I had tried, with mixed success, using some of the online portfolio sites and services out there. My concerns with using them included whether they would last and be around when I needed them later, and what they were asking in the way of subscription fees for more than just a basic account.

The process is pretty easy. Simply sign up for a Pinterest account, and set up a board with an appropriate name. I set up one called “Writing Samples,” as well as one called “I Love My Job.” The first one is where I pin all sorts of links and images of my writing, while the second is for pins related to articles I’ve edited for friends and clients, stories I’ve placed for clients and causes I support, etc. 

This approach provides a number of advantages:

-You control what goes on your Pinterest page and boards – and it seems likely that the site will be around for some time, given how popular it is.

-You can post links or images – I suggest posting both, in case a link goes bad at some time.

-Using a scanner, you can scan in and post images of work samples that you did before Pinterest existed.

-Because Pinterest is a visual medium, you can showcase your content the way it appears in its final form, not just as text.

-You can organize your boards and pins in a variety of ways to put similar materials together.

-It’s free, unlike a number of online portfolio services out there.

Once I had drafted this blog entry, I shared it with the colleague who suggested that I write it – he responded, in part:

“With portfolios being so visual, even for writers, Pinterest really does seem like a good tool for it. I have looked at several, and the one I kept coming back to was Scribd. However, the Scribd URLs aren’t always friendly.”

You can find my Pinterest page and the boards I’ve mentioned here at these links: