Google has become the answer to the majority of our modern day questions. The term "Google it" is firmly embedded in our everyday vocabulary, so much so that it's easy to take our search engine friend for granted.

It's not surprising to report that Google is the largest search engine provider with over 65% of the market and I'm certainly an advocate of their products, with my daily activities encompassing Chrome, Analytics, Gmail and YouTube.

Google's latest attempt at a social network, Google+, promised to be "an extension of Google itself" and created a frenzy in the industry last year when it launched. 

The network has introduced an array of unique and exciting features including the ability to segment and manage friend categories via "Circles", participate in a video chat "Hangout" and easily share content via the "+1" button.

The +1 social share function presents an opportunity in itself as it personalises search results based on what people in their circles have been sharing, thus reinforcing the power and influence that Google holds within a social network for search engine optimisation (SEO) purposes.

However, with all this in mind, reports are now surfacing that just six months after its launch Google+ has become a virtual ghost town.

It appears that people are still signing up and adding to their existing 90 million user base, however they aren't doing much once they're actually on there. A comScore report revealed that visitors using personal computers spent an average of 3.3 minutes on Google+ in January, versus 6-7 hours on Facebook over the same month.

I'm conscious this is comparing apples with oranges, especially when you consider that Facebook has over 800 million users, acquired over eight years, but this level of activity has to be concerning for Google and it raises the question as to why?

From reading the stats, it reinforced that my own monthly activity time is also around the 3 minute average; clearly I too have been guilty of not fully embracing this much-hyped network.

Working in the digital industry, I've always been an early adopter of new social media networks including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and more recently Pinterest, and before long I find myself using these networks daily.

Each caters to a different purpose: Facebook is strictly friends and family; LinkedIn is maintained with a professional hat on; and Twitter is for real-time news and light-hearted chatter.

Truthfully, I haven't quite figured how I plan on using Google+ yet and I think this is the case for many others too.

It makes me wonder why people quickly lose interest after signing up. Perhaps we don't need another social network to add to our ever-growing list of online profiles that need fed and watered on a regular basis.

The new features can also be deemed confusing to beginners, and I think these features can become futile if your friends (or acquaintances, to use their term) have not yet signed up for you to add them to circles or simply "hang out" with. 

Whatever the reason, I feel there is a degree of curiosity which becomes short-lived. I hope that Google+ will work their magic to lure us in and avoid following the fate of previous failed attempts including Google Wave and Google Buzz – otherwise the 3 minute average per month could dwindle further as Google+ approach their first anniversary later this year.