Pinterest is a website that lets you collect and organize interesting stuff you find on the web.  You can create boards of that stuff centered around various topics, like a wedding board, a food recipe board, or a gardening board.  And of course, you can browse all the cool boards other people have created.

I think Pinterest is going to be big in 2012, mostly because use of the site has spread to the non-tech people in my life.  What I call “real people“.  I think there are 3 reasons why Pinterest is going to be big in 2012.

1. Real people use it.

My sister in law is the first person I knew that used Pinterest.  I had heard of the site previously but didn’t personally know anybody outside traditional tech circles using the site.

She was always (still is) browsing the site finding cool DIY craft ideas.  That has since spread to my wife, who found an idea on the site for a beautiful snowman Christmas ornament which uses our 16 month old’s hand as the snowmen.  She and our son made the ornaments for a bunch of family members this Christmas.

Come Christmas Eve, my brother’s girlfriend passes out coasters and mugs she made from an idea she found on Pinterest.

Real people are using Pinterest.  Not just tech bloggers who live in the valley or social media experts who try every shiny new website that comes their way.

2. Has real world, practical uses.

Pinterest is full of ideas that can be implemented in a real life.  Some people are sharing ideas for their gardens, while others are discovering new fashion styles, browsing cool designs for the wedding invitations, and finding new recipes to cook.

This isn’t virtual currency being used to harvest crops on a virtual farm.  These gardens, clothes, and weddings are very real, and the value people get from using Pinterest is very real as well.

Pinterest can be another tool in the toolbox for people who are doing any number of activities in their daily lives, including planning their wedding, constructing additions to their home, creating homemade gifts, cooking dinner, and more.  These are all practical uses.

3. Has ways to monetize.

One look at the front page of Pinterest and it’s clear a majority of the sites users are female. This naturally creates ways to monetize the site as females are often marketed to and sought out by big brands of all kinds.  Just last month, Pinterest partnered with Lands’ End for a “Pin It To Win It” contest.

I see more opportunities popping up like this for Pinterest as the site is very visual and lends itself well to curating content from favorite brands, foods, celebrities, etc.  I think we’ll see the site get creative in 2012 with ways to monetize the site while at the same time taking care of its enthusiastic community.