Privacy is a BIG idea for online communication and sharing.
Facebook wants to stay within certain boundaries, Google wants to stay within certain boundaries…
But a good point came up in a video… said by David Cho, CEO of Sidebark… in this Keen On video.
How can a company say that privacy matters if it sells eyeballs and data to advertisers?
Well?
Let’s talk about tools for a minute…
Pinterest is a tool. Facebook is a tool. Twitter is a tool.
In terms of ANY social media site, connection site, pic-posting site etc… that’s all they are, tools. Nothing more, nothing less. The success of your business is NOT dependent on the use of these tools, although you should consider using the appropriate tools for your business.
In short, these are tools that connect you and your business with people who could potentially need what your business offers. You DO NOT have to use them all, you DO NOT have to use the “latest” one that came out (please ignore the tech geeks and their relentless Pinterest posts).
You ONLY have to use the tools that are appropriate for your business.
A photographer might use Pinterest to pin photos they took, and photos of others…
An artist might use Tumblr to show off their work, and save money on the cost of a website (although they should create their own website as soon as possible to avoid putting their eggs into one basket).
If you want a more robust set of tools connected to a host account, you might use Google Plus (again, don’t put your eggs in one basket like some geeks are suggesting).
And on, and on… decide which tools are best for your business (might only be one)… but you DO NOT have to use them all.
You don’t need a wheel changer to build a house.
Good Lord.
If you’ve been listening to the “hype” lately… there are prominent bloggers and other tech journalists suggesting you give up your website and make Google Plus your website.
Fuck that.
Instead follow the advice given in this thread.
Never, and I mean never, blindly follow the advice of a bunch of techies and geeks to market your business. Research what they are doing if you want to, but don’t fall for the hype and hail mary approach of shifting your entire business to another platform… or your business could fail as a result.
EDIT 01/18/2012: A great resource from Copyblogger, and a viewpoint I happen to agree with is here. You should use Google+ for sharing your valuable content and discussions as pointed out there, but not as a replacement for your website.
Always keep your own website, where you can play by your own rules (so long as your webhost and the Internet itself exist any how). Aggregate content onto other sites (tools, that’s all they are, tools… not website replacements).
And, a big takeaway here is direct marketing offline doesn’t use Google or any of those tools, always remember that. 
Nothing is dead, and everything you use is just a tool (even your website)… always remember that.
Yes, the Internet has certainly added a bunch of tools to your marketing toolbox, and changed the way people interact and connect… but your business is yours…not the tech journalists and geeks.
So focus on marketing your business…not the tools themselves. Use the tools you want to (Google Plus, Facebook, Twitter, mobile, direct mail, TV advertising, magazines, newspapers etc…)… not the tools someone picks for you.
Nothing is dead or dying (in terms of media form), media forms only evolve, there’s nothing to see here people… move along. 
5 10 suggestions you can implement now while adding people to your circles in G+ (to encourage a possible “follow back”):
1) Share your posts (don’t make me have to add you to circles first to see what you’re sharing) — I like to see what kind of content you’re sharing.
2) Share interesting content — Personally, I like when people share more that just their own stuff…share interesting news, tips, or other content (even funny stuff).
3) If you’re part of an MLM, that’s cool…but don’t make every single post in your profile an advertisement why I should join your MLM.
4) Sharing some affiliate links is cool too…so long as you’re also sharing discussion and valuable content along with them.
5) Start a discussion or two (three, four, etc…). I like to read (and sometimes share) other people’s opinions on stuff.
6) Create more circles to establish “reading” channels of content and groups of people you specifically want to listen to. For example I have a “Writers” circle and a “Thought Leaders” circle which I add certain people to when I want to read content in those areas. Doesn’t work perfectly, but it segments content fairly well.
7) Don’t be afraid to “Block” those you don’t want in your circles, there are no laws stating you MUST follow back.
8. Share and +1 the “good stuff” in your opinion…frequently. You’ll attract the attention of other people who may add you to their circles when you do this.
9) Investigate the “Sparks” function of Google Plus. You can set up different streams of news stories from different topics while +1 and sharing those stories with your own circles.
10) Quit worrying about whether or not G+ is going to take over Facebook…use it while you can (hopefully long-term) and just have fun with it while it’s available. All the hype about this G+ thing is just that…hype from geeks (like me).
Let’s keep this Google + thing growing. Want to join my circles? Click here.
You no longer need an invitation to join what will probably be THE social network upcoming (so long as Google keeps up with itself, LOL).
Click here to join Google Plus.
If you want to join my Circles click here instead.
And, a funny thing is… some people think G+ is dead already (ROFL, ummm no).
Click here for your Google Plus invite (I have 150 to give away)
Please be patient…sometimes they work, and sometimes they don’t.
Enjoy your new social network.
Ok, so by invitation, Google Plus comes out (at the time I’m writing this, the invitations are at capacity).
It’s said to be a “Facebook Killer”, and I imagine there will be a boat load of posts and other media around whether or not it will live up to that potential.
Blah, blah, blah…another social media tool has hit the scene…so what?
Will your business really survive or die whether or not you use Google Plus, Facebook, Twitter or any other tool?
And if your business success is predicated on the use of a single tool…shouldn’t you rethink your marketing strategy?
It’s another tool folks…that’s all.
The bottom line is, will using this tool be effective within your business strategy overall?
(ummm…social media is used for a lot more than just marketing people…there’s customer service, sales, and others)
So instead of “just signing up” to Google Plus because it’s the next big shiny object…find out for yourself if it will actually fit in with your business strategy somewhere.
Maybe you don’t need it, maybe you do. But what if it ends up like Wave, Orkut, etc…? Then using it because it’s “new” might not sound like a good use of your time will it?
Think about this today.