What Does Pinterest Say About Your Town?

Yes, there's yet another social networking site that you should know about, if you don't already. It's called Pinterest, and though it's only two years old, it's already one of the Top 10 social networking sites in the country.

Even if you're already pinning away, you might not know that Pinterest is a great way to see what people are saying (and pinning) about your hometown.

Pinterest describes itself as a way to let you "share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes." Technically, you must be invited to participate, but it's easy to request an invite.

A quick search on Pinterest for West Hartford turns up a series of photos that includes the lighting inside Besito; a map of running trails; a wine label from Restaurant Bricco; and the interior of the East West Grill.

A search for Storrs uncovers a few artistic photos from the UConn campus, and a search for Mansfield shows an old postcard.

The photos of Farmington show scenes from tubing on the Farmington River and historic buildings around town. A search for Granby turns up two photos: one of the old Hesperus Diner and the other a beautiful shot of the Granby Oak.

The photos representing Manchester include a shot of the 18-hole disc golf in Wickham Park, a photo of Corey's Catsup and Mustard menu, and a photo of Camp Merriewood.

Most of the towns in Central Connecticut aren't yet represented on Pinterest, so consider requesting an invitation to get started on your own boards.

Huffington Post blogger Biana Bosker speculates that Pinterest's success relates to Facebook and Twitter fatigue about the minutiae of each other's lives. Pinterest, she says, allows users to share beautiful images and ideas to which they aspire, rather than to talk about how much they need another cup of coffee.

"Pinterest's recent success, which flies in the face of so much speculation about social media fatigue and information overload, holds an important lesson: It's not social media we're frustrated with," Bosker says. "It's with one another."