Google+ passes Twitter to become No. 2 social network

Google+has overtaken Twitter as the world's number two social network, according toBritish research firm Trendstream's Global Web Index.Google's social networkattracted more than 343 million active monthly users in December, as much as 25 per centof all internet users globally.

By way of comparison, Twitter was used by 288 million people in December, or 21 per centof all internet users.The micro-blogging service's reach grew by40 per cent from June 2012, according to the index.

YouTube also saw big growth, virtually tied with Twitter at 280 million monthly users. Google's integrated platform likelyhelped drive users to both of the company's social networks, letting users access both sites with a single sign-on.

Facebook remained at the top of the internet heap, with693 million active monthly users, or 51 per centof the world's total internet users. The social network says it hasapproximately 1 billion total users.

Not every social network grew, however. Regional networks like China's Weibo, RenRen and Qzone saw their monthly user bases shrink as much as 50 per cent. Trendstream tracks 8 different social networks that operate only in China, each capturing over 5 per centof global online users.