Google+ Users Sign On, But Not Staying

According to Experian Hitwise, Google+ users now spend an average of five minutes and 47 seconds per visit on the site. This duration isn’t dropping, but it’s not growing, either. Hitwise said time spent on the site peaked in the week of July 16, at five minutes and 50 seconds.

These numbers suggest that while some users applaud Google’s new service for having features that protect their privacy and for its video chatroom capabilities, Google+ has not yet caught on with social networking users.

Another part of the problem may be that Google+ is still in a limited, invite-only beta release. People are slow to embrace social networking sites if their friends aren’t using the site as well, and since millions more people still use Facebook, people for now are staying where their friends are.

Google+’s usage might also remain stagnant because it requires people to use their real names, or risk having their profiles removed. Facebook also encourages people to use their real names, but doesn’t really enforce that rule. Privacy advocates complain about Google’s stance on this issue, saying it could violate users’ rights, but Google says it will remain firm on the real-name issue.

Google had originally marketed the social network as being more privacy-minded because of the real names policy, and touted its Circles system as well, which helps users control who sees their posts.

However, Facebook last week rolled out new privacy measures, including the ability to separate information into group pages, meaning users can control who sees what posts.

Another problem with Google+’s lower numbers may be that the site is not yet open to celebrities or businesses. Part of Facebook’s success centers around its celebrity pages, and many businesses find they can promote themselves and earn money through the site.

Google+ may well attract some of its users to stay online longer through its new game offerings. Earlier this month, Google+ added a game service, including such popular offerings as Rovio’s “Angry Birds.” As people discover the games, they may not only stay online to play but invite their friends as well, which may help Google+ attract users likely to remain on the site longer.

Google+ reviews are mostly positive. However, it’s apparent from Hitmark’s numbers that while a lot of people have signed on for the social network, it still has a long way to go before it can truly challenge Facebook’s dominance.

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Adult Use of Social Networking Sites Up 61% From 2010 (Report)

The number of adults using social networking sites has increased 61% since 2010, according to a Pew Research Center report.

The Pew Internet American Life Project found that 65 percent of the 2, 277 adults surveyed say they use sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook or MySpace. That’s more than double the percentage that reported social networking site usage in 2008 (29%).

Also, in a first for Pew Internet surveys, it means that half of all adults in the U.S. use social networking sites.

Mary Madden, co-author of the Pew report said, “The graying of social networking sites continues but the oldest users are still fare less likely to be making regular use of those tools.

“While seniors are testing the waters, many Baby Boomers are beginning to make a trip to the social media pool as part of their daily routine.”

Among Internet users, social networking sites are most popular with women, young adults under age 30, and parents. Fully 89% of women in the 18-29 age range are social networkers and 69% of those do so on an average day.

Asked to describe their experience using social network sites, “good” was the most common response from survey respondents.

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