趋势网讯：[趋势网特约作者 hunterlulu]

Five months ago, I wrote the following things about Pinterest and Topit when I started to use the new upgrowing social bookmarking site - Pinterest. It might seem too out-dated today as we have much more websites like Pinterest in China now, such as meilishuo, mogujie, etc. However, looking back we could still find some forethought within this article:

Pinterest

社保欠缴逾期不缴可罚1至3倍  8岁女孩脑死亡撞人者家长道歉后失联  高校通报有人男扮女装进女生宿舍  

Topit

After I started using Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/ ) , I found it kinda similar with Topit (http://www.topit.me/ ) --a Chinese version of Pinterest I used when Im in China. Their mottoes are similar too--"Pin it" and "Top it".

Firstly, I do like the interface of Pinterest better. It looks more concise and its much easier to handle with all its functions.

Another thing that makes Pinterest better is that its connected with Facebook and Twitter, so that we can easily share our update on Pinterest to our friends in social media, even if they dont join Pinterest. That could somehow explain why Topit is not that well-known among a large amount of internet users, however Pinterest has been popping up among a large user base so quickly and became one of the top 10 social networks. So the connection and cooperation with other social networks should be a key factor in the success of a new social network.

One more thing we should consider is the revenue approaches for this kind of digital bookmarking tools. My impression towards Topit is that this website is full of artsy-fartsy, little connection with marketing or retailing. However, Pinterest is beginning making money from pins! It also has some other practical use, like people use their portfolio on Pinterest to find a job, make plans for their wedding and such things. All these functions make Pinterest a social network with practical use.

And I think these are the areas where Chinese social networking websites could learn from and make improvements.