Brilliant Bloggers is a weekly series here at BlogWorld where we look at the best posts from around the web all surrounding a specific topic. Every week, we’ll feature three of the most brilliant bloggers out there, along with a huge list of more resources where you can learn about the topic. You can see more Brilliant Blogger posts or learn how to submit your link for an upcoming edition here.

This Week’s Topic: Pinterest

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been blogging and tweeting a lot about Pinterest. It’s my latest obsession, and one that I believe has unlimited potential for content creators and business owners. Check out Seven Cool Ways to Use Pinterest and my Pinterest Beginner’s Guide if you haven’t already; then, take some time to read the below Pinterest posts by some of the most brilliant bloggers online.

*Note* Usually, I link everyone’s Twitter handles, but this week, given the topic, I thought it would be an even better idea to link to Pinterest profiles too, when I could find them.

Also, you can find my Pinterest boards here. I pin mostly funny stuff, good blog posts, and craft ideas (plus a mish mosh of other stuff). Leave your Pinterest profile link in a comment below and tell us what you most often pin so we can all connect!

Advice from Brilliant Bloggers:

5 Pinterest Tips for Beginners by Kelby Carr at Type-A Parent

Kelby’s a power user in the world of Pinterest, and she’s currently working a new Dummies book about this network, so her post is a great place to start! If you’re new to Pinterest, this post will help you get going. Upon first glance, Pinterest can look really confusing and hard to learn, but with a little time – and Kelby’s tips – you’ll be addicted in no time!

Pinterest is great to find cool stuff and inspiration, and it’s also great for content creators hoping to drive traffic. Writes Kelby,

If you’re a blogger jumping in, it is probably because you would like to get exposure and traffic as a result. Just like other social networks, you should primarily pin content from other sources or you will look spammy. Still, you can pin your own content on occasion. What is even better, however, is to encourage others to pin your content.

Read the entire post, and then check out Kelby on Twitter (@typeamom) and on Pinterest (kelby).

Pinterest: Behind the Design of an Addictive Visual Network by Lauren Drell on Mashable

One of the best ways to learn about any network or platform is to hear information straight from the horse’s mouth. That’s what you have in this post from Lauren Drell at Mashable – a great interview with one of the co-founders of Pinterest, Evan Sharp. Along with Paul Sciarra and Ben Silbermann, Evan created this social discovery platform as a way for people to visually share things they find interesting, and today, it’s one of the fastest-growing start-ups out there. Check out this complete interview with Evan to learn more. Here’s a snippet:

I was always collecting images on the web in folders on the desktop of my computer, but it wasn’t a very good system for remembering where things came from or who made them. We wanted to create a place where you can go to upload or collect things on the web and simply organize it the way you want to [each with its associated metadata].

You can find Lauren on Twitter @drelly and on Pinterest (drelly).

18 Real-World Examples of How Brands Are Using Pinterest by Sakita Holley at SakitaHolley.com

Pinterest isn’t just for bloggers. This is also an absolutely great platform for brands who want to connect with their audience. Companies like Nordstrom and Whole Foods have been cited often for using Pinterest well, but these aren’t the only companies making awesome use of Pinterest. In this post, Sakita takes a look at 18 brands that really understand how to use Pinterest – and as you can guess, they’re doing more than just promoting their own products. From her post:

I’m always curious to see how brands use various platforms to engage with their customers and fans. So naturally I’ve been scouting for early brand adoption examples on Pinterest, a new website still in its infancy that puts a digital spin on pin boards.

After checking out Sakita’s post, you can find her on Twitter (@MissSuccess) and on Pinterest (misssuccess).

BONUS: I usually only highly three brilliant bloggers and list the rest as links below, but this week, I wanted to also highlight a fourth post, from Dave Copeland (copewrites/@copewrites) at Read Write Web – “A Guy’s Guide To Pinterest.” Most of the posts this week are written by women and the platform itself tips in favor of female users…but that doesn’t mean guy’s can’t use it too! In fact, there are a lot of really cool things guys are pinning on Pinterest, so fellas, don’t be afraid to sign up.

