Report: Study shows downward activity trend in Google+

While Google may claim to have 40 million users on its social network Google+, these users may not be actively using it, a new research report claims. Tech site Mashable cited findings from Chitika Insights indicating a "prolonged and sustained downward trend" in overall activity from Google+. "After a brief blip in Google+’s traffic surrounding the site going public, we saw a prolonged and sustained downward trend in overall activity coming from the site... At its greatest, the gap between peak and trough measured over a 70-percent decline in traffic," it quoted the latest report from Chitika Insights, the research arm of online ad service Chitika, as saying. It said Chitika Insights extended its Google+ traffic study to run through Oct. 12, after Google announced its third-quarter earnings. Mashable quoted Gabe Donnini, a data solutions engineer and author of the report, as saying the figures mean users are not returning to, or actively using, the social networking site. Donnini was quoted as saying Google has yet to provide users with a compelling enough reason to become active on Google+. He added the data indicates the downward trend will continue. Mashable said Chitika Insights measures the data behind its online advertising network, which Donnini said includes hundreds of thousands of publishers. The research center’s Google+ traffic index measures the rate of referrals from the social network. “People and businesses use Google+ to share information and links across their networks. In this case, the number of referrals does correspond to the usage for types of sites where the main purpose is to share, especially in the form of links," Donnini said. Google has declined to comment on Chitika’s findings, Mashable said. — LBG, GMA News