Google+ Predicted to Heavily Increase in Users by End of 2012
December 30, 2011
By Jordan Eggers, Contributing Writer
U.S. analysts predict that Google (News - Alert)+ will grow to more than 400 million users by the end of 2012. Although impressive it’s still a large gap between Facebook’s current 800 million active users.
Paul Allen, Google+ unofficial statistician and Ancestry.com founder, noted that from Dec. 1 to Dec. 27 Google+ added nearly 12 million new users to its roster. Allen also goes on to state that Google+ is seeing 625,000 new users every day.
“It may be the holidays, the TV commercials, the Android (News - Alert) 4 signups, celebrity and brand appeal, or positive word of mouth or a combinations of all these factors, but there is no question that the number of new users signing up for Google+ each day has accelerated markedly in the past several weeks.”
However, even as Google+ grows to a now 62 million user database, Facebook (News - Alert) is still the world’s largest social networking site.
“Facebook currently has more than 800 million active users. With a world population having just passed the 7 billion barrier, that would mean that around 11 percent of people on Earth are on Facebook,” said Pingdom, a Market Analyst firm.
According to a report by Computerworld, Google and Facebook will begin going head-to-head in a battle to be the number one social networking site. As they compete both companies are hoping to obtain the large advertising money that comes with being on top.
As of right now many believe Facebook is looking to possibly file for an Initial Public Offering in the first half of 2012. “The big moment will be Facebook’s IPO,” said Patrick Moorhead, an analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy. “This will define whether Facebook has the resources to hold off Google. A strong IPO would make Facebook a peer. And a more-focused Google could take Facebook out if the IPO fails. So it all hinges on a successful IPO.”
For some Google+ has been either a hit or miss as reviews have stated it can be confusing to navigate at first and what’s the point of creating a new social site for yourself when one already exist. Although, Google+ offers similar features to Facebook, right off the bat, they don’t have Facebook’s new hit Timeline (News - Alert).
Besides even if they did create their own Timeline the site hasn’t been around long enough to make any impact on users. Regardless there are still users who enjoy Google+ and the service it offers including Tom Anderson, Myspace cofounder and 14th most popular Google+ user.
In an article from PC World, they noted Anderson recently wrote in a post, “Google+ really seems to be primed to make good on that original premise – that everything gets better when it’s social,” adding, “And unlike Facebook, Twitter (News - Alert), or anyone else, Google already has the most advanced set of products.”
As more users sign up for Google+, it’s clear they will make an impact in the social networking world, especially if they reach 400 million, but for now it’s obvious Facebook will remain the head honcho.
Jordan Eggers has five years of writing experience and has written pieces for various print outlets and websites. Currently living abroad, she is working as a freelance writer and enjoys keeping up-to-date on everything new happening in technology.Edited by Jennifer Russell