Zero to 43 million users in 3 months ...

Google+ records seismic growth

Visits to Google+ increased by 1269% last week. The site received 15 million U.S. visits, up from 1.1 million the week before. Google+ went from ranking 54th in Hitwise's Social Networking and Forums category to ranking 8th in just one week.

That's not all the traffic, either. These stats don't include mobile users or visits from the ubiquitous black Google toolbar. The data still show that Google+ is disproportionately comprised of 'influencers' and 'early adopters' compared to other social networks, but the removal of invitations seems to have jump-started visits to the service.

Google+ makes connecting on the web more like connecting in the real world. Here are some highlights of Google+ that have enabled it leapfrog the charts:

Sharing is caring:

You share different things with different people. But sharing the right stuff with the right people is the foundation of Google Plus. Circles make it easy to put your friends from Thursday night in one circle, your parents in another, and your boss in a circle by himself, just like real life. For example, if you'd rather Mom not know what shenanigans you were up to last night, no worries, just limit your status update to your "Friends" circle only.

Hanging out with friends:

Whether you're home in your night suit or painting the town red with your mobile phone, video hangouts let you bring up to 9 people into your world. It's the next best thing to everyone being there. You can now choose your desired video on YouTube, click "Share," and then "Start a Google+ Hangout." Instant party!

An excuse to say Hey!

Play bingo, build a new civilization, test your speed skills, or just click wildly at anything that moves. When you do something worth talking about, it's easy to share it just with the people interested in your gaming updates. Beating a friend's high score is always a good excuse to say Hi.

The Good ol' Google Search

Search brings you updates from your circles, news from around the web and public Google+ posts, giving you instant access to the topics you care about and the people who care about them along with you.

In case you did not know, Google+ still operates on an invite-only basis. If you want to be a Google Gangsta, send your requests for invitations to sharad@cyber-gear.com