Google+ user figures near the 20 million mark

Google will be ecstatic with the success of its new social network this week, as Google+ is rapidly nearing the 20 million user mark. The upstart social network has been a big hit in certain circles (pun intended) and reached 18 million users on Monday, meaning that last week’s milestone of 10 million users should definitely be doubled by week’s out.

It’s fantastic news for Google, who were heading into the social network battlefield against a huge opponent in Facebook, already with a couple of failed experiments under their belt. Whereas Google+ seems to have become a haven for the geekier set, Google Buzz – the social network-type-thing that Google had built into GMail in 2009, never managed to capture the attentions of the masses.

Facebook still has the jump on Google with some 700 million users who, presumably, aren’t looking to abandon ship any time soon. That said, it’s clear that Google+ has more legs in it than any similar effort launched by Google in the past. With yesterday’s launch of the Google+ iPhone app, presumably the service will only continue to grow.

Are you on Google+? What do you make of it? Let us know your thoughts on the Gadget Helpline Twitter feed.