Google has announced the launch of a revamped version of Google+. The new version will provide users with the ability to customize the way the social network looks and display the content that is relevant to them with a new interface. In an official blog post, Google said that the social network now has 170 million members, and that the company wants to accelerate its efforts “to create a simpler, more beautiful Google”.

According to a report by digital marketing firm Experian, Pinterest is now the third most-visited social-networking site in the United States. Pinterest, which lets its users 'pin' photos and info from the Internet onto virtual boards, ranks behind Facebook and Twitter in terms of total visitors. According to Experian, Pinterest had 104 million total visits from people in the United States last month, which puts the site ahead of heavyweights like LinkedIn, Google+, MySpace and Tumblr.

According to industry insiders, Google has been spending big sums on TV, magazine and newspaper ads to promote new services, including its Google+ social network and Chrome Web browser. Google's ad-spending as a percentage of revenue is now similar to those of rivals Apple, Microsoft, and Yahoo. According to Kantar Media, Google spent about $213 million to advertise its own products in the U.S. in 2011, nearly quadrupling the $56 million spent in 2010.

According to BrightEdge, Google+ is establishing itself as a useful medium for brands to connect directly with consumers. In the last few months, Google+ fans of the world’s top 100 brands grew from 222,000 to 3,100,000, which translates into a 1,400% increase. According to BrightEdge, the growth is being driven largely by 10 brands including H&M and Coca Cola.

According to CEO Larry Page, Google+ now has over 90 million registered users. Page, who announced the figure during Google’s earnings presentation last week, said that “engagement on Google+ is also growing tremendously". Google had previously announced their number of users in mid-October, and claimed they had about 40 million users. 

Twitter officials have been angered over changes made by Google to integrate its social network Google+ into search results. The new feature, called 'Search plus Your World', will push results from Google+ up the search rankings.

According to industry insiders, Android phones will play a crucial role in the expansion of the Google+ social networking site. According to Paul Allen, the founder of Ancestry.com, "700,000 Android devices are activated daily and this will become a very significant source of new users for Google+". Facebook, Google+'s main competitor, is also quickly establishing its own mobile stake. Benedict Evans reported that in the last couple of days, Facebook saw monthly active users of its mobile apps pass 300 million users.

Google has released its annual Zeitgeist List that features the search engine's fastest-rising search terms. Teenage YouTube sensation Rebecca Black topped this year's list, as the search for her name increased by 10,000%. Google's own Google+ social network came in second. Apple had an imprssive year, as the iPhone came in sixth on the list, while Steve Jobs and the iPad 2 were ninth and tenth.