Having a public profile shouldn't mean making your whole life public. A photograph for your family and a piece of writing for anyone who is interested need different audiences.
Choose public when anyone should be able to read a post, friends for the people you've befriended, or circles for a smaller group. You can write for the people you have in mind instead of making every detail suitable for the largest possible audience.
A profile can help old friends find you without turning every conversation into a public page. TouchGrass has discovery and search-indexing settings alongside post audiences. Decide what you want people to find, then choose who can read what you share.
Connecting with another social network doesn't automatically make your personal posts public. Public posts can travel publicly; sharing friends or circle posts across networks requires your choice for that audience. Staying connected should respect the distinction you made when you posted.
