Google+ mobbed after doors opened

SAN FRANCISCO - Google+ was mobbed with visitors after the social network opened its doors to the public last week, industry tracker Experian Hitwise reported on Monday.

Online traffic to Google’s nascent social network rocketed 1,269 percent on Wednesday, a day after the Internet titan removed the need to be invited in order to join, according to Hitwise research director Heather Dougherty.

The number of visits to Google+ tallied nearly 15 million for the week in a leap from the approximately 1.1 million logged in the prior week, Hitwise analysts concluded.

The Hitwise data did not include traffic from mobile gadgets.

‘In just one week, Google+ went from ranking as 54^th most visited site in our Social Networking and Forums category to 8^th place,’ Dougherty said in a blog post.

Google on Sept. 20^th opened google.com/+ to the public as it ramped up its challenge to leading social network Facebook.

The announcement came as part of a list of improvements Google is making to the social network it launched in an invitation-only test format on June 28.

Zynga on Monday added its most popular title — CityVille — to games that can be played at the Google+.

‘It’s no secret we’re big fans of Google+ here at Zynga,’ the San Francisco-based startup said in a blog post.

‘Last month we announced that we partnered with Google to bring Zynga Poker to Google+, and today we’re excited to add CityVille+ to the new game platform,’ the message continued.

In August, Google+ opened a gaming zone at the fast-growing social network vying with Facebook to be the hub for people’s online lives.

Along with global game sensation Angry Birds, the initial array of offerings available at Google+ included Bejeweled Blitz, Zynga Poker, and Dragon Age Legends.