Photo by eyeliam

Google+ celebrated its first birthday on June 27, 2012. Although I’ve previously given Google+ a little skepticism, there is a lot that this social network not only has coming, but does for many already.

Below are some of the (more or less) interesting facts on Google+’s first year in the world from MarketingVOX, Search Engine Watch, Edison Research and Computer World:

• As of early 2012, 8% of Americans 12+ (well over 20 million people) had a profile page on Google+. (Source)
• At that point in time, it was just a bit smaller than Twitter (10%) and LinkedIn (13%) in terms of penetration. (Source)
• In case you didn’t already realize this, as you signed up for Google+, you did what the internet giant wanted…”tie your demographic/profile information to your search activities.” (Source)
• It was announced at Google I/O 2012,  Google+ has its own app specifically for tablet devices, but it’s available to Android tablet owners only (for right now). (Source)
• Another announcement included the introduction of Google+ Events. (Source)
• Over 250 million people are registered Google+ users, according to Google. (Source)
• And 50 percent log in and use Google+ for an hour or more a day. (Source)
• “Google+ is the home base for all things that connect Google. It’s the glue that holds it together,” said Patrick Moorhead, an analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy at Google I/O 2012, in reference to Google+’s low (yet irrelevant) numbers compared to Facebook and Twitter. (Source)

Through my research, I appreciated a thoughtful quote from photographer, Colby Brown, to commemorate his time on Google+ so far:

“G+ is a network of Interests, where people can connect not just because they are family or went to high school together, but because they have shared passions. Whether that be photography, astronomy, cooking, parenting, or even musical tastes. It is because of the creation of this “interest network” that we have the ability to feed off each others excitement, drive and passion…further instilling the virtues we love and occasionally igniting new ones through the connections we make.” (Source)

We’ll see what happens with Google+ throughout 2012. I’m rooting for a 2nd birthday with, perhaps, an entirely different connotation of the social network, but I guess we’ll just wait and see!

What are your thoughts on Google+? Are you an active user or did you sign up the first day last year and haven’t been back since? Let’s discuss below!