CIO reports:  Google+ traffic soared to record heights right after its official public launch.  There was huge hype around the launch of Google+, with people even auctioning off invites on Ebay.

Reports shows Google+ already has 43 million users, which is a staggering number for less than four months after initial launch, but traffic on Google+ is down 60 percent.

The analyst Chitika weighs in and tries to give some insight into the matter.

“The first [problem] is essentially social media overload—the supply of users for social media sites is limited, especially when some have become entrenched in one or two social networks already. Switching from one to another must have significant benefits, the report says, and users complained at the start that Google+ looked and felt like a repackaged Facebook.”

The second problem, Chitika says, is about the uniqueness of the social media site.  Google+ had circles, which made sharing things with certain friends easy and highlighted Facebook users’ privacy fears.  However, this was easy to duplicate when Facebook introduced redesigned Friend Lists and fixed privacy issues.

This leaves Google+ at a social media “crossroads”.  Some think that in order for it to garner more support and win over converts from other social media sites, Google will need to differentiate from the pack and offer a truly unique social experience once again.  The question is, is Google up for the challenge?