Google is giving social functionality another try. After previous failed attempts at doing something social – Buzz, Wave, SearchWiki – Google now believes it’s got the magic formula.
And it’s Facebook’s magic formula, of course. Or, at least, what Google thinks is Facebook’s magic formula. You can read the full explanation of ‘Google +1′ on the official Google blog here.
The short version is that you can Like – or, more accurately, +1 – a result on Google by clicking on the wee +1 icon next to it. This works across all results, organic and Adwords, and others in your social circle will see that you +1d that website when they search for similar queries.
Google has also admitted that it will use +1s as a signal in their organic search algorithm, which means it could influence SEO tactics for some websites. It’s definitely another step towards a full convergence of search and social.
Personally, I’m not sure about Google +1. It’s a blatant copy of Facebook Likes, but where Facebook is about communities of friends and shared interests, Google is not a community – it’s a search engine. People go to Google to find things, not to hang out and share stuff.
We’ll see if this sticks and whether or not it’ll finally be Google’s social magic bullet.