The latest coverage on the various news websites around Google+ are entertaining at best and are likely not exactly the whole story. A little smoke and mirrors maybe …

Google claims that Google+ is growing and they are pleased, however I think the numbers are somehwhat misleading. Google, if I understand correctly classifies anyone connected to the mightly Google system as a Google+ user even if they don’t use Google+ itself. They have managed such growth by integrating services like Picasa, Places, Local and who knows what else. Anyone with a Gmail account essentially has a Google+ account. 

The number that would be interesting to see is the active number of users for the social component. How many users engage and post on a regular basis, not including image uploads from Picasa or someone logging into an email account.

What is the actual usage of Google+ vs people who use Google services that are now tied into Google+. These numbers would give a true account of what is going on with Googles current foray into social networking. 

Thoughts on this? Leave a comment, what do you think?