Google+ user base growing, threatens Facebook

Social media juggernaut Facebook called out Google+ as one of its major competitors, even as an analyst said this week that Google's social network project now has over 100 million members —and growing.

 

Paul Allen, Google+'s "unofficial statistician," said Google+ membership may have grown more than 10 percent since Jan. 19, when Google CEO Larry Page claimed 90 million users.

 

"I think it’s noteworthy that Google+ membership has grown more than 10 percent since Jan. 19th when Larry Page announced 90 million users. I have them at 100.8 million users by the end of the day," he said in a Google+ post Thursday, Manila time.

 

Allen made the claim amidst news of social networking giant Facebook's initial public offering (IPO).

 

Threat to Facebook?

 

He said Google+ membership had been growing by more than 750,000 new users per day since Jan. 19, based on analysis of users with hundreds of different surnames.

 

If that rate holds steady, Google+ will end the year with 345 million users —still less than half the 800-million user base of Facebook, he said.

 

Nevertheless, according to Mashable's overview of Facebook's SEC filing, the social media giant clearly cited Google as one of its major competitors.

 

'Many dials and levers'

 

Allen said Google has many dials and levers to use this year to increase signups and usage of Google+, including its Android 4.0 rollout.

 

He said he is standing by his prediction of at least 400 million users by the end of 2012.

 

Allen also said it will be fascinating if Facebook will announce something startling like one billion active users or if they, for the first time ever, announce how many total user accounts they have. — TJD, GMA News