Google +1: A Game Changer?

Think about the last time you did a search on Google. Maybe you were looking for a vet recommendation for your beloved Fluffy or a restaurant to take your parents to on their golden wedding anniversary.

Wouldn’t it be great if, in addition to the search results, you also got recommendations from friends, acquaintances, and even complete strangers to make your decision easier? Would you be more willing to give Dr. Feline a try if your coworker gave him a thumb’s up? Or, in the world of Google, a +1?
Google thinks you would.  And, that’s just what the Google +1 allows web users to do: Recommend pages on the web. (Think Facebook’s “Like” button.) Google compares +1 to notes that make your life easier or tips from someone you trust: A sticky note that says “hey bro, there are leftovers in the fridge” or “hey sis, try this recipe. It’s to die for.”
Here’s how it works:

• You create a Google profile, which requires you to use your first and last names and a photo, which anyone on the internet can see. Only users with public Google profiles can use +1.
• When you visit a site that you want to recommend, you +1 it. You can add and delete your +1s anytime you want.
• Your friends and other connections will see what you’ve recommended (your name and photo will appear in the search results) when they do a search. And, you will see what your friends and other connections recommend. (You can also set your privacy settings to allow your recommendations to be shown to the general public.)

Google +1 ventures into the realm of social media, a year after the fizzle of Google Buzz. Buzz, to a large extent, mimicked the most popular facets of Facebook and Twitter: Users can post profile photos of themselves and share updates about where they are and what they are doing, all from their Gmail account.
Buzz garnered plenty of feedback, much of it negative. People didn’t like that Buzz apparently added new followers without their permission, and privacy groups launched complaints with the Federal Trade Commission.
Will Google +1 become the biggest success of 2011 or is Google’s forays into social media, a la Google Buzz, destined for mediocrity? Some critics say there’s no need to add the social aspect to a search engine as Google +1 does.
In fact, a review in PC World makes some pretty strong points against +1, including calling it out as an interference when doing a search. Will the social aspect of +1 interfere with people, when they’re trying to work and are using Google search as a part of their jobs?
Still others believe that Google had to implement +1 to catch up with Facebook. A New York Times article asserts that more people turn to their Facebook friends for information today – such as where to go on their next vacation – instead of relying solely on Google and other search engines. With its personalized search results, +1 aims to take back its audience from Facebook.
Only time will tell, however, whether web users will really want to add a social media aspect to their searches and how that will impact Google overall. What will happen when advertisers enter the fray? For now, Google +1 is a novelty that’s still being rolled out and, for those willing to post a public profile, it’s probably worth trying +1.

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