malarkeyking

Even if it doesn't get hacked, worrying about the possibility of it happening is annoying enough

HA HA! I'm not using FB because people don't interact with me and feel my pain. HOWEVER, please show all of your intimate friends my blog post!

Agreed. I think G+ could beat Facebook here as they don't need to directly monetise the service and can provide more of the platform people want. Whether or not they can get to a tipping point of users however is another question.

It's a joke?

I would also consider paying and for the reasons you mention. However, how much would you pay? i would want the service to be as good as the free alternatives. In order to drive genuine innovation and great features, the site/business would need the resources to attract the top talent. Therefore, would you be prepared to pay enough considering the competition is bankrolled by big advertisers?