Google+, the advertising giant's attempt to take on Facebook in the lucrative social networking space, has hit a milestone with its first celebrity to reach a million followers.

Designed around the concept of 'Circles,' which - like the open-source Disapora system, allow users to split the people they share their content with into themed categories, Google+ is proving popular - and, as expected, celebrities are keen to get into the act.

Songstress Britney Spears has become the first person to pass a million followers on the Google+ social networking service, reports The Next Web, shooting past Google's own Larry Page in proof that the network is starting to gain traction among non-technical types.

While Spears' meteoric rise is surely cause for celebration in Google's headquarters, the service still has a long way to go: the singer enjoys a rather more impressive following of nearly 12 million users on microblogging service Twitter.

Until Google+ can offer that kind of exposure to celebrities and businesses, the platform risks being seen as a poor choice compared to Facebook, Twitter and other more well-established services.