For once in my life I’m skeptical. And for you die-hard Pinterest fans, I hope you’ll bear with me as I explain my current disinterest in Pinterest.
I can’t get my sister-in-law to interact with me on Facebook. But she freaking LOVES Pinterest. And has been trying to get me to use it for a couple of months. And given the recent chatter on Social Media Today, I finally broke down this past Saturday and joined using my Facebook account to establish my Pinterest profile.
Over the course of the weekend, I noticed that I was receiving e-mails that “so and so” was now following me on Pinterest. At first I thought, WOW, I’m super popular. But then reality set in and I decided to see what was up. A quick call to my sister-in-law let me know that she received an e-mail that I was now following her on Pinterest and so she followed me back. My reaction? Wow, I never asked to follow you. In fact, I didn’t ask to follow anybody.
It turns out that when I used my Facebook account to create my profile, Pinterest accessed my personal information to automatically have me start following common connections. In my book, Pinterest broke a basic tenet of online privacy: to not invasively use my online information.
Connecting your Facebook account should either be an easier method for authentication (verifying identity) or to suggest friends to follow. I appreciate the ease of use that Pinterest is attempting to provide, but when it comes to deciding whom I follow—or not—that should be at my discretion, exercised manually. Additionally, while the Pinterest Privacy Disclosure does mention the use of personal information from Facebook to create a Pinterest account, it does not explicitly mention that it would be using that information to predetermine my followees. (You also have the option to establish your profile using your Twitter account, which does not trigger auto-follow, I’m told.)
A quick Google search shows me that other individuals have encountered this same issue:
“wow, Pinterest, really bad behavior you don’t make me automatically follow people without telling me just from signing up”
Adam Fick, Twitter“The warning that I will give out about Pinterest is that they are not very good at maintaining your privacy when it comes to respecting your wishes about how much they share from your other social networking sites (you have to use Facebook to open an account).”
— How to Unfollow People on Pinterest, Infobarrel“I thought pinterest would be a cool way for me to categorize great content from webpages so I could stop emailing links to myself. I thought my page would be a nice blend of my and other nerds’ (whom I followed by choice) repositories of great info. As it turns out, I’m now following 78 women and 3 men against my will.”
“Pinterest has really bad privacy settings (or none) and I hate that. If you find a forum for pinning photos or links, that is private (like as private as an email account or something of that nature) let me know. I don’t like the automatic follow and following. I don’t like that I can’t link to articles, as well as, photos. I would like to use it as my own personal links library, not as another social media platform.”
— So, let me tell you why I dislike Pinterest…and how to unfollow people on Pinterest, Josh’s Blog
In today’s world online privacy is critical. So here are some quick suggestions that I have for Pinterest:
- Use Facebook information to suggest friends to follow, but do not automatically follow them on my behalf.
- Create privacy settings as there currently are none. At a minimum, I should be able to create contributor groups and then establish individual viewing permissions for each of my boards for those groups.
- Establish a method that allows people to unfollow connections in bulk. Currently, you have to unfollow people individually.
- Err on the side of restricting information first and then allow the user to decide what information should be shared.
Online privacy is difficult to manage and I don’t envy budding social networks like Pinterest because they have many factors to consider. The relation between privacy and a person’s social network is multi-faceted. In certain occasions we want information about ourselves to be known only by a small circle of close friends, and not by strangers. In other instances, we are willing to reveal personal information to anonymous strangers, but not to those who know us better. (Information Revelation and Privacy in Online Networks, Carnegie Mellon University)
This is a painful lesson that Facebook learned: the importance of user-controlled privacy settings. Many people have voiced frustration as Facebook has released new versions. But the value in what they’ve done is that they’ve become the only site that allows you to personalize who and what people see all the way down to the individual news items or even individual photos in your albums. It’s been worth the pain for me.
It is absolutely not my intent to lessen the current excitement and chatter Pinterest has been generating, or the value that it introduces to the social networking community. But I think it’s important to call out the importance of online privacy. And please, don’t get me wrong. I’m still really excited about the possibilities of Pinterest. But, unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance to really try it out because I’m currently in the tedious process of unfollowing people.. one by one.
For a social media geek you could say that I don’t necessarily adhere to traditional views on privacy. I say this because I’m “out there.” EVERYWHERE. In fact, when I usually bring up online privacy, most people who know me have a “YOU are talking about privacy??” reaction. But here’s the thing. I care about online privacy because I’m so out there and it’s critical that I have the ability to personalize and control what information I share and with whom I share it.
I’m interested in knowing if anyone else had a similar experience? And I’m also interested in collecting more online privacy control suggestions for Pinterest from those people who have actively been using it. Please feel free to post your comments below.
Best,
Elizabeth
Moreover, when people are able to overcome their anxiety,
their despondency disappears as well. Generally individuals are given a couple of different and usually conflicting medicinal drugs to
manage the symptoms. Hence, the moment that you feel and observe a impending panic
attack driving your car then you have to immediately pull
over the side road and stop the car to avoid disaster and placing
your life, and the life of your passengers, at risk.
Pingback: 292 Pinterest Posts Worth Reading | Straight North Internet Marketing Blog
I am not sure where you’re getting your information, but good topic. I needs to spend some time learning much more or understanding more. Thank you for excellent info I used to be on the lookout for this info for my mission.
Hi! My wife and I often publish guest articles or blog posts for other website owners to help increase
publicity to our work, as well as provide good content to
site owners. It’s a win win situation! If you are interested feel free to e-mail me at: michelle.townes@gmail.com so we may talk further. Cheers!
Hi just came upon your website from Google after I typed in, “Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should “Binterested”” or something similar (can’t quite remember exactly). Anyways, I’m delighted I found it simply because your subject material is exactly what I’m searching for (writing a college paper) and I hope you don’t mind if
I gather some information from here and I will of course credit
you as the reference. Many thanks.
Hey there would you mind letting me know which webhost you’re using? I’ve loaded your blog in 3 completely different internet browsers
and I must say this blog loads a lot faster then most. Can you suggest a good internet hosting provider at a honest price?
Thank you, I appreciate it!
I’m curious to find out what blog system you’re utilizing?
I’m experiencing some small security problems with my latest blog and I’d like to find something
more safeguarded. Do you have any recommendations?
Thanks for ones marvelous posting! I really enjoyed
reading it, you may be a great author. I will make sure to bookmark your
blog and will come back in the future. I want to encourage you to ultimately continue
your great writing, have a nice weekend!
Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should "Binterested" http://t.co/cT4m4R7n
Would love to get into to @Pinterest but can't get over this – Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should "Binterested" – http://t.co/hhcf9QEj.
Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should "Binterested": http://t.co/vupeKBt6
RT @socialworkplace: Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should "Binterested" http://t.co/b0DwWmeH
My experience too. Not good! RT @socialworkplace: Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should "Binterested" http://t.co/kekIeYNV
Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should http://t.co/imvWl0jS via @socialworkplace
Pingback: Pinterest and Your Privacy | LOHAD - random rumblings on marketing and more
Not happy with @pinterest when I discovered that I was following people I didn't even know automatically. More here: http://t.co/ZMHnQUfV
Glad I joined via Twitter instead of Facebook. Great article on Pinterest and Online Privacy: http://t.co/1eCYhYG5
@habitspark They take some liberties without full disclosure. More here: http://t.co/0sRZ6laT
Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should “Binterested” http://t.co/2u3LZVN1 via @SocialWorkplace #pinterest @pinterest
Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should “Binterested” http://t.co/DpxYAPwn
Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should “Binterested” http://t.co/Arem6UqS via @SocialWorkplace makes u think
(cont.) @pinterest fwiw, this article is spot on http://t.co/njtUzIv6
I had to delete my pinterest account; one I did not have for very long. A stranger started following all my pins and boards. Of course when that happened I wondered who she was and went to her page. I found boards that contained very disturbing sexual images. Of course, I did not want to be associated with her in any way. It was then that I found out I had no privacy controls whatsoever. I wanted to block her, but could not.
I simply wanted to use pinterest to keep track of my gardening interests. I loved it for this. Yet, here I was connected to someone who uses pinterest for something very different. And I had no right to remove her from following me.
Bad news pinterest.
Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should “Binterested” http://t.co/EfCGVenw
I have actually thought about this a lot lately with people crying about privacy all over the internet. Then turning right around and posting all kinds of private information on the net. Its a free service for crying out loud what did you expect they were going to do with the information? Now with that being said, there was a lesson to learn when Facebook and Google had to change their privacy terms and conditions and this new network should implement privacy controls in their system, if anything just to avoid all the negative people who only use it to complain about it.
Your point is well taken. However, my issue is that there are no OPTIONS to control what you display and to whom you display it. I think if Facebook had approached online privacy using your simple solution then it never would have grown as a community the way it is today. For example, I receive an e-mail that includes 300 recipients. But does that mean I want to automatically reply-all to all 300 of those recipients? No. It’s nice to have the ability to pick and choose who I reply to or communicate with. Likewise for my participation in online communities.
Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should “Binterested” – http://t.co/OWZsMFDl #socialmedia
Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should “Binterested” http://t.co/GVtZom1J via @SocialWorkplace
Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should “Binterested” http://t.co/NpMQCB1v
#Online #Privacy en waarom #Pinterest Should “Binterested” wanneer u oa via #Facebook inlogt http://t.co/kiCVb2QI
Reading: Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should “Binterested” http://t.co/6hRMh8FE via @SocialWorkplace
Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should “Binterested” http://t.co/c81ktFs3
Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should “Binterested” http://t.co/2kvhC5W9 via @SocialWorkplace
Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should “Binterested” http://t.co/E1W7pG90 via @SocialWorkplace
RT @RomainPouzol RT @privacychoice @Pinterest fail – Online #Privacy and Why Pinterest Should “Binterested” http://t.co/Z8CMzjge
RT @privacychoice: Ah, that explains it – @Pinterest fail – Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should “Binterested” http://t.co/rCmcgy6m
Ah, that explains it – @Pinterest fail – Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should “Binterested” http://t.co/wQOyx9Q2
Ah, that explains it – @Pinterest fail – Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should “Binterested” http://t.co/wQOyx9Q2
Ah, that explains it – @Pinterest fail – Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should “Binterested” http://t.co/wQOyx9Q2
Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should “Binterested”: http://t.co/RJs8xcOn #pinterest #privacy #socialmedia
Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should “Binterested”: http://t.co/RJs8xcOn #pinterest #privacy #socialmedia
Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should “Binterested” http://t.co/UQRZxQKT love this from @socialworkplace
Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should “Binterested”: http://t.co/RJs8xcOn #pinterest #privacy #socialmedia
RT @britopian: Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should “Binterested” http://t.co/SkSlFM4h love this from @socialworkplace
Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should “Binterested” http://t.co/UQRZxQKT love this from @socialworkplace
Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should “Binterested” http://t.co/UQRZxQKT love this from @socialworkplace
Popularity brings attention to chinks in armor – Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should “Binterested” http://t.co/7iYswD0b @SocialWorkplace
Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should “Binterested” http://t.co/2GLpCWGA
Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should “Binterested” http://t.co/LkGXtLjx
Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should “Binterested” http://t.co/9Yqq98F2 #leadership
Online Privacy and Why Pinterest Should “Binterested” http://t.co/28pwOZHo #leadership
Comments are closed.