For over 16 months, I have staked the claim that Google+ would surpass Facebook in total users. I was ridiculed, mocked and even laughed at. In real life, friends would mention Google+ and make a condescending comment about how Google should just let it die.
Just last week a friend asked me if Google+ was going to be shut down. I showed him my profile on my Nexus 4 phone, with over 360,000 followers, and he almost passed out. He looked at me and said, "How?!" My response was, "Google+ is for smart people that want to create an amazing Internet; not individuals that want to relive their past." I will admit that it was a jab, but I have taken enough heat for being on the forefront of social media and what Google is doing. Here is why Google+ will surpass Facebook in total users.
Google+ is Pure Google
I will admit that many of my in real life friends are not active on Google+, yet they scroll through their Facebook News Feed multiple times a day. That said, I honestly do not know a single person that doesn't have, at least, one Google account. Whether it be YouTube, Google Docs/Drive, an Android smartphone, the Google Maps app or a GMail account. In fact, I know more people with access to a Google account than a Facebook account.In time, Google is going to integrate Google+ into all of the layers of Google. Yesterday we found out that YouTube comments are going to be powered by Google+. YouTube has over one billion users and many of these users are going to experience, first hand, the amazing comment system that is provided by Google+. Will all YouTube users immediately jump on Google+ and start to get active? Most likely not. Will they see the integration and gain interest in the social layer over the next two or three months? It is highly likely.
Google+ Does Not Need Ads
Facebook can make money one way - advertising. They have shoved ads into the desktop and mobile experience so much that some have decided to take their social experience elsewhere. From the beginning of Google+ the executives at Google have stood firm that ads are not needed. Google prints money with search advertising. The Google search displays ads when users want to see them. Most social media users do not want to see ads filling up their stream of information. They would rather see information from other individuals; hence the name social media.Google currently has over $50 billion in cash and they report a record quarter (year-over-year) almost every single earnings report. Making money is not an issue for Google. They have the brightest of the bright working on products that will enhance the search product. Facebook continues to struggle with their search product and they are attempting to push out Graph Search when it is not polished. While Graph Search has potential it isn't even playing the same sport as Google Search.
Conclusion
As Google continues to roll out updates across all platforms and layers more users are going to be introduced to Google+. Whether or not Google+ has reached one billion users has yet to be confirmed by Vic Gundotra and staff. The numbers are staggering at this point even if all your in real life friends are not active on Google+. Just because a user is not publicly active does not mean they are not using the Google+ product. This is hard for most people to understand but those that can see past next week realize that Google+ is the social network of the future.Google listens to its active users. Google attempts to reach out to those that use their product. Most important, Google wants to make the Internet a learning experience and better place. That's a plus!
What do you think? Will Google+ surpass Facebook in total users? Let us know in the comments below!