Even More Brilliant Advice:

• 3 Pinterest Tips for Nonprofits by Justin J. Ware (justin_ware/@JustinJWare)
• 3 Tips for Using Pinterest to Its Fullest by Christian D.
• 7 Creative Ways Your Brand Can Use Pinterest by Kaila Strong (cliquekaila/@cliquekaila)
• 9 Tips: Boost Your Business with Pinterest by John Brandon (@jmbrandonbb)
• 10 Tips on Using Pinterest for Your Business by Nancy Messieh (@nfm)
• 15 Tips for Using Pinterest as a Way to Build Your Little Biz by Karen Gunton (karengunton/@karengunton)
• Add a Pin It Button to Blog Posts by Karen (KarenAtHome/@karen_at_home)
• The Business Interest in Pinterest by Fred Campos (fredcamposjr/@FredCamposJr)
• Can Pinterest Save Your Life by Charlotte Andersen
• How and Why to Use Pinterest for Business by John Jantsch (ducttape/@ducttape)
• How To Be A Pinterest Pro by Rachel Kaufman (@rkaufman)
• HOW TO: Get Your Nonprofit Started on Pinterest by Heather Mansfield (nonprofitorgs/@nonprofitorgs)
• How to Make Your Startup Go Viral The Pinterest Way by Steve Cheney (stevecheney/@stevecheney)
• How to Use Pinterest, And Why You Should by Scott Stevens (scottstevensme/@scottstevens)
• How to Use Pinterest Effectively by Lauren Orsini (lauren_orsini/@laureninspace)
• How to Use Pinterest for Local SEO by Chris Silver Smith (argentleaf/@si1very)
• How to Use Pinterest for Your Ecommerce Business by Armando Roggio (roggio/@ecommerceboy)
• How To Use Pinterest To Direct More Traffic To Your Website by Isaiah Cisneroz (isaiahcisneroz/@Isaiah_Cisneroz)
• How to use Pinterest’s pinboard for the Web by Mark W. Smith (markwsmith/@markdubya)
• More Tips and Tricks for Companies and Brands Using Pinterest by Sarah Powell-Henning (spowell4/@spowellhenning)
• Pinterest: 13 Tips and Tricks for Cutting Edge Users by Stephanie Buck (stephmbuck/@StephMBuck)
• Pinterest: How to Use It & How to Love It by Allison Czarnecki (petit_elefant/@petit_elefant)
• Pinterest: Is it a Social Media Marketing tool? by Kate Wilber (marketingmomma/@MommaMarketing)
• Pinterest: More Tips and Tricks and FAQ by Megan Tietz (megan_tietz/@SortaCrunchy)
• Pinterest Tips & Tricks by Veanad (veanad/@veanad)
• Pinterest Tips for Photographers and Other Visual People by Andrea Walker (@walkerparkmedia)
• Pinterest: What it is, how to use it and why you’ll be addicted by Katie Kavulla (katiekavulla/@being_katie)
• Pinterest with Friends: How To Contribute & Curate Boards Together! by Amanda (oohamanda/@oohamanda)
• Top 5 Tips for Brands on Pinterest by Parneet Gosal (parneetg/@parneetg)
• The Power of Pinterest by Cassie Boorn (cassieboorn/@cassieboorn)
• What is Pinterest by Tech Talk for Moms

Did I miss your post or a post by someone you know about Pinterest? Unintentional! Help me out by leaving a comment below with the link

Next Week’s Topic: Public Speaking

I’d love to include a link to your post next week – and if you head to the Brilliant Bloggers Schedule, you can see even more upcoming posts. We all have something to learn from one another, so please don’t be shy! Head to the schedule today to learn how to submit your post so I won’t miss it.