Google+ opens social network to everyone
Vic Gundotra, Google's senior vice president of social business: "We think there's lots of room for innovation"
Google+ is being opened up for anyone to join after two-and-a-half months in closed testing.
The search firm's latest foray into social networking was initially offered to journalists and people working in technology related fields.
However, members' ability to invite friends meant its user base quickly grew to tens of millions.
Google+ has been praised for several innovative features including its multi person "hangouts" video chat.
Two weeks after it launched, the company announced that its service had attracted 10 million users.
It has not produced official figures since then, although estimates by web analytic firm Comscore put membership at 25 million by the end of the first month.
Despite users' apparently rapid uptake, research carried out by Australian web software maker 89n suggested that the rate of public posting was declining. The survey did not take account of private postings.
Social search
Alongside its full public launch, Google is adding several new features to the service, including video hangouts on Android smartphones - allowing multi-person chats.
Users will also be able to share the content of their computer screens with whoever they are talking to.
The big question is whether the 750 million people who currently use Facebook and the 100 million who are signed up to Twitter will decide they need to move ”
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