Google plans to make the Google+ photo platform a standalone item which operates independently of its social network, meaning those without a Google+ profile would be able to use the service. The platform would though remain accessible to current Google+ users.
The move would appear to be the first steps in a rebranding of the network mentioned by the man who formerly led Google's social networks efforts, Vic Gundotra. On his departure Gundotra suggested that Google+ would transition from a social network to a "platform".
Google+ was introduced in June 28, 2011 as a direct competitor to Facebook. The corporation leveraged successful products like GMail in a bid to attract users. People with GMail accounts were automatically given Google+ accounts as were new GMail signups.
With 425 million active GMail users at the time, the immediate success of Google's platform was seemingly assured, but it failed to capture people's imaginations, with some actively concerned that the social network was being forced on them. However, figures suggested that there are currently around 300 million "in stream" users of the network, although this compares poorly against 1.23 billion active Facebook users.
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