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The new Google +1 feature, discussed at length for months and rumored for longer, is finally being rolled out. We're hearing a lot about what this means for searchers, publishers and advertisers alike - getting past the hype, here's what you really need to know.
4/17/2011
Google's +1 is usually described as similar in functionality to Facebook's "Like" button. Similar to the way the Facebook Like button works, users can "+1" a web page they like, adding to that page's +1 total as a measure of the quality of that page. Users can also +1 a Search Result listing, similar to the way Facebook users can Like a posting or status update. The similarities are obvious.
The really interesting things to consider are the differences between Google's +1 and Facebook's Like.
Firstly, Facebook users typically see most of the content they want right in their news feed. Clicking out of the feed to an external source is a secondary action. Google users, on the other hand, use Google Search with the intent to click out to external sources. This suggests the possibility that while Facebook users may read something they like and click the Like button, Google users would need to click on a search result, out to external content, before deciding if they are satisfied or not. If they are satisfied with the result, they have no incentive to return to the search results page to +1 the link they clicked. This will result in different usage behavior, and could present a challenge to Google for encouraging adoption.
Secondly, Facebook is social by nature. Facebook users are there to participate in social activities, and expect to see social cues. Google is informational by nature. It is true that information seekers are now expecting social cues in many areas, such as recommendations, ratings and reviews, these are typically "average" ratings, crowdsourced from large numbers of participants. Will Google users respond differently to, or place more value on, feedback from a few friends than they do to feedback from the large crowd? Google thinks so. We'll just have to wait and see.
Lastly, a user's Facebook network and Google network are two very different things. You never hear about someone friending someone on Google. Google networks are more haphazard, and often include many people users might communicate with but not consider friends. Assuming that users will trust feedback from their Google network in the same way that they trust feedback from their Facebook network is a big leap.
One thing Google +1 makes clear is Google's intent increase the social element of content scoring in their search algorithm, which has been expected for some time but is really only now taking shape. Google is more than willing to abandon executions that don't pan out, but they recognize that there's a shift occuring in the way people search for and evaluate information, and they won't abandon that idea. It's a safe bet that regardless of how Google +1 works out, Google is going to be increasingly social as time goes on.
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