For people who have become enamored with Google+ or simply interested in its birth and rise, it might be time to become an avid user or stop caring.

Last month, Google+ users only spent on average of 3.3 minutes on the service. Sounds downright awful, doesn’t it? Compare this behaviour with Facebook fanatics, who spent 7.5 hours logged in last month. Yes, you read that right.

The sad part of Google+ is the 3.3 minutes actually marks the low point of a three month downward trend; one that will likely  continue unless drastic measures happen soon.

Google has stood by the fledging social network, citing an increase in 50 million users since October. To me, the increase is easy to explain. People are curious so they sign up, only to be underwhelmed and leave with a newfound appreciate for Facebook.

It’s clear any way you cut it, Google+ could go down as the latest social media cautionary tale. The last nail hasn’t hit the coffin, but they need to rethink how to not only acquiring users, but how to engage them. Facebook has this down to a science.

The one element that always seems to be missing from Google+ is the emotional impact. There is an immediate connection made to the content, design and navigation of the stallions such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and yes, even Pinterest.

Google is still banking on Google+ becoming a winner. With the money and power of Google, the lack of traction can not be ignored.

Some pundits are pointing to higher engagement rates in countries outside of North America as a reason for optimism. This shouldn’t be overlooked, but to compete with the top dogs, you better have stellar across the board analytics.

Google+ is on a misdirected path to becoming a footnote in social media history, but as we all know things can change in an instant in the digital world. I wouldn’t rule them out, but I wouldn’t buy their positive spin on their standing either.

More: TechCrunch’s Josh Costine has a post suggesting that Google doesn’t care if people spend little time on Google+ because it’s far more interested in collecting personal information so advertising can be more effectively delivered.

Ever since Google+ launched last June, one of the most fascinating elements has been trying to get a sense of its growth, potential for adoption, and how people are actually using it within a world dominated by Facebook and Twitter.

What makes this social spectator sport difficult to understand is how different metrics are being applied.

In some respects, it makes Google+, the cricket of social media because you can see activity but you’re not quite sure what the rules are.

A good example is the buzz (pun, completely intended) about an Experian Hitwise report that suggests Google+ attracted 49 million U.S. visitors in December – a development glowingly described by Mashable as “massive”.

Meanwhile, Paul Allen, an analyst and the founder of Ancestry.com, told the Daily Mail recently that Google+ now has more than 62 million members. Allen also bullishly expects Google+ to have 400 million users by year-end.

It certainly sounds impressive until you head over to Compete.com, which reports Google+ had 14.3 million unique U.S. visitors as of late-November – a number that had grown less than 10% since late-September.

People Really, Really Want Google+ to Succeed

To be honest, it’s a bit of a head scratcher about who to believe. From the outside looking in, it seems like people really, really want Google+ to be mega-successful so it can become a viable and sizable rival to Facebook.

By trumpeting Google+’s growth, it could make individuals and brands think that maybe it’s time to climb on board given the train is beginning to gain momentum. After all, no one wants to be seen as being late to a social media party.

On the other hand, it’s challenging to grasp Google+’s apparent growing popularity given it doesn’t come up much in conversations with brands looking to establish or enhance their social media foothold.

From my personal experience, the digital and Web savvy are using Google+ or, at least, have signed up for the service. I’ve also heard anecdotally Google+ has become popular with photographers because it displays photos beautifully. Otherwise, Google+ doesn’t seem to have really resonated, at least not enough to think it will rival Facebook any time soon.

At this point, it is difficult to know what to believe. Is Google+ really becoming the greatest social thing since sliced bread, or is the excitement about Google+’s growth exaggerated or over-hyped?

Any insight into Google+ – good, bad or indifferent would be great. For those of you who have embraced Google+, what makes it so compelling, and how has it affected how your use of other social media services?