Skip to main content

Pinterest brings followed content front and center with full-width Pin format

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Following the introduction of new shopping tools in October, Pinterest is putting renewed focus on content from people you follow with the move to a single Pin format on the app’s following tab. Pins will now display full-width, putting the content front and center and giving the following feed a look reminiscent of Instagram. This also allows users to navigate to a pinned link with a single tap on the Pin, making the experience even more immediate. The new format is part of the update that rolled out Thursday, November 8 to both iOS and Android users.

As a contrast to the algorithmically sorted home tab, the following tab, launched in March, provides a home for all the Pins from just the users and boards you follow. The home tab is staying put and will still provide a selection of recommend pins from users and boards you don’t follow, but the new tab offers an option to see only the content from users and boards you do. This secondary feed will be part of both the mobile and desktop platforms, accessible on mobile by tapping the new Following icon at the bottom navigation bar.

Recommended Videos

“In talking with Pinners, we found that some people only wanted recommendations, while others liked to curate their feed — and most people wanted both options,” the announcement post reads. “Now you have the choice to get inspired through personalized recommendations in your home feed, or switch over to a tab dedicated to the latest Pins from people you follow.”

The Following feed, Pinterest says, will be largely chronological. The exception? If someone you follow goes on a Pinning spree, those Pins will be broken up so you’re not scrolling through 50 posts from the same person.

Along with the feed of the latest posts from followed users, the following tab also has a shortcut for accessing your list of fellow Pinners. Tapping on the plus icon next to the “From people you follow” option at the top of the screen allows users to see who they are following. From here, you can add new people to follow and find suggested users based on your interests, or delete users you no longer wish to follow.

Hillary K. Grigonis
Hillary never planned on becoming a photographer—and then she was handed a camera at her first writing job and she's been…
How to make a GIF from a YouTube video
woman sitting and using laptop

Sometimes, whether you're chatting with friends or posting on social media, words just aren't enough -- you need a GIF to fully convey your feelings. If there's a moment from a YouTube video that you want to snip into a GIF, the good news is that you don't need complex software to so it. There are now a bunch of ways to make a GIF from a YouTube video right in your browser.

If you want to use desktop software like Photoshop to make a GIF, then you'll need to download the YouTube video first before you can start making a GIF. However, if you don't want to go through that bother then there are several ways you can make a GIF right in your browser, without the need to download anything. That's ideal if you're working with a low-specced laptop or on a phone, as all the processing to make the GIF is done in the cloud rather than on your machine. With these options you can make quick and fun GIFs from YouTube videos in just a few minutes.
Use GIFs.com for great customization
Step 1: Find the YouTube video that you want to turn into a GIF (perhaps a NASA archive?) and copy its URL.

Read more
I paid Meta to ‘verify’ me — here’s what actually happened
An Instagram profile on an iPhone.

In the fall of 2023 I decided to do a little experiment in the height of the “blue check” hysteria. Twitter had shifted from verifying accounts based (more or less) on merit or importance and instead would let users pay for a blue checkmark. That obviously went (and still goes) badly. Meanwhile, Meta opened its own verification service earlier in the year, called Meta Verified.

Mostly aimed at “creators,” Meta Verified costs $15 a month and helps you “establish your account authenticity and help[s] your community know it’s the real us with a verified badge." It also gives you “proactive account protection” to help fight impersonation by (in part) requiring you to use two-factor authentication. You’ll also get direct account support “from a real person,” and exclusive features like stickers and stars.

Read more
Here’s how to delete your YouTube account on any device
How to delete your YouTube account

Wanting to get out of the YouTube business? If you want to delete your YouTube account, all you need to do is go to your YouTube Studio page, go to the Advanced Settings, and follow the section that will guide you to permanently delete your account. If you need help with these steps, or want to do so on a platform that isn't your computer, you can follow the steps below.

Note that the following steps will delete your YouTube channel, not your associated Google account.

Read more