In March 2011 Google announced a new social media tool, called Google +1 that could be a strong competitor to Facebook’s like button. Similar to the Facebook like Button, The Google +1 will be placed next to a search result. Users will click it if they think it’s useful and would recommend it to other people. This could be an indication to determine the most relevant content for the user.
Google has the largest search engine in the world, which means they’re able to implement this new feature immediately, which gives web masters motivation to integrate the +1 into their websites. Google is responsible for more than 50% of traffic on most sites. Facebook is currently running second and still has miles to catch Google. The +1 feature will be delivered as an experiment for a period of time. Even though there’s no doubt about making the feature spread widely on the net.
It’s amazing to see how popular and important social media and its features have become. At time of launch +1 will be placed on Google’s natural search results and also their advertising, which could make Google Adwords as social as Facebook’s advertising features.
There’s no question that Google wants to appear more social to its users. Google views this new button as a major step to compete with the Facebook like button and to possibly dominate it. That being said Google should keep in mind the past features they launched that failed to make an impact i.e. Google Buzz which I’m sure they are aware of.