If Google+ is a ‘ghost town,’ is it worth the effort?

The social media site is signing up a ton of users, but they aren’t doing much. Still, social media experts say it’s worth keeping at it.

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The average amount of time Google+ members spend on the site? Only three minutes every month, according to comScore, which led The Wall Street Journal to dub it “a virtual ghost town.”

The Journal article ends with a quote from photographer Ben Hopper, who says he’s given up on the network. He says it “was an additional tool that needed time investment—time I didn’t have to begin with.”

Is it time to ditch Google+? At least one view is that it’s not bringing much that’s unique among social media sites.

“For everyday users who aren’t interested in marketing, there’s no real benefit to using Google+,” says Christine Campbell of Resolute Digital. “Friends are already on Facebook, news comes from Twitter, inspiration is on Pinterest/Tumblr/Instagram, and location-based needs are covered by Foursquare or even Facebook. By keeping Google+ purely social, there’s nothing drawing users to it from any of the other networks.”

Still, social media experts say communicators shouldn’t write it off just yet.

It’s too early

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