‘Facebook killer’ Google+ becoming a growing threat

Since the launch of Google+ on June 29, the new social networking website has picked up quite a following.

In fact, Google+ is estimated to surpass 10 million users within the next 24 hours.

The estimate was made by the founder of Ancestry.com, Paul Allen, who used a surname-based model to figure out subscriber numbers. He also estimates that if Google+ keeps the 'invite' button available, that number could swell to 20 million users by the weekend.

While Allen claims his model is accurate, there may be those who question his methods. Allen selected 100 uncommon U.S. last names and has been tracking the number of users with those names. By tracking the growth rate in relation to the other 150,000 plus surnames in the U.S., then factoring for users outside of the country, you end up with a model that Allen claims is 99 per cent accurate.

Whether or not you think Allen's model is correct, there's no denying that Google+ is growing at an exponential rate.

And that rapid growth means all the players involved are maintaining a tight ship. Google is trying to stay on top of who is creating an account by insisting only real names are used to create profiles. One user had his account suspended after he made a profile using the name of his character from Second Life.

As Matt Rosoff points out on Business Insider, Google may have missed out on attracting all the people who are better known by their online personas. It would have provided a distinct experience from what Facebook is offering, and given some users a reason to 'join the Circle,' so to speak.

The question is, should Facebook feel threatened by the rapidly growing Google+? With a social media empire that boasts 750 million users, there's still a long way to go before Google+'s user base compares to Facebook's.

But early rumblings of Facebook's unease is evident in a couple of recent moves by the company. Earlier this week, Facebook blocked contact export tools by preventing them from accessing contact list emails, which makes moving your Facebook friends into Google+ Circles much more difficult.  And shortly after Google+ announced one of its killer features, Hangouts, Facebook announced a deal with Skype that offers a comparable video chat experience.

If users are interested in abandoning Facebook to hop on the Google+ bandwagon, Facebook certainly won't be letting them go without a fight.

(Reuters Photo)