The estimated reading time for this post is 4 minutes
Pinterest has a treat for you that may become either your favorite treat or one you wish you never discovered. If you’re a fan of opening new tabs, then the Pinterest Tab extension will turn those new tabs into a gallery of stunning photographs. You can take time out of your busy day to appreciate and share the art or you can become so distracted with the beauty of the photo that you forget why you opened the tab in the first place!
Pinterest Tab is an extension for Google Chrome you can add to your browser that brings beauty and functionality to your new tabs. After you add Pinterest Tab you’re greeted with a stunning photo every time you open a new tab and well as helpful information about your day. Seeing the artistry of the photos may give you a peaceful respite from your busy day or could be a complete distraction from the task at hand.
Getting Pinterest Tab
Head to the Chrome store to get Pinterest Tab for free. Click Add to Chrome and then close and re-open Chrome. Now every time you open a new tab you’re greeted with a stunning new photo and information about your day.
You can keep seeing new photos by either opening new tabs or by clicking on the circle arrow icon in the upper right corner of the screen.
Pinterest Tab Topics
You can choose the topics of the Pinterest Tab photos to match your interests. Your options are:
- Cute
- Fashion
- Art
- Travel
- Sports
- Gardening
- People
- Food
- Photography
- Science and nature
- Cats
- Design
- Architecture
- Wild Animals
Sorry, no love for dogs with Pinterest Tabs.
You can change your topics any time. Open a new tab and click on the + sign in the upper right corner of the screen to be shown a choice of topics.
Pinterest Tab Information
The new tab doesn’t just have beauty, it has brains too. New tabs can show you your agenda, temperature and other helpful information.
Pinterest Tab shows you what’s next on your calendar for today or, if you’re unencumbered by appointments today, what’s on the agenda for tomorrow. You can also see the current temperature, the time of the sunrise and sunset, the time and, if you scroll over the time, the date.
You can add your bookmarks bar to the top of the screen in new tabs. Click on the grid of squares icon in the upper right corner of the screen to have your bookmarks bar appear. Click again to have it disappear.
Sharing the Beauty
You easily can be so taken with the beauty of the photos displayed in your new tabs that you want to share them on Pinterest. Good news! Sharing is easy.
Click on the information about the photo in the bottom right corner of the screen. A Pin It box will appear for you to pin the photo to any of your boards.
You can also share the Pinterest Tabs extension with others from this Pin It box.
The Distraction Factor
If you’re easily distracted the Pinterest Tab may help or hurt you. Yes, it’s way too easy to have your thoughts trail off into the photo, especially if you pin it to Pinterest. Don’t blame yourself if you completely forget why you opened the new tab after you’ve seen the photo.
If you’re trying to train yourself not to become distracted, the Pinterest Tab extension actually could be a handy memory tool. You can practice opening new tabs and still trying to concentrate on the task at hand.
One helpful thing to note is that the photos do repeat themselves, especially if you’ve only chosen one or two topics. You don’t have to worry that you’ll never see the photo again if you don’t pin it RIGHT NOW. Chances are that Pinterest Tab will repeat the photo and give you another opportunity to pin it at a later date, perhaps when you’re less busy.
I confess that when I first started using Pinterest Tab, I was so distracted by the photos that I almost uninstalled the extension. But I enjoyed the new photos so much as a break from my hectic days that I became determined to overcome my distractibility and now I rarely become totally lost in the photos in my new tabs.
Pin It Button
Pinterest Tab also adds a Pin It button to your browser toolbar, if you don’t already have one. The Pin It button makes it easier to pin photos from websites you visit.
If you decide you don’t want the Pin It button you can hide it by clicking on the three stacked bars icon in the upper right corner of your toolbar. Click on Settings from the drop-down menu to open Chrome settings. Click on Extensions in the left menu. Scroll down to Pinterest Tab and click Options. Click Hide Pin It Button in the new screen that opens.
Your Thoughts
Would you enjoy the Pinterest Tabs extension? Would you enjoy the beauty of new photos every time you opened a new tab? Would Pinterest Tabs be too much of a distraction for you? Will you try Pinterest Tabs? Let us know in the Comments section below!
_________________________________
Carolyn is away from the Internet making memories to share on Pinterest. She will return to respond to comments on January 5.
BrendaLee says
Ok Carolyn, you sucked me in! This is so very cool that I couldn’t wait to add the extension. Gotta close my browser so I can see some loveliness! 🙂
Happy New Year!
Carolyn Nicander Mohr says
Hi Bren, Yes, this extension is amazing. The photos can be so inspirational, artistic and entertaining. If you want to inject art into your day, Pinterest Tab is a great way to do just that for free!
I hope you let us know how you like Pinterest Tabs after you give it a try, Bren!
Mike Maynard says
Hi Caroline,
I don’t think I’ll try this. I get distracted enough! I sometimes wander over to Pinterest and an hour or two will go by as I add to my collection of artistic images, usually art nouveau. I’m starting photography for beginners next week, starting with the dial on the top of the camera! I have a new idea now and will put Exif information on photos, so readers know exactly what setting I used. I want to ease them into the complicated area of setting apertures, etc. I’m hoping my local newspaper likes this series too.
Carolyn Nicander Mohr says
Hi Mike, Yes, the danger in Pinterest tabs is getting distracted and forgetting why you opened the tab! Those who view Pinterest as a time suck probably might get distracted by this extension, but it’s also a great way to take a break from your work.
I look forward to the day when I see one of your photos in Pinterest tabs, Mike!
Great idea of giving information on the photo settings on your blog, Mike. I look forward to the coming year for your work.
kapil says
I haven’t been able to succeed much on Pinterest. It’s a network, I really couldn’t understand and now I have been reading about it and found your article. It’s really helpful in taking my understanding about Pinterest, a step ahead.
Thanks for such an amazing post.
Carolyn Nicander Mohr says
Hi Kapil, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Yes, Pinterest is a very powerful website that is part social media, part search engine. You can do a lot with Pinterest and gain a broad reach quickly with group boards. I hope you give Pinterest a try again, Kapil.
Alexis Smith says
I always want to register to Pinterest but I’m still thinking if this will be very useful for me. But I’m glad to read this article. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Carolyn Nicander Mohr says
Hi Alexis, Yes, Pinterest can be both fun and useful. I would use Pinterest daily even if it weren’t one of the top sources of traffic to The Wonder of Tech! Pinterest gives me both information and inspiration. I’ve used it to plan many projects, share ideas, discover recipes, learn how to do things and more.
I hope you give Pinterest a try, Alexis!
Aditya Antil says
Hi Carolyn,
It seems like Pinterest started to attract more people with the new year. The idea of a tab is great and I will surely add it to my chrome browser extension. Having a picture every time the new tab is opened is a great thought. Hope to see more from Pinterest in the year ahead.
Have you installed it? If yes, what is your experience about this feature?
Carolyn Nicander Mohr says
Hi Aditya, Yes, I’ve been using Pinterest Tab since the summer and I absolutely love it. I am greeted by a stunning image every time I open a new tab. I use Pinterest every day anyway but I generally pin at least one photo from Pinterest tab daily in addition to my other pinning activity.
I hope you enjoy Pinterest tab, Aditya!