Much maligned, often misunderstood, Google+ holds a unique place among the social platforms.

Google+ has the active (some might say pushy) endorsement and considerable resources of Google behind it, and on paper should have had every chance to succeed. 

Yet a few years on, it's not unkind to say that Google+ has failed to live up to expectations. Yet it endures, and in some areas is thriving. Here's how things look at Google+ halfway through 2015.

Early rumblings

G+ is Google's fourth attempt at a social network. It follows in the footsteps of the short-lived Google Buzz, Google Friend Connect, and the more successful Orkut.

Launched in June 2011, G+ has just celebrated its fourth birthday.

Plus 1?

Google+ has a massive user base, currently upwards of 300 million. That puts it into the Twitter and Instagram arena.

However it's worth remembering that Google virtually makes it compulsory for Gmail users to have a G+ account. And YouTube users must sign in via G+ to make comments.

Taking that into consideration. Google+ has a more modest 20 million mobile active monthly users.

Talk time

Yet G+ users are well engaged with the platform.

The average length of a G+ visit is 3.46 minutes, while 22% of online users visit G+ at least once a month.

Tech talk

Google+ might not appeal to the lucrative Millennial market as much as a Snapchat or Instagram, but it's incredibly popular with tech and legal companies.

Over 94% of the Top 50 US law firms are on G+.

Less is more

More than 64% of B2B marketers in the US publish content on G+.

If you're posting on the platform consider this: the optimal length for headlines is less than 60 characters.