Google+ On Pace to Surpass LinkedIn and Twitter in Just 12 Months

Sites include Google.com , LinkedIn.com , Twitter.com . Published on August 7th, 2011. Written by Anthony West.

It finally looks like Google has got it right. According to a study, Google+, the company’s social network is growing so fast, it could very well dwarf Twitter and LinkedIn in 12 months time.

To put that in perspective: Twitter has over 250 million users, LinkedIn has another 115.8 million, so that means in 12 months, Google+ could very have over 365 million users.

These projected numbers are based on the fact that Google+ has already signed up 13% of the U.S. adult population, with a strong chance that number could become 22% in another year. Google will probably be eternally grateful to the Bloomberg/YouGov poll that revealed these statistics. According to the report from the poll, most users are expected to switch allegiance (if only slightly) from Facebook to Google+.

Facebook’s current user share of 71% of U.S. adults is set to drop to 69% in a year’s time. This may not seem like much, but when you look at the actual numbers, 2% is huge. Facebook currently has nearly a billion users, so even a 2% drop is significant.

The really good news for Twitter and LinkedIn is however, that they too will grow over the next 12 months—just not as fast as Google+. Still, given Google’s ill-fated attempts to build a social brand in the past, the success of Google+ will be more than just a triumph of profits.

What do you think? Can Google+ really pass LinkedIn and Twitter? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below.