Pinterest announced today that the company will begin using paid advertising. The move will allow businesses to pay to have a pin show up at the top of search results or category feeds on the image-centric social network. Pinterest will follow in the steps of Facebook and Twitter by calling the paid advertisements, Promoted Pins.

Ben Silbermann, the company’s CEO and Founder announced the news in a post titled, “Planning for the Future” via the Pinterest blog. Silbermann said these Promoted Pins will be available to a select group of businesses. Silbermann also proactively addressed user concerns stating, “I know some of you may be thinking, ‘Oh great…here come the banner ads.’ But we’re determined to not let that happen.” He went on to promise that Promoted Pins would be tasteful, transparent, relevant, and improved based on user feedback.

What impact do you think Promoted Pins will have on the user experience on Pinterest? Positive or negative? Share in the comments.

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