Google launched Google+ on July 7th, 2011. It has since gained over 10 million users. Google+ is Google's attempt to enter the social networking space and compete with Facebook. Google+ provides profiles, streams, circles to organize contacts, sparks to follow topics of interest, and hangouts for video chatting. Google sees Google+ as the linchpin of its business strategy because it will provide more user data and integrate social features across Google products like YouTube, Maps and AdWords. However, brands should be aware of privacy issues as Google mines user data on Google+ for targeted advertising.