positively since they are looking for well-rounded individuals to represent and be part of their companies.
• Uploading explicit photos and videos- you should refrain from uploading negative and embarrassing photos and videos on your profile. They might be comical to you and your friends or followers, but they will create a negative impression of you on the job recruiter. It is commonplace for employers to eliminate potential employees due to their online profiles.

The Art Institute of Pittsburgh- Online Division believes that by avoiding these behaviors, you become a better job candidate. 

In this day and age, those who don't have a Facebook account are probably in the minority. In the past few years, thanks to social networks like Facebook, we’re able to cast a wider social net than ever before.

It used to be that once a person graduated from high school, they’d have to make an effort to keep track of fellow classmates via letters and phone calls. Now, we can connect with those old friends and quickly and easily share photos and news with them. Excited to announce your engagement or the birth of your first child? All you need to do is log in to Facebook to get the word out to your extended network of connections.

Of course, there are some that argue that while Facebook makes it easier to keep in touch, the connections are often superficial. In a recent New York Times article entitled “The Facebook Resisters,” several individuals who are not Facebook members are profiled. One remarked that they found that because of Facebook, they rarely called their friends to speak on the phone anymore. Another recounted an odd situation in which he was in an elevator with a friend of a friend, and, thanks to Facebook, he already knew everything about her, despite the fact that the two had never spoken to each other.

While the Facebook naysayers may be in the minority today, they certainly have some fair points. As we build our social connections, what purpose do they serve for us? Do we really feel connected to our “friends”? If someone sends you a friend request, what determines whether or not you’ll accept it?

In the case of the online student, Facebook can be an invaluable resource. It allows you to connect with fellow classmates from all over the country, share experiences, and provide each other with support. Social networking, whether via Facebook or some other medium, can provide a wonderful supplement to a student’s online learning experience.

While Facebook and other social networks are deeply ingrained in our everyday lives, most of us can remember a time when that wasn’t the case. How have our interactions with those we consider close to us evolved since those days? Provided that we are mindful of how we interact with one another online, we can find that our lives are actually enriched by the ease with which we are able to connect with each other today.