[awaz]

The statistics link on the page has the following stats:

Male 698,703 (73.70%) Female 234,504 (24.74%)

and top occupations:

Engineer , Developer , Designer , Software Engineer, Writer , Web Developer , Software Developer, Programmer

Exactly what kind of Social Network is it?

[sp332]

That's actually a much higher ratio of female/male than I would have expected for an early-adopter scenario. Mozilla's beta-test program is over 90% self-reported male. http://blog.mozilla.com/metrics/2010/08/26/who-are-our-firef... On the other hand, all three winners of Google's science fair were girls, so I guess Google is doing something right with the make-tech-appealing-to-women department.

[brk]

Exactly what kind of Social Network is it?

It's a beta/early-release social network that by nature is going to be highly skewed in the beginning. Did you expect to see pre-school teachers, housewives, and elephant trainers among the top users at this stage?

[bartman]

Keep in mind that Google+ is currently in field test mode and thus has a special appeal to the computer savvy crowd.

[awaz]

I am fully aware of it. The question is what would create the appeal for the common masses.

[jmitcheson]

You think the common masses were on facebook in 2004?

[awaz]

I mean the initial user distribution was different and then there wasn't a strong competitor. The initial user base was the appeal for the masses.

[MaysonL]

field test mode

Is that what used to be called alpha test?

[runevault]

I find it fascinating that writer is a top occupation.The other ones aren't surprising but that one kinda stuck out to me.

[soundslikeneon]

I don't have any data to back this up, but I wouldn't be surprised if many/most of those writers are tech writers, bloggers and similar. Google were smart about who was let in on the ground floor. 1) People who have strong social graphs (on the internet); 2) People who will actively engage and explore new technology. Sounds like a blogger to me.

[runevault]

I thought (perhaps incorrectly) bloggers listed themselves as bloggers not writers normally.

[waterlesscloud]

The pro novelists I know have taken to social media in a strong way. Same with indie filmmakers.

Two reasons, I think. One, obviously, is the opportunity for promotion. But two, these are very lonely professions, and they seem to welcome any excuse for community.

[runevault]

The would be novelists I know are as well. Still found it surprising they are THAT high on the list.