Pinterest Secret Boards Let Users Collaborate in Private

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Pinterest has introduced secret boards, a place where users can put things that they don't necessarily want to share with others.

To create a secret board, users can scroll down to the bottom of their profiles and click Create a Secret board. Alternatively, they can click Add+ at the top right-hand toolbar and select create a board, then turn the Secret button to on. Each user can create up to three boards.

The company said its secret boards would be ideal for things like a surprise party, gift ideas that users don't want others to know about, or items such as planning for a new baby, for example. But the new feature should also be of interest to marketers, according to Jason Miles, a Pinterest user, consultant and co-author with Karen Lacey of "Pinterest Power," a book that tells companies how to use the new platform for their marketing efforts.

"This is a feature we've been hoping for for a long time," Miles said. He and his wife Cinnamon Miles are co-founders of Liberty Jane clothing, a creator of custom patterned outfits that relies heavily on Pinterest for its marketing and customer acquisition efforts. Cinnamon gives customers an inside look at design ideas she is developing via Pinterest, something she doesn't do over other social media platforms, according to Miles.

Miles said Liberty Jane Clothing sees the most potential in the ability for companies to collaborate with different team members using the secret board feature. "Pinterest has been trying to figure out ways to add value and keep people on the site. It is already working as a collaborative tool, now you can do this in private. This makes a lot of sense. It's an amazing product and they just made it better." Another potential use for the secret boards would be for companies to prepare a product-related board in private and then launch it as a public board, he said.