After three weeks of semi-closed beta, we’re seeing multiple reports that Google+ will soon open its doors to the rest of the world. The service has been closed to the general public thus far, but that hasn’t stopped them from accumulating 20 millions users through a regulated invitation system.

Widely seen as the behemoth’s first serious challenge to rival Facebook, Google+ was made available earlier this month during beta testing and immediately filled to capacity making it the fastest growing social media network ever. In a blog post announcing the service, Google said: “Online sharing is awkward. Even broken. And we aim to fix it.”

Will it grow to rival Facebook? That remains to be seen, but for now take a look below at Google’s approach to social media.

Circles

Google Plus bears a “striking resemblance” to Facebook, with lists of friends and streaming news feeds. But a key difference is the Circles feature which encourages users to group their friends by category – work colleagues, college friends, book club, family and so on. This aims to fix one of the key problems of Facebook: what you share with your closest friends, you don’t necessarily also want to share with your uncle Leo.

The Google pitch: “We found that people already use real-life circles to express themselves, and to share with precisely the right folks. So [...] we brought Circles to software.”

Sparks

Sparks is Google’s answer to Twitter;  its a way to plug in to news and content you’re interested in from all over the web. You provide a list of interests, and it promises to deliver headlines, images and links from like-minded people and organisations which you can react to, comment on and share with others.

The Google pitch: “Simply add your interests, and you’ll always have something to watch, read and share.”

Hangouts

Basically, Hangouts is a way to have video chats with several people at once. The aim is to make online conversation less like an impromptu phone call and more like a time spent hanging out. You hit the Hangout button, invite anybody you want to join you if they feel like it and shoot the breeze.

The Google pitch: “Whether it’s inside a pub or on a front porch, human beings have always enjoyed hanging out [...] By combining the casual meet-up with live multi-person video, Hangouts lets you stop by when you’re free, and spend time with your Circles.

The Verdict

So far the public response has been positive, but change comes slowly for some Facebook loyals. Influential technology blog TechCrunch was impressed, with their reviewer writing that “I used Google+ for hours and kept coming back. And I have a desire to come back tomorrow.” Social news site Mashable said the project was “a bold and dramatic attempt at social”, adding that it was “solid”, but not “a Facebook killer or game changer”.

Join up (if you can) and find out for yourself.