The founder of Ancestry.com, Paul Allen, estimates that Google+ may already have reached 10m users, despite only having been launched a fortnight ago.
The data analysis was based on surname popularity. Allen says that if he takes a sample of 100-200 surnames, he can accurately estimate total usage numbers. The surname popularity data is taken from the US Census Bureau, so this would give him US figures, but he believes that he can then calculate worldwide usage via a ratio of US to non-US users.
Google itself has released no user numbers as yet, although it is said that demand has so far been high with some users reported to have tens of thousands of people following them
Overall, Google+ has gone down well, but as with any new product, there is criticism. Google’s senior vice-president of social, Vic Gondotra, said:
“Lots of criticism for Google+. We are listening and working to address. Stay tuned for changes this week.”
10m users in a fortnight would represent a hugely impressive start, but with Twitter boasting 300m users and Facebook 750m, there is plenty of room for improvement as it seeks to gain ground on its rivals.
