Pinterest has renamed a defining feature on its platform in order to make itself more accessible to international users.
The integral “Pin It” button that was used to save pins on the social bookmarking site has been pragmatically renamed so as not to confuse new users. In its place is the all-new “Save button, which boasts the same function in a new, utilitarian guise.
The move makes sense seeing as Pinterest refers to itself as the “save button for the internet,” in reference to its core experience, which allows users to compile information from around the web (whether recipes, articles, or project ideas) in the form of visual bookmarks. This most fundamental of tasks was, until now, achieved through the use of the Pin It button, which users could also add to their browser of choice to take with them on their web-surfing adventures.
Anyone who thinks this is a small word change probably doesn’t use Pinterest. In the platform’s own words the Pin It button is a “huge part of the Pinterest experience.”
Looking back at similar changes made by other social networking sites, it is evident that what may seem to outsiders as the minor reworking of a feature, is treated a lot more seriously by frequent users. Twitter was lambasted by its loyal fan base when it changed its “Favorite” button — a tool also used by some to simply bookmark interesting tweets — into a heart-shaped “Like” button. Meanwhile, Facebook’s recent decision to broaden its like button to include reactions has reportedly been ignored by many of its 1.65 billion users. Will the Pinterest Save button suffer the same fate? Probably not.
Comparatively speaking, the Save button offers a more precise function than the aforementioned features. It serves a simple, yet crucial purpose, within the Pinterest framework. And, according to the platform, it is already a success.
Having tested the new name over the past few months, Pinterest claims that it resulted in more pinners saving ideas on the site. In particular, it led to an increase in activity from outside of the U.S.
“We have a lot of love for our Pin It button, which has served us well for so long,” Pinterest said in a blog post. “But the most important thing is for Pinterest to feel welcoming to everyone, and that’s why ultimately we went with the more understandable Save.”
Alongside the name change, Pinterest has also announced some modifications to the pins themselves. Users will now be able to see all the boards people have saved a selected pin to across the platform, allowing for the discovery of new and related pins.
