Google+ could now have 10 million users

Google's two week old social network, Google+, has been the topic of conversation ever since it was launched. It has created a significant amount of interest, despite it being an invite-only product. Significant enough that Paul Allen of Ancestry.com (no relation to Paul Allen of Microsoft fame) estimates the brand new network already has 9.5 million users, with over 2 million joining the just the past two days.

Allen compared popular surnames in the U.S. Census to surnames found in Google+ to come up with his estimate. He then calculated a ratio of U.S. to non-U.S. Google+ users to estimate a worldwide number. While these figures are just estimates, and are not from Google itself, it seems safe to say that Google+ has had tremendous growth, unlike that seen from any social network before it. Facebook may have a seemingly insurmountable lead, with its 750 million strong user base, but if Google+ keeps growing at this pace, it won't take too long for it to reach that number (roughly three years if it maintains 10 million per two weeks). If you thought that Google+ would be a haven from your buddies from high school that you haven't talked to in 15 years, think again.

Now if only Apple would approve the Google+ app for the iPhone, we could all be happy. [via Mashable]