Google+ traffic dropping already?

Is the shine beginning to fade for Google+?

Google's social-networking foray saw fewer U.S. visitors last week, and those who did visit spent less time on the site on average, according to new data released today by market researcher Experian Hitwise. Google+ had 1.79 million visits for the week ending July 23, a decrease of 3 percent compared with the previous week when the network had 1.86 million visits, Experian Hitwise reported.

The average visit was 10 percent shorter, down from 5 minutes 50 seconds to 5 minutes 15 seconds. Google+, the Web giant's latest attempt to challenge Facebook for the social-networking crown, launched late last month in a field trial, letting in only a handful of users, who could later invite their friends and family.