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Pinterest scraps invite-only policy, opens to all

Image-based social networking site Pinterest has relaxed its invitation-only policy and opened up the site for all to register.

When the site launched in 2010, new users had to be invited to become members and ‘pin’ online images onto Pinterest’s virtual boards. It quickly became the fastest-growing site ever, surpassing the 10 million users mark within nine months.

By April 2012, Pinterest had 107 million visits per month, placing it as the third most visited social network behind social giants Facebook and Twitter, according to Experian.

Having now opened registration to the public, anyone can sign up via Twitter, Facebook or simply with an email address. Pinterest is an online pinboard that allows users to share images, videos and various other objects that interest them. 

Although in the past Pinterest has experimented with different ways to make money from the site, it is yet to disclose its commercial plan.

“We’re really excited to have the capacity to offer Pinterest to more people and if you’re a Pinner with friends who’ve been waiting on the sidelines, we hope you’ll let them know. Happy pinning to everyone!” read a statement on Pinterest’s blog.

As of May this year, Pinterest had achieved 4377% year-on-year growth, according to Comscore. In June 2011 the site had 1.2 million unique users globally, jumping to 31.2 million a year later.

Fashion and recipes have quickly become popular topics on the site and the number of female users outnumbers males with a 60:40 ratio, according to Experian.

The move comes just months after Pinterest secured a $100m investment in a funding round led by Japanese online marketplace Rakuten.

Jenni Baker, London