Google+ is growing like crazy
by Volker Weber
The social graph on Google+ is growing at an enormous rate. In the first four days between June 30 and July 4, 380 people put me in their circles. Another eight days later, and that number is at 1500. That means it almost doubled every two days. It has already surpassed my contacts on Facebook by more than 50 percent, and it will soon pass the number of Twitter followers that accumulated over years. I am pretty sure most of them are dormant accounts anyway. From reactions to tweets I assume that only one in five is active.
While the total number of users seems to be doubling every four days, the growth in my social graph is going to level off soon. I just don't know that many people. Google is not publishing any numbers, but over the weekend there was talk of 5 million, then 10 million today, with 20 million by the end of the week.
Interactions on G+ are great. Growth is tremendous. Looks like the eye of a perfect storm.
Comments
I'm interested to see where it is in 6 months. Right now, there's a lot of buzz & people are checking it out, but I don't think the "typical" Facebook user will stick around there.
Quite possible. Which I would not see as a problem. As long as Google search rocks, it will draw people here.
In how far draws Google search to Google+?
My impression is that it is still only the usual "early adopters" who are moving.
Of my FB contacts, the only ones who have moved to Google+ yet are you and Urs. Most people won't move until more of their existing contacts do. Of course, then the signal to noise ratio on Google+ may well be more like that on FB.
The big positive thing on Google+ at the moment is the lack of silly apps that broadcast unintended messages to everyone in your address book. I am hopeful that that is a fundamental change that Google won't let disappear.
John, that's the nature of early adopters, isn't it? They adopt stuff early.
I agree with John, I don't see significant momentum in the area of "John Doe" like end users. They just don't see an added value and of course they don't see it when their folks are not there.
Nonetheless, I appreciate having these figures above because I know now that there's at least 10 to 20 million geeks in the world ;)...
I checked it out but I just don't see any major use for it, I've already uninstalled the Google+ app from my phone.
I have Facebook to keep contact with friends and family. I have twitter as an outlet to the public/acquaintances who may be interested in what I have to say which links to my blog when I have too many words.
Google+ appears to fill a gap for those people who add what I would deem "acquaintances", not friends, to their Facebook. Maybe people they have never met or people who are active in the same communities and they exchanged business cards at a conference or event. It allows you to link to them without actually have to officially be their friend. These people have never had a place for me on Facebook, I try to restrict my friends there to people whom I would happily invite over for dinner.
As you say above, Volker, "I just don't know that many people" - if so, why would you want a tool that enables you to link to them? Or do you see it more like website hit tracking, only with easily identifiable readers?
I set it up, put you in a circle, and now I'm scratching my head wondering what on Earth the point is. It just feels... unnecessary.
Until it reaches critical mass, which despite vowe's impressive personal "circle statistics" it clearly hasn't for normal users, it really isn't very useful.
For the moment I will keep my FB account and see how things develop. If enough of my FB contacts move, I would definitely switch if Google+ remains free of the "malware" apps that are such a pain in FB.
Charles and John, we will be waiting for you. :-)
I am sure there are many millions google search and gmail users out there not interested in fb and twitter but now considering google plus for a first time experience. Personally I don't use fb and twitter but google plus has a new quality and therefore is an option.
Funny, Google+ tells me they are testing with limited people and I have to wait...
