I’ve been out of the loop for more than a few months but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been listening to the buzz about Pinterest. I’ve stuck my feet in the water and have determined that it’s a visual social site. It’s all about the pictures and the action those pictures invoke, resulting in “pins” on boards. It’s an interesting concept that seems to have taken off and is boasting the title of “the fastest growing social media site”.

It’s no surprise that colleges have jumped on the bandwagon, posting pictures of their campuses to attract incoming students. However, collected data from comScore shows that the average 18-to-24 year old college student is not listed at the top of the list of visitors using Pinterest, falling behind the age group of 25-to-34 years. That hasn’t stopped colleges from getting on board and “pinning” everything from student activities to dorm room photos.

Here are just a few examples of some colleges who have taken the plunge:

The University of Washington’s Athletic Department has their own “Huskies” account, pinning everything from “The Best 4 Years of Your Life” to “Party Like a Husky” to “Huskies in Hollywood”.

Rutgers University has an account specifically directed to the interested applicants. Some of their boards include: Rutgers Traditions, Where “R” We?, Study Abroad and Notable Alumni.

University of South Carolina appears to be relatively new to Pinterest, but has started with pins related to their campus, sports activities and South Carolina events.

My personal favorite, however, was passed along to me by the parents of an incoming freshman to the University of Wisconsin. That college has set up a page for parents, perhaps the smartest use of Pinterest to date by a university, especially since a large number of Pinterest users are the parents (moms) of those college-bound teens.

If you’re interested, take a peek at these colleges and do your own search for the colleges that interest your student. Whether you like Pinterest or not, you have to give kudos to the colleges who are embracing this new technology. Only time will tell if it’s an effective tool to attract new students and/or inform parents.