Pinterest review [iPhone]

It seems like there's a new social fad almost every week. Just when you get used to how you share your banal existence, everyone switches to something new and way more interesting. You can share everything now, from random thoughts and your physical location, to photos and anything that catches your eye on the Internet.

Pinterest is just such a fad, and fits into the latter category of social bookmarking. But it has to be said that despite it being yet another way to network (or, more accurately, tell everyone what you're interested in while they do the same and you each ignore the other one), this sharing system at least creates a very nice looking website.

The idea behind Pinterest is to 'pin' any great pictures - and the articles they're attached to - to the main website. Other folk can then peruse what caught your eye, comment on it, like it, dislike it, and pin it to their own personal virtual pinboard.

Admittedly, this isn't an entirely new concept. There are lots of social bookmarking sites used to spread the word about cool things, but it would appear that Pinterest has hooked the more artistic corner of the web thanks to its beautiful design.

Both the full website and the iPhone app present the vast array of social content through a particularly awesome image. A magazine-like layout then entices you to tap further into the ones you like, and find out more about the picture someone has pinned up for the world to see.

The Pinterest network is split up into categories, thankfully, as there seems to be a constant stream of new images getting nailed to your monitor. Indeed, it's often hard to find one again if you don't get it pinned to your private board as soon as you see it. The benefit, of course, is that you can then view it at your leisure and as the app and site use the same account, any pins can be inserted on one and viewed on the other.

That said, it's surprisingly addictive and alluring, browsing through the randomness of the front page. Articles you'd never look at - or even find - during your own surfing expeditions can grab your attention through a great image, and draw you in to learn something or enjoy a branch of entertainment that would normally be outside your circle of attention.

Should someone find themselves collecting a range of images and articles focused around a particular theme, they can create a board that showcases that particular topic. These are where things start to get a bit more specific, and the Pinterest network can become as useful as it is entertaining, should those highlighted slices of the Internet be just what you need.

The app itself simply mimics the full website, which is definitely no bad thing. It also includes the option to bring the iPhone's camera into play and expand a bit on your current activities, so long as there's some form of illustration to go with it that can be pinned to your board.

There's a sneaking suspicion that Pinterest may yet prove to be a fad, but its user base is definitely growing and there's no shortage of content with pin holes in it.

Another small snag is that it's currently invite only, which limits what non-registered members can pin up, but still allows anyone to browse. Presumably this is a technical or beta testing thing, which will only be short lived.

In the meantime, if you're of an artistic and creative mind, and need some inspiration, you should definitely get yourself on the waiting list for free membership. This is a resource that will undoubtedly prove its value eventually.