One of the leading social networks has introduced a new feature in an attempt to widen its user base.
With 71% of its members being female, Pinterest is hoping that new search options will help it to attract more men to the social platform.
Rather than the more traditional news feeds of Twitter and Facebook, users ‘pin’ items such as images and videos onto ‘pinboards’, which other members can then browse. This is designed to allow the user to create a personalised media platform.
However, uptake amongst males has been slow, with many viewing the platform as a female-orientated social network. While Pinterest is one of the few platforms not dominated by men, it is enacting changes to its search algorithms to help users find more relevant content. This, it is believed by some commentators, is a step towards enticing more male users to the service.
Before Guided Search, which allows for the site’s members to tailor query results, men searching on the platform would have been inundated with results for female products. For example, if they were looking for pins about ‘hair tips’, men would have been shown examples of women’s hair, rather than pointers on male grooming.
However, now the platform is designed to recognise that the user may be searching for results more in line with their profile and site experience. As such, if men are using Guided Search, the queries will deliver more pins from other men. According to an engineer at Pinterest, Pei Yin, this should help all users to be able to find what they are looking for.
People will also still be able to tweak results, for example, if they are looking for gifts.
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