Google +: What Does It Really “Add”?

“It is a tremendous responsibility for us to have all the eyes focused on what we do and give people exactly what they need when they ask for it.” -Larry Page CEO/Co-Founder Google

In the world of social media, proposals come and go. Many different products, social media frameworks, and branding designs are written up and explained all across the nation, but many of them never get passed the first meeting. So, what makes Google + stand out and where is really headed?

First, what makes them stand out? We can start by outlining the pros and cons, or what I like to call the “additives” and “subtractives”:

The “ADDitives” of Google +

• In less than one day the Google+ iPhone app became the most popular free application in the Apple App store
• It is gaining 625,000 users per day
• Google “+1″ button is served more than 5 billion times daily
• Top Occupation of Users is “Student’s”
• Top US Locations include New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago

The “Subtractives” of Google +

• The average post has less than one +1, less than one reply, and less than one
• re-share.
• 30% of users who make a public post never make a second one. Even after making five public posts, there is a 15% chance that a user will not post publicly again.
• Among users who make publicly-viewable posts, there is an average of 12 days between each post

They are filling the gaps left by Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn by integrating “Circles” as well as group video “Hangouts.